I bought three new-to-me soup bases before the winter storm moved in. I decided to use the unsweetened coconut soup base for a new snow-day recipe. Coconut flavors suggest Thai food to me, and I developed a craving for my favorite, green curry. However, all I had was a jar of red curry.

Red curry suggests Thai food also, but with a different set of ingredients.  I think of beef in red curry, but I have cut beef out of my diet for many reasons. Instead, I would need filling, beefy vegetables, which I did not have. So, I unearthed my boots from the van and walked to the grocery nearest to me to see what jumped out of the produce section. It did not take long to settle on eggplant, mushrooms, onions, and red pepper. I figured the frozen spinach at home would work well, too. Between binge-watching episodes of “Port Protection” (an AK series on National Geographic), I created a filling and flavorful stew to serve over brown rice. Perfect for a cold night.

Notes:

•  I found the soup bases in Walmart.
• I like to cut each veggie to a different shape and thickness so the soup has an Asian feel.
• This qualifies as a “save the planet recipe” because it cooks only a short time on the stove and it does not have any meat. It would have a lower carbon footprint if the veggies were grown locally. Since it is February in WA, I suspect the eggplant, onion, and peppers came in from Central or South America. 
• You could add protein to this by adding a poached egg or tofu.
• The red curry paste is in the Asian section of most stores. The price for the same jar varies from $2.50 at Walmart of $6.99 at a local grocery store.

Snow Day Red Curry Eggplant

Serves 4

Cooked on stove top

1 pound eggplant, peeled and cubed

1/3 yellow onion, diced fine

1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1/2 box sliced mushrooms (the ones at my store are gigantic slices, which I love in Asian food

1 cup frozen spinach

1-quart coconut soup base (unsweetened)

2 1/2 TBS red curry paste

salt or soy sauce to taste

3 cups cooked brown rice (enough for leftovers)

optional: garnish with sesame seed

• Sautee onions in small amount of vegetable oil for a few mins
• Add eggplant and peppers and cook a few more minutes
• Add mushrooms and frozen spinach, heat for 2 minutes
• Add coconut soup base. You may not need the entire quart, add just enough to keep it more like stew instead of soupy.
• Stir in red curry paste and salt.
• Simmer until the eggplant is soft. Soft, mushy eggplant is key for me!
• Ladle onto brown rice and sprinkle with sesame seed.

Flavorful stew simmering on the stove during snow day! The white coconut soup base dilutes the red curry color, leaving a nice, pinkish tone