Summer Stir-Fry With Red Curry Sauce

Ah, summer.  The season of bell peppers, vine-ripened tomatoes, summer squash, eggplants, basil…the list goes on. For me, nothing beats summer produce. The summer harvest is so versatile and makes meals that are amazingly refreshing. It’s as if mother nature said “Hey, we know you don’t want to be standing in front of a hot oven right now, so here, have some foods that are better eaten raw or cold anyway!” Besides all of the wonderful salads you can throw together with this produce, there are also some tasty stir-fries you can make when you are in the mood for something quick and easy (since it never gets very hot here in the summertime, we really don’t mind using our stove most days, but this might not be the best recipe for those battling 90+ degrees…)

As I was pondering what to make for dinner tonight, I remembered that I had a bottle of Thai Red Curry sauce from Trader Joe’s sitting in my pantry and a fridge full of summer veggies from our CSA box last week, so here’s what we put together (this recipe is super flexible depending on what you have on hand, so don’t hesitate to play around with the amounts and ingredients):

Summer Stir-Fry with Thai Red Curry Sauce

Ingredients

·      3-5 summer squashes (depending on size), chopped

·      1 small or medium-sized eggplant, chopped

·      ½ yellow onion, chopped

·      3 garlic cloves, minced

·      1 or 2 bell peppers

·      a few tablespoons of vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)

·      Pre-made bottle of Thai Red Curry sauce (you can find it at Trader Joe’s, or you can use the Thai Kitchen paste that they sell at most grocery stores, or you make your own curry sauce: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Thai-Red-Curry-Paste-109465)

·      2-4 tablespoons of fresh cilantro or basil

Sauté the above veggies in the oil over medium heat until tender (10-15 minutes), covering the plan occasionally to steam them. When they’re done, add the curry sauce and serve over rice. Top with chopped cilantro or basil. Tofu or chicken would work well with this recipe as well. Enjoy!

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