But you know, that can be easier said than done. I have found it really hard to keep recipes simple without one, being boring and repetitive, or two, being filled with store-bought ingredients that have about 20 bazillion ingredients that I’d rather not use. So it’s definitely a struggle for me…especially since all I ever want to do is build on flavors, tweak them and then just add one last thing to make them PERFECT. Sometimes all you need is salt, pepper and good olive oil (hello caprese). But sometimes certain foods just go SO well with others, and then yeah, not so simple happens …or maybe fairly simple, but still kind of a lot of ingredients. UGH. The struggle.
When I went to Cleveland for my brother’s birthday I realized one very important thing. Most people NEED simple recipes. I mean, I knew this before, but sometimes I just need to be reminded a bit. The one thing I heard from pretty much everyone I saw was that they just do not have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. This means, simple recipes with ingredients found in a normal everyday grocery store. OK. I got it.
Summer is sadly moving way too fast and in a few weeks schools will be starting back up again (schools are starting so early in August now, what’s up with that??? If you ask me, summer should be from Memorial Day through Labor Day…nice and looong). I feel like now more than ever is time for some full on simple-ness. Plus, I myself have been in a little over my head lately, and to be honest, cooking anything complicated just is not on my radar these days. Whoever said summer is a slow time must be a couch potato…just so much to do! 🙂
So I put together this recipe for simple almond chicken, chickpea and eggplant curry, + there are a few more that are brewing in my head. To me curry is one of the simpler things to make. It’s kind of like a stir-in where you can use whatever veggies and proteins you have on hand. The only “must have” are some good spices, like Thai red curry paste (for me anyway…this is not a traditional indian curry ingredient, but I love it!) and coconut milk. I know people often use cream, but I am a huge fan of coconut milk. I actually used Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk for this curry sauce. It helps to make the sauce a little less heavy, yet still gives it a nice thick texture. It just felt better for these warm weather days, BUT it’s still totally creamy and cozy! Which is pretty good for me since it feels like full on fall here and the afternoon thunderstorms make it kind of dreary and cold. I also used eggplant and chickpeas as my base for this recipe with a little chicken too. The chicken however is completely optional and if you are vegetarian or vegan just simply leave the chicken out. Without the chicken this is a totally vegan meal!
And umm, that’s kind of it. Simple Sunday = Happy Sunday!!
The sauce is what REALLY makes this a true Happy Meal. Just sayin.
