When I was working full time, I was much too exhausted to do more than get something on the table for dinner that was edible and nutritious.  Andy took care of a lot of the more complicated cooking when he had a day off and could stay at home to do all the slicing and dicing and frying.  I missed cooking then; I like the feel of a chef’s knife and the smell of olive oil heating up and the browning of cheese in the oven.  But it just wasn’t worth the energy.

So when we moved to Cincinnati and I began staying home while Andy went off to work each day, I was most looking forward to cooking.  I expected to plan elaborate meals and have it hot on the table when Andy walked in the door.  I planned to learn French recipes from Julia Child herself and become a gourmet cook.

But I didn’t realize what a full-time job housewifery is!!!  By the time I get laundry, dishes, organization, cleaning, shopping, business, and personal stuff done, I’m exhausted…and I don’t even have kids yet!  And I’m usually still looking at a bunch of tasks to be completed in the evening.  So while I am able to get special meals and fancy breads done occasionally, I find myself frequently turning to those tried and true shortcut recipes that I used to write out for Andy to make when he was at home all day studying.

This recipe is one of my favorites, and it came from my coworker Caylan in Philadelphia who told me that she always makes it when she has 20 minutes for dinner and no ideas.  The ingredients are simple and flexible, and it is a different enough taste to form a good alternative to your standard rotation of easy meals.

As I said, the recipe is very flexible.  It’s more of a method than anything else.  Think veggies you would like in a stir fry, and put your favorites in.  Adjust the amount of vegetables to how many people you’re feeding.  On this particular evening, I made enough for a very hearty dinner and lunch for two.  If you were to double the amount of veggies I used,  the sauce would be a bit thinner but it would be just as delicious.

Another tip for making this even quicker is to wash, peel if necessary, and dice your vegetables as soon as you get them home from the store and keep them in tupperware containers in the fridge.  I find that if I do this on Monday, I have fresh vegetables at hand all week long to cook with.

Simple Curry

Ingredients (veggies are just what I happened to have on hand and use that evening, but I included the quantities to give you an idea how much it makes):

1/2 medium sized zucchini
3/4 medium sized yellow squash
1 head broccoli
1/3 red bell pepper
1/3 yellow bell pepper
1 small yellow onion
3 medium carrots
(Other alternatives would be red onion, garlic, asparagus, and tomatoes)
1 T olive oil
Pre-cooked chicken or shrimp
1 can coconut milk (light works well)
Garlic salt to taste
1 T curry powder

Saute vegetables in olive oil.  Once softened, add meat, coconut milk, garlic salt, and curry powder.  Let it heat up, and serve it either over rice or a piece of toasted naan.