In the Mood for Something Spicy

Tonight I decided to use up my veggies, but I didn't feel like pasta again. I used my mushrooms last night and made a great mushroom wine sauce for my GF Trader Joe's pasta. (I tried to take a photo, but it just looked like red spaghetti.) Tonight, I thought I'd take it up a little and make something really spicy and fun. I love Indian food, and I've tried making some of it. Some good, some not so good. But I never give up. I have a few staples I make all the time, like curried potatoes and onions, lentils and rice, etc. But I wanted to use up my veggies so this is what I came up with.



So wonderful with spicy seasonings, crisp, fresh veggies and sweet jasmine rice. I made enough for lunch tomorrow. (Always make enough for a second time. The seasonings sit overnight and really blend and marry well.) I'm not sure if there really is a name for this, it's just something I like to put together with whatever I've got. You must have onions and garlic, but if I had potatoes I would have put them in, as well as carrots and perhaps some fresh spinach. But I just used what I had and it was fabulous.

I also like to use Trader Joe's jasmine rice in the freezer section. It's separated into three easy-to-prepare packages, and the rice is already cooked. If I have time, I'll make rice and save it, but this rice makes it so easy to prepare rice dishes quickly. They also have a great brown rice that is flash frozen also.

Veggies and rice in a curry wine sauce

1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 sweet onion
1 clove garlic
1 zucchini
1/2 yellow squash
1/2 red pepper
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups cooked jasmine rice
or 1 bag Trader Joe's frozen jasmine rice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup white wine
salt/pepper

Chop onion, garlic, zucchini, squash and red pepper into bite-sized pieces. Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add vegetables. Cook over medium heat until onion and peppers start to soften, about 5-7 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes over medium heat.

Add cumin, curry, turmeric, and cayenne, cook for a moment, then add broth and wine. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to deglaze the pan.

Add rice (if you're using the TJ rice, just add the frozen rice, no need to cook it.) Mix all together, lower heat and simmer. If using cooked rice at room temperature, you'll just need to warm rice. If you're using the frozen rice, you'll need about 8-10 minutes to warm everything up.

Add salt and pepper at the end to taste and serve.

Enjoy