Red Curry

It's currently freezing outside, and has been snowing for a few days. As I'm unable to eat the foods I usually make to warm up - oatmeal, baked potatoes, coffee, milky tea - it's been a bit difficult. That's why I'm so happy I can eat red curry. As I was unable to find any curry paste without salt, this is the one food I've been eating that does have some added salt in it. Making my own curry paste just seems too tall an order what with all the other food preparation I have to do for this diet.

You will need:
1 onion, chopped
Some garlic cloves
Assorted chopped vegetables
A handful or two of cooked garbanzo beans
Red curry paste
1 can coconut milk
Quinoa

Again, this is quite a loose "recipe." To make this dish I simply wash and chop whatever vegetables I have on hand. My favorite ones to use are broccoli, cauliflower, baby bok choi, bell peppers, and zucchini. Of course I love adding a cut up baked yam at the end, but those are still not allowed! I dice an onion and fry it in 2+ Tbsp olive oil with a few cloves of minced garlic. I use a small wok, but any wok or large pot will do. I add the veggies and saute for a couple minutes on medium-high heat, then spoon in the red curry paste. I usually use half a 110g jar per 400g can of coconut milk, but it's really a matter of personal taste, and different brands will have different suggestions printed on the label. Be sure to spread the paste around in the oil and let it sizzle in the oil for a minute while you open up your can of coconut milk. Slowly stir in the coconut milk, and turn the heat down to low. Mix in garbanzos. Cover and let the veggies finish cooking by steaming in the coconut milk for 5-10 minutes. Serve over steamed quinoa.

Note: you're supposed to add about a Tbsp of sugar into the mix to get the flavor right, but obviously the candida diet forbids that. I have found that it's okay without the added sugar, although it does lack a little something. I suppose you could use xylitol if necessary, but I haven't bothered trying that. Instead I sprinkle in some cinnamon just to give it a bit of a different flavor.