Cooking Healthy: Easy Thai Veggie Curry with Brown Jasmine Rice and Baby Broccoli Sauteed with Garlic

I thought I'd change it up and give you some home-cooked meals. I'll the first to admit that I'm no Thai food chef. In fact, Thai food is one of those cuisines, along with Vietnamese, that intimidate me because I never seem to have all the essential condiments or herbs like kaffir leaves that I'm supposed to stock in my pantry. But fear not. Certain Thai dishes like red curry are deceptively simple to make.

   1.Chop whatever vegetables you'd like to add. You can do a chicken version but I prefer my Thai curries with tofu and veggies, for some reason. I chopped some carrots and cremini mushrooms. I also found this great fried tofu in Mitsuwa (aka my candy store) Market in Torrance so cut that into cubes.

2. In a medium-large pan, heat some vegetable oil and saute the carrots and mushrooms (tofu is cooked so add them at the end).

3. Pour a can of coconut milk into the pan (you can use low-fat or regular) and dissolve 2-3 tablespoons of red curry paste or to taste (I like it a bit spicy so added more than directed on the jar label). You can use green, yellow or red curry paste. Red is the spiciest.

4. Add the tofu cubes and frozen peas if you have them to add color and sweetness. Cook until all the vegetables are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more paste if it's too milky. If you have fish sauce, add a teaspoon or two to add some saltiness and depth.

5. Make some brown jasmine rice (remember, this is a healthy meal!) and serve with the sauce. You can use regular jasmine or short-grain rice/brown rice as well. Heck, basmati rice would work too.

6. As a side, saute some baby broccoli with garlic in vegetable oil for a more nutritious meal.

A regular 14 oz can of coconut milk with 2-3 tablespoons of curry paste will yield about 4-5 servings. Other vegetables that would work include green beans, onions, squash or spinach -- the possibilities are endless. If you have some Riesling handy, pair it with the meal and enjoy!