This is an easy curry if you have Thai green curry paste on hand that you can buy in jars in the Asian section of the grocery store. Of course, you can use any vegetables you have on hand. If you find kafir lime leaves, add one or two to the stew for a nice flavor. These leaves are used in the same way we use bay leaves to flavor stocks. Serve over brown jasmine rice.

31/2 cups coconut milk

2 – 3 tbsp green curry paste

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1 inch dice

1 pound green beans, stemmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 cup of cooked or canned chickpeas, well drained

2 tbsp tamari or nama shoyu

1 tsp stevia

2 tsp grated lime rind

½ cup loosely packed basil leaves, shredded

½ tsp salt

1 red bell pepper, sliced

Heat the coconut milk in a medium- large nonstick saucepan or small Dutch oven. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the curry paste, whisking it into the coconut milk, and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.

Add the eggplant, green beans, chickpeas, tamari, brown sugar, and grated lime rind. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is barely tender and the green beans remain crisp-tender. Add in the red bell pepper slices and the basil and cook a further 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning adding more salt, stevia, or curry paste as desired. Serve over brown Jasmine rice. Garnish with chopped peanuts and serve with wedges of fresh lime.