Celebration Peanut Butter Curry

Hi hi hi! I hope everyone enjoyed the 3 day weekend (if you got one!). Aside from doing some homework and a lot of reading for class, I definitely relaxed a little. 

Raine and I had a fun celebration night this weekend too...

And what were we celebrating that required a gourmet 4-pack? 

Several months ago, I submitted a research poster to ABCT (Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies) for their 45th annual convention. Last week, I found out that my poster was accepted!

I am officially going to Toronto, Canada for the conference in November!!

The topic of my poster is: "Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Behaviors as Predictors of Disordered Eating in College Students" 

Heavy stuff, right? I honestly didn't think I would get accepted- my results were a little unexpected, but I decided to go with it anyways. I'm so excited!

Any Toronto-area readers out there?

Anyways, back to this beer. I randomly gravitated towards this new-to-me beer in the store: Ayinger Brau-Weisse. I definitely made the right choice. 

This was the best beer I have ever had- seriously. It was like cool silk going down my throat <--that is actually what I said after the first sip! The taste was creamy with a hint of citrus, and the aroma was delicious as well. I give it a solid A-. Which reminds me- I have a "beer post" in the works...coming soon!

Along with beer, Raine and I played Wii Golf, jammed out to some great music, and cooked an amazing dinner that incorporated one of my favorite foods: peanut butter. 

Celebration Peanut Butter Curry

Serves 2-4, depending on if you serve side dishes with the meal

The veggies: 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 jalapeño, minced (remove membranes if you're not into spice!)

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped (I julienned mine)

1 stalk of celery, diced

2 cups chopped broccoli (I used frozen so I thawed it first)

The protein:

Morningstar Chik'n Strips (you could use anything...tofu, beans, meat substitute...)

The sauce:

1 cup vegetable broth, warmed

2-3 TBSP peanut butter (I used super chunky and the nutty bits were fabulous)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup cold water

Heat some olive oil or coconut oil in a large skillet over medium and saute the garlic, jalapeño, and onion until the garlic browns and the onions are translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Then, add the broccoli and heat through. While the veggies are cooking, prepare your protein separately. I sauteed the chik'n strips in another skillet and kept them to the side. 

Whisk together all of your sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture. 

Once the veggies are ready, pour in the sauce and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and pour in the cornstarch-water mixture. The curry will thicken as you continue to heat it.

 

Test for salt and pepper. Turn off the heat once you have your desired consistency and add your protein.

Garnish with peanuts and serve with hot fluffy rice, or anything else you want! I also added some juicy pineapple chunks to my serving- Raine is not a fan of sweet stuff in his curry.

The peanut butter MADE this dish! Totally worth turning up the heat in the kitchen to make this. Our apartment was probably about 80 degrees and we still enjoyed this...

As if this post wasn't already long enough...here is a life update: (because I know you're all so interested)

After being car-less for almost three weeks, Raine and I are flying down to Austin, TX (where his dad and brother live) to shop for a new (used) car. Raine's dad is super knowledgeable about cars so hopefully he can help us find a good deal on our limited budget. We're leaving Thursday and I'm excited- I love Austin- I would not mind living there someday. I also can't wait to have a car again! 2-mile walks to the grocery store in the summer heat are getting a little old... Wish us luck!

Also, it randomly hailed this weekend!

Those white dots are all hail. Thankfully they were small! Our little tomato plant survived :)

Have you had any wacky weather lately? and Do you like curry?