Overdue Date Night - Fitting in Thai Green Curry

I love Thai Green Curry.

Since becoming pregnant with baby #3 I have been craving food from all over the world. I would be happy (well, almost) to stop cooking and eat out at my favorite Thai, Greek, Japanese and Chinese restaurants every night. Somehow that just isn't so kind on my waistline or my wallet.

With two young children at home we haven't had a proper date night for months. *Sigh* And my children are not as crazy about eating out and trying new foods as I am. I have tried a few times this past month and neither time turned out very pretty.

Last year, because I love it so much, I  made a Thai dinner from scratch. Let's just say I am not falling all over myself to repeat that kitchen experiment right now. From trying to find the kefir lime leaves, to stocking up on galangal root it was both time consuming and expensive. I'm sure the real stretch though would be trying to cook with fish sauce. Fish sauce and this pregnant mama, with super-pregnancy-nose, just don't mix.

I really wanted to make a special dinner for my husband, but I wanted to be able to enjoy it as well. Luckily this version didn't leave me feeling exhausted.

Is it really possible to make Thai Green Curry for 2, in 15 minutes, with only a few ingredients? I am not sure I would have believed the #Dinnerin15 challenge was possible if I hadn't done it myself.

I found these Campbell's Skillet Sauces at my local Albertson's with all the soups, stocks and broths. There were 6 flavors to choose from; Creamy Chipotle, Fire Roasted Tomato, Toasted Sesame, Marsala, Scampi, and Thai Green Curry. I really couldn't decide on just one, but grabbed both the Thai Green Curry and Toasted Sesame to try.

Look for signage in the meat department as well as in-store coupons on display, and on Facebook during January. I knew these sauces had to be popular because not only did the cashier at check-out rave about them, but all the in-store coupons were already snatched up!

The pouch instructions suggest picking a protein, chicken or tofu were suggested, and then serving it over rice. I love a good brown jasmine rice, but am currently watching my carbs so opted to make two choices for our date night. I did make the traditional rice, but also made some zucchini noodles with my julienne slicer.

The meal couldn't be simpler.

Just a tablespoon of oil in the pan, and brown up the chicken. For a splash of color I also sliced up a red bell pepper to add for the last minute or two of sauteing.

Then I added the Campbell's Skillet Sauce. I didn't need to add any coconut milk or water and no long simmering is required. Just pour and stir.

For my fourth ingredient I added a bag of frozen, mixed stir fry vegetables. I like to blanch them briefly to remove any extra ice and cut down on my simmering time. I love how much color they add to the dish.

A final simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on and I could finish my noodles.

I love making zucchini noodles because they are fast and inexpensive. This time of year I can still find decent sales on zucchini.

After slicing the "noodles", blanch them briefly in boiling water. I like to go 2-4 minutes. The zucchini should soften but not be mushy. Then remove from the water and shock under a cold tap or ice water. Drain well and squeeze out any excess liquid with a paper towel or tea towel.

Noodle up and top with Thai Green Curry.

My pregnancy cravings were satisfied, I was able to make a great dinner for two for a very overdue date night at home and with all the extra veggies this meal stretched for another lunch as well. Simple and satisfying I had dinner on the table in under 15 minutes and more time to chat and laugh with my husband.

You know, we were able to talk about the important things... like what to name this baby!

Thai Green Curry Over Zucchini Noodles

You will need:

• 1 Campbell's Skillet Sauces Thai Green Curry
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lb. chicken, boneless, skinless and cut into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 c. mixed stir fry vegetables.
• 2 medium zucchini * or substitute brown rice instead

1. Start by slicing the zucchini noodles. I use a julienne slicer for thin even "noodles", but you can also use a mandolin. Stop slicing when you get to the core and seeds. Start a medium pot of water boiling.

2. Place 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Brown the chicken pieces and add in the bell pepper for the last minute or two so they are just crisp tender.

3. Blanch the frozen vegetable in the boiling water for about a minute, remove with a spider or spoon and leave the water in the pan. Add the the vegetables straight to the skillet. In the same boiling water cook the zucchini noodles for 2-4 minutes, until they start to soften. Put them in a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Let them drain.

4. Add the sauce packet to the skillet, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Blot the noodles in a paper towel or tea towel to remove extra moisture and top with the Thai Green Curry and vegetables.

Enjoy!

________________________________

During dinner my husband had me fish out the packing because he wanted to check out the ingredient list. He was pleasantly surprised. It was no different than if I had made the green curry from scratch. This is one convenience food we both gave a thumbs up to.

Date night success!

*Disclaimer - I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Campbell’s #cbias #SocialFabric. All opinions and experiences are my own.