Best vegetable curry

N and I have joined in my mom's "Fitness Challenge" at work, which began this week. As a team we compete with other teams in her company over the span of 12 weeks (I think) to see who can rack up the most points for exercising, eating healthy and losing weight. We thought it would be fun to set some goals for ourselves to motivate us to make healthy choices. The physician who owns the company is Seventh Day Adventist as are many of the employees, so the point scale for this challenge is tilted heavily toward eating vegetarian and vegan meals. While I don't agree that eating healthy means eating vegan, I thought it would be a nice test of my culinary creativity to try a few new meals that don't include meat or dairy. We eat this way often anyway. So during this challenge I'm going to post some of our favorite vegan/vegetarian meals on the blog to share. I always love getting tried and tested recipes from friends, so please share yours, too. Here's my first installment.

This is a kick-ass recipe for vegetable curry from Cook's Illustrated magazine. It makes a ton and my kiddos love it. L calls the chickpeas "bunzee beans."

2 T. sweet or mild curry powder
1 1/2 t. garam masala
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 medium onions chopped fine (about 2 cups)
12 oz. peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 cups)
3 medium garlic cloves
1 T. finely grated fresh ginger
1 to 1 1/2 serrano chiles minced (leave out seeds and ribs for milder curry)
1 t. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. fresh green beans cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium egg plant cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes processed in food processor until nearly smooth
1 15-oz. can chickpeas (garbanzos)
1 1/4 c. water
1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk

1. Toast curry powder and garam masala in small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until darkened in color, about 1 minute. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat 3 T. oil in large dutch over over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and potatoes are golden brown on edges, about 10 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Clear center of pan and add remaining tablespoon of oil. garlic, ginger, chile and tomato paste; cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add toasted spices and cook, stirring constantly about 1 minute longer. Add beans and eggplant, cook stirring constantly until spices coat the veggies, about 2 minutes longer.
4. Add tomatoes, water, chickpeas and 1 t. salt; increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 10- to 15 minutes. Stir in cream or coconut milk until heated through, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt to taste and serve over jasmine rice.