spicy mushroom curry with quinoa

i wish you could smell the amazing aroma that is surrounding me right now: hints of lemon grass and ginger combined with citrus, shallots, garlic, and the earthy smell of mushrooms all wrapped up in the warm and almost exotic scent of coconut milk are enveloping my kitchen and making me hungry. i'm still not sure how the dish will taste, but it's smelling very promising! recently, one of the lovely followers of this little blog asked me for a {vegan} dish with lots of mushrooms, so i decided to make a thai inspired mushroom curry i'm hoping will please her. for this dish you begin by preparing a {red} curry paste with the following ingredients:  {this recipe makes 4-6 servings}

• 2-3 thai peppers (or 1/2 jalapeno pepper)
• 1/2 of a shallot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a large sliver of fresh ginger (2 tsp if minced)
• 2 stalks of lemon grass (the base only)
• 1 heaping tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 1/2 of a large lime (or 1 small lime),  juiced
• 2 tsp unrefined cane sugar
• 1 tbs tomato paste (or 3-4 tbs strained tomatoes)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbs unrefined organic coconut oil

1. pulse the ingredients above (minus the coconut oil) together in a food processor to make a smooth paste (add a tsp or two of water if necessary). heat 1 tbs coconut oil in a heavy pot, then add the paste and cook (simmer) for 6-8 minutes on med/low.

sautee quickly together (3-5 minutes on medium/high):

• 1 cup quartered white button mushrooms, 
• 1 cup quartered crimini mushrooms, 
• 1/2 cup quartered shitake or oyster mushrooms 

in a heavy pot with:

• 1 tbs coconut oil
• sea salt & cracked pepper to taste 

3. then add to the pot:

• 2 zucchinis, cut about the same size as the mushrooms
• 2-3 medium yellow organic potatoes, cubed about the same size as the zucchinis and mushrooms

4. sautee everything together for about 2-3 more minutes, then add

• 1/2 cup (light) coconut milk
• 2 tbs water (if necessary)

5. simmer the curry for 20-30 minutes on low heat until the potatoes are tender. serve with cooked quinoa or brown rice and ripe tomato wedges.

the mushrooms, potatoes, & zucchinis simmering in coconut milk

serve over cooked quinoa or brown rice with a few slices of ripe tomatoes