Red Thai curry paste, which flavors this dish, is a convenient blend of chile peppers, garlic, lemongrass and galanga (a root that's similar in flavor to ginger). It can pack a lot of heat, so be sure to taste as you go. Look for the curry paste in jars or cans in the Asian section of the supermarket or specialty store. Make it a Meal: Ladle the stew over rice to soak up every bit of the delicious sauce.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 14-ounce can "lite" coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1-2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, quartered

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, stirring every 2 or 3 minutes, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, broth and curry paste to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is just tender, about 4 minutes. Add the tofu, green beans and brown sugar; return to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are tender-crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in lime juice and salt. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 348 calories; 16 g fat (6 g sat, 4 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 41 g carbohydrate; 13 g protein; 7 g fiber; 451 mg sodium; 578 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (400% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv), Calcium (25% dv), Iron (15% dv).

2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat, 2 fat

This is a very easy and tasty dish.

Anonymous, Calgary, Ab

Wonderful! I didn't have green beans, so used broccoli instead, then added some chopped peanuts before serving. A definite repeater! Spicy, though. You may want to use the lower amount of red curry paste.

Anonymous, Pittsburgh, PA

Really good, easy and quick. I started with sauted onions & garlic. Used halibut instead of tofu. Cut the fish into chunks while it was frozen and poached it for a few minutes in the broth at the end. Subbed shredded swiss chard for green beans. I imagine you could use any kind of protein in this -- chicken, beans -- what-have-you. Same goes for veggies although the sweet potatoes were terrific here. A keeper!

Amy, Ann Arbor, MI

I made this last night just using what I had in the kitchen: chicken instead of tofu, asparagus instead of green beans, and white potatoes instead of sweet, and it came out wonderfully. Threw in some peanuts and shredded coconut as well. Fast, too--I'll definitely keep it in mind for the next time I'm craving Thai takeout!

Anonymous, Weehawken, NJ

Easy and tasty weeknight meal! I used some Thai-flavor smoked tofu, which is a little firmer than the water-packed kind, and served the dish over brown basmati rice. Even my tofu-skeptic boyfriend loved it!

Raedia, Arlington, MA

Excellent. Made it by recipe the first time. The second time, we added peanut butter (we love peanut curry) and cut down the coconut milk to half a can to reduce the fat. We also added some basil and bok choy. Yummy!

Anonymous, Riverton, Ut

This was delicious and came together just as quickly as promised--always a boon to the time-starved vegetarian, who must chop and chop and chop and chop. I followed the recipe fairly faithfully, although I added some red pepper that was sitting around. I also used only half the amount of coconut milk, and replaced the rest with more stock.

Anonymous, Minneapolis, MN

This really is one of my favorite recipes. Sometimes I substitute beef for the tofu, when I feel like being a little indulgent!

Anonymous, Salem, MA

We used chicken instead of tofu but followed the rest of the recipe. Loved it!

Julie, Tempe, AZ

Easy & delicious! I used 7 oz. coconut milk & 7 oz. pineapple juice to reduce the amount of fat, and the flavor was great.

, Los Angeles, CA

This was delicious. We couldn't find lite coconut milk so we had to use the full fat one. This bumped the cals up to around 450 cals. Add to that cals for brown rice and it doesn't end up low calorie. It was good though and we will make it again.

Chris, San Diego, CA

Delicious! Beautiful! Easy to make!

Anonymous, Silver Spring, MD