Allison's Coconut Vegetable Curry

Another delicious curry recipe.  It also makes amazing leftovers!

Recipe and Image from Love and Lemons

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ¼ teaspoon coriander

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric

• ¼ teaspoon cardamom

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 cups cubed butternut squash (or sweet potatoes)

• 3 red Thai chiles, or 1 serrano, or ½ jalapeño, thinly sliced

• 2 cups cauliflower florets

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

• 4 cups fresh spinach

• ½ cup fresh or frozen peas

• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and well-browned, about 10 minutes, reducing the heat to low halfway through.
• In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
• Add the butternut squash and chiles to the pot, stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and then add the coconut milk and the spice mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the lemon juice, lime juice, spinach, peas, and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional lime juice, salt, and pepper, as desired.
• Serve the curry over the rice with fresh basil, naan bread, if desired, and lime wedges on the side.

For serving:

• 2 cups cooked basmati rice

• a few big handfuls of fresh basil or cilantro

• Naan bread, optional

Harvey's Simple Black-Eyed Peas Curry

This is a quick and simple curry dish.  You can add additional vegetables that you have on hand (celery, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, etc.) if you so desire!

Image from Here.

 

INGREDIENTS

1 TBS olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tsp freshly grated ginger 

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 tsp tumeric

Pinch cayenne, or to taste

1 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp Garam Masala

1 ½ c half and half or 1 can coconut milk

2 c vegetable stock or chicken broth

2 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained

1 head cauliflower, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

-Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned. Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, and black-eyed peas.

-Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro. Serve immediately with basmati rice.

Roasted Cauliflower with Hummus, Olives and Feta

 

If this sounds intriguing---MAKE IT.  It is SO good!

his is an appetizer I love to get at Nordstrom Bistro.  Rather than roasting a slice" of cauliflower, they flash fry the florets.  Either way is delicious.

Picture and recipe from HERE.

Simplify this recipe by using your favorite store bought hummus.  

Navratan (9 Vegetable) Korma

This is another great Indian dish.  I love how many vegetables it uses.  I'm not sure when I first had this dish...but I've tried many times to recreate it.  Here is a recipe that comes very close to what I remember eating at a restaurant.  Enjoy!

Image from Here.

In large soup pot over medium heat cook 7 minutes:
2 red onions, sliced
2 c chopped tomatoes
3 TBS butter or olive oil
1/2 c cashews
-Add the below spices and cook 1 more minute:
1 tsp chili powder
2 TBS honey
1 TBS Kasoori Methi 
1 TBS garam masala
1 tsp salt
2 TBS fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
-Using a blender, blend onion, tomato, cashew, and spice mixture until smooth and cream.  Return sauce back to large soup pot and add:
1 can coconut milk
chopped vegetables: potatoes, peas, zucchini, cauliflower, carrots, water chestnuts, green beans
1/4 c. golden raisins (optional)
-Simmer until vegetables are soft.  Season with additional salt to taste.  
-Serve over basmati rice.  Garnish with additional cashews and chopped fresh cilantro.

Massaman Curry using Trader Joe Thai Sauce

This recipe is AMAZINGLY close to the dish I love getting at Thai restaurants.  Using the bottled Trader Joe sauce makes this a super fast and easy dinner!  You can easily make this vegetarian by omitting the chicken or add extra vegetables by adding cauliflower.  I've noted the optional add-ins below.  This also makes great take-to-school lunch leftovers for the next day!

Picture from here.

Carmelize with 3 TBS olive oil for 5 minutes:
1 medium sweet vidalia onion, diced

Add and simmer 15 minutes:
1/2 head Cauliflower, cut into small florets (optional)
1-2 c. cooked chicken (optional)
2 large Russett Potatoes, peeled, cut in cubes
4 large carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 cans coconut milk

Add and stir in:
1 11 oz bottle Trader Joes Red Thai Curry sauce
3 TBS peanut butter
2 TBS honey
1 can water chestnuts (optional)
1/2 c. chopped peanuts (optional)

-Serve in a bowl over jasmine or short grain brown rice.  Garnish with fresh cilantro/limes/chopped peanuts/cashews if desired.


Instant Pot Version:  Carmelize onions on saute setting 5 minutes.  Add all other ingredients and pressure cook for 3-4 minutes.
Ketogenic Version (serve without rice and no honey)

Thai Green Curry Vegetables

Simple, Healthy, Delicious!  

I think this is my closest Thai restaurant copycat invention.  I've never had exactly this, but the sauce tastes very similar.  You could certainly alter the vegetables or add chicken if desired.

In large pan heat over medium for 15 minutes or until vegetables just tender:
2 TBS olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 head cauliflower, diced
4 medium carrots, cut on the diagonal

Add and heat until warm:
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 can coconut milk
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 TBS green curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen brand)
1 TBS fresh ginger, minced
1/2 c. chopped FRESH basil
-Serve warm (with rice if desired)

Harvey's Roasted Curried Cauliflower

Here is a delicious way to eat your cauliflower!

Picture credit (Jesselanewellness)

2 heads cauliflower

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon curry powder

-Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

-Wash and core the cauliflower and cut the florets into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, salt and curry powder.

-Turn out the cauliflower onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, stirring every 6-7 minutes, until the cauliflower is browned in spots and is crisp-tender. 

-Serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetables

This is a DELICIOUS vegetarian main dish, or you can use it as a side dish.  We eat a big bowl of this with a spinach smoothie.  My neighbor brought this meal over to me, and I'm going to make it ALL the time now!  The purple potatoes really make the dish look colorful and gourmet.  Note, the smaller you cut the vegetables the faster they will roast.  This recipe is flexible when it comes to proportions and feel free to experiment with your spices!

Cut a medley of the following:
Carrots
Purple potatoes
Mini-creamer fingerling potatoes
Zucchini
Bell peppers
onion
Cauliflower
Cherry Tomatoes
Kale
Parsnips

-Pre-heat oven to 425
-Chop the veggies you are using into bite size pieces and place on 11x 17 cookie sheet.
-Drizzle on some olive oil, season with salt/pepper, and other desired spices & mix thoroughly
-Spice ideas: Season with Tones Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning (from Sam's Club) or Italian Seasoning or whatever seasoning you want!  You can add a bit of cayenne or red pepper flakes, fresh garlic, garlic powder, etc.
- Roast for 15-25 minutes until veggies begin to brown around edges.
-Sprinkle with some grated parmesan and toasted pine nuts and serve.

One-Pot Curried Cauliflower Rice

This is an adaption from an Everyday food recipe adding some extra vegetables, substituting brown rice and literally just throwing everything into "one-pot!"  Easy and delicious!

In large oven safe pot (pictured Le Creuset) put:
1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3-4 celery stalks, diced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 1/2 c. brown basmati rice
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 14 oz. cans chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
-Mix so everything is combined.  Cover and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until all broth is absorbed and rice is tender.

Easy Indian Chicken Masala

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law. It's delicious and tastes somewhat similar to Tikka Masala, but it much easier. I like to add a small head of cauliflower. This meal makes even better leftovers, so feel free to make it ahead.  For a vegetarian version you can omit the chicken then add cauliflower and potatoes!

1 1/2 c. cooked chicken
1 small head cauliflower, cut in chunks
Optional: 1-2 cups diced potatoes (skin off)
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp Ground Coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp Cumin
¼ tsp Cardamom (I was out of this, but it still tasted great)
1 whole Lime, Juiced
1 whole Onion, Diced
2 TBS butter or oil
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
1 can (28 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1 pint Whipping Cream or 1 can cocoanut milk
1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste

-Saute the onion and garlic in the butter or oil for 10 minutes.

-Add spices (and potatoes/cauliflower if desired) tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream and cilantro just before serving. Serve over Basmati rice (for this recipe about 2 c. uncooked rice).
**To make "Yellow" rice as pictured, add 1/4 tsp tumeric to cooking rice.
*This is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne (or add more!) if you want.

Roasted Cauliflower

Another roasted vegetable recipe...again very versatile!

1. Place cut cauliflower florets and diced onion in single layer on 11x17 cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt/pepper. Season with whatever you want such as cumin, lemon pepper, steak seasoning, etc. (pictured is a cajun seasoning).
2. Roast at at 425 for 20 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring halfway through.

Soba Noodle Stir Fry

This is a healthy stir-fry dish using Soba noodles. The entire recipe is pictured on this fun platter my neighbor lent me :-)

Serves 6-8

Slice all vegetables julienne style
In large non-stick pan or wok cook 5-7 minutes:
1/2 onion diced
2 TBS oil
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots, diced
1 head broccoli, diced
1/2 cup cauliflower
Add and cook 2 more minutes:
1 bell pepper
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 pkg. soba noodles cooked and drained
2 TBS seasoning (I like to use Tones Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning-it's not really spicy)
salt/pepper to taste
-Garnish with grated/sliced Parmesan and fresh diced tomatoes.
-My neighbor suggest adding some red pepper flakes for a little "heat"
-You can also try variations with the same ingredients making it more Thai-like or Cajun-like by changing the seasoning and garnishes...

Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe is slightly altered from the original in "Best International Recipe Cooks Illustrated." This is my favorite Indian recipe so far (and in my top 10 favorite recipes of ALL time!). Thanks to my sister who made it for me over a year ago. I LOVE THIS! It does have some unusual steps, but it is not difficult. Don't take short cuts and use only FRESH ingredients or it won't taste as good. I often double this recipe. It freezes GREAT and is even better as leftovers!

Serves 8-10

Chicken:1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 boneless chicken breasts (5-6 oz each)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS minced fresh ginger
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
Masala Sauce:3 TBS oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced ginger
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeeds removed, chile minced
1 TBS garam masala
1 TBS tomato paste
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 large head cauliflower, washed and cut into small pieces
1/2 c. water
2 tsp sugar
2/3-1 cup heavy cream (I like 1 cup :-) )
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

For the chicken: Combine salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in a small bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with spice mixture, pressing gently so the mixture adheres. Place the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30-60 min. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic; set aside

For the Sauce: heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until softened and light golden 5-7 min. Stir in garlic, ginger, diced serrano, garma masala, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, cut cauliflower, and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until cauliflower tender. (You can also steam cauliflower separately, and blend it, then add it to sauce for a smoother texture). Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm (sauce can be made up to 4 days in advance)

While sauce simmers adjust oven rack to upper middle and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the sheet. Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated heavily) and arrange on wire rack. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil the chicken until exterior is lightly charred in spots 15-20 min, flipping chicken 1/2way through cooking (I always just cut a little into the chicken to make sure it is done).

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into chunks (eat one chunk--it's delicious!) and stir into sauce. Stir in cream and cilantro, season with salt to taste, and serve over white basmati rice with naan bread and vegetables of choice.

-The chicken is AMAZING by itself and you could just eat it with potatoes, rice pilaf, vegetables etc or even use it as a BBQ recipe.

Cauliflower Soup

Oooooo this is velvety soup; I love the texture in my mouth!  This is probably the only recipe where I use leeks.  They look like BIG green onions.  Make sure you CLEAN the leeks since they are very dirty!  It is easiest to cut them up, through them into a big bowl full of cold water and stir them around a bit.  Let sit about 5 minutes and the dirt settles to the bottom!

15 min. prep Time
Serves 6-8 as appetizer for course meal
6 medium leeks, whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, cleaned
3 stalks celery, diced (optional)
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 small head cauliflower, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 heavy cream

-In large saucepan combine leeks, broth, cauliflower, salt, and broth. Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables tender about 20 minutes.
-Working in batches, puree soup in blender transferring to clean pan as you work.  Stir in cream.  Serve warm garnished with fresh or dried chives , ground pepper, and/or celery leaves.

Chicken (or Vegetable) Coconut Kurma

Broil chicken:
3-4 chicken breasts sprinkled with the following spices:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
-cool, then diced into small pieces

In Large Saucepan Carmelize (cook about 5 minutes until onions golden):
1 medium onion, diced
3 TBS olive oil
Add:
6 medium fresh cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS fresh ginger, finely diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp tumeric
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups water
cooked chicken pieces
1/2 cup golden raisins

-Simmer everything (but the coconut cream) for 20 minutes. then add 1/4 cup Coconut cream (not coconut milk) and serve over Basmati Rice.

-For vegetarian version, just take out chicken and roast cauliflower on cookie sheet with same ratio of chicken spices for about 10 minutes then add it to the rest of the ingredients.

Lentils with Curry and Tomatoes

I love Indian food! Here's a simple and delicious recipe (it also works well using a crockpot). It is even better as leftovers :-)

In Medium Soup pan, carmelize (about 5 minutes until onions golden brown):
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, diced

Add and cook 1 more minute:
2 TBS fresh ginger, chopped finely
2 tsp curry powder (red or yellow)
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne

Add and simmer 15 minutes:
1 jar (about 24 oz) quality tomato sauce (I like Classico or Bertolli's)
1/2 cup water
2 cups cooked lentils
2 TBS fresh lime juice
1/2 cup cream (optional---but I prefer it with a little cream!)
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces (again optional, but I like the additional veggies)
salt to taste
Before serving Add:
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Serve with Basmati Rice
Garmish with slivered almonds and fresh cilantro.