Last weekend, I thumbed through my Cooking Light and excitedly yanked pages from the binding that caught my eye. Is this considered a hobby? Because it brings me a lot of enjoyment. Of course more recipes than not ended up torn out, but that’s the fun in it! 😉 I handed Mr. Prevention the stack of recipes and told him to pick 3 for this week’s menu. Side note: Men like to be included in decisions like dinner…and if you give them a choice and you go with it, they’ll be all the happier. Of course, you get what you want, too, because if you recall, you choose the recipes that you hand to him. See how this works? A little reverse psychology…or something like that. Anyways, Mr. P chose a curry recipe similar to the one below. Except Cooking Light’s recipe looked REALLY boring. Have I butchered this story enough already? I thought so. Here’s what we ended up with…
Cauliflower, Sweet Potato, and Chickpea Curry inspired by Perfect Indian Cookbook
4 Tbsp canola oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp Chinese five-spice mix
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
3 (6-ounce) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 fresh green chilies, seeded and diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated + 2 drops of water (combine to form a paste)
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 cup dried chickpeas
1/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp garam masala (recipe below)
fresh cilantro, for garnish
1 cup basmati rice, dry, cooked according to directions
1/4 cup cashew halves
Directions:
Soak chickpeas in water overnight.
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onions and five-spice; mix and cook on low heat, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes or until onions are golden and soft. Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and chilies; cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
Stir in the ginger, paprika, cumin, tumeric, and chili powder. Cook for 3 minutes and mix to combine spices throughout. Add the tomatoes, peas, and chickpeas. Stir in the yogurt and stock. Season with pepper, if desired. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.
Meanwhile, prepare the rice according to the directions, omitting added fat and salt.
Sprinkle with garam masala. Plate rice with curry over top, garnish with cashews and cilantro. Serves 5.
Nutrition Information (per serving, with rice): 587 calories; 18.8 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 159 mg. sodium; 91 g. carbohydrate; 15.2 g. fiber; 19.8 g. protein
Result: We liked this dish a lot. Mr. P was disappointed there was no meat (did he not review the recipe before putting it on the menu?!), but I enjoyed the vegetarian meal. I do wish the carbohydrates were lower, but the portion is huge…I didn’t eat it all at that meal or as leftovers. If you love veggies and curry, you will love this dish!
If you’re like myself and have most every spice under the sun except garam masala, you can make it!
Garam Masala
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Directions:
Measure and combine spices. Store in a sealed container.
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Mr. Prevention, Lily, and I are packing up and heading to Champaign, Illinois for the Illinois vs. Ohio State game this weekend. I am PUMPED! This game has been long awaited and we have lots of friends who are coming in for the game. I’ll try to check in, but no promises! It’s going to be a whirlwind weekend! But first…a quick run before we get on the road! 😀
I will plan make this week’s chili on Monday to stay on track with the Prevention Chili Contest!
Question: What are you up to this weekend? And just for fun: Illinois or OSU victory? 😉
TGIF,
Have fun this weekend! And BTW, we “poisonous nuts” are going to roll all over your…….well…….what the heck IS your mascot anyway? No clue…… 🙂
Ha, I like your plan of husband involvement. It would work on me as well.
I’ve been wanting to make a dish with cauliflower! Lovely recipe!
Have a great weekend 🙂
I love it–you make him think he’s doing the choosing but really you made the selection. Clever.
This weekend I’m taking my husband to a race track to ride shotgun around the track in a real race car. Happy (waaay belated) birthday to him.
That recipe sounds DELICIOUS. I love cashews in Indian meals. They add such a toasty nuttiness
Your first paragraph made me giggle – how sneaky you are, Nicole! 😉 I guess that would be “reverse reverse psychology decision-making”, or something like that. I’ll have to try that on Peter, although he usually gets to the recipes first and gives them to me to decide! Hmm, I think I’m being played here …
Your curry looks so good and right up my alley! I think Peter would like this even though it doesn’t have meat (he loves chickpeas!), and I THINK we have all those spices … well, we’ve got everything else, anyway 😛 Have a great time this weekend, Nicole!
I love how you can make your own Garam Masala..I didn’t know that. Thanks!
I love indian food and this one looks mouthwatering….loved the ingredients used in it….
I am still trying to get over the fact that a midwestern man picked out a meatless meal?? lol
as a fellow O-H-I-O an, I am required to root for the buckeyes!
I love curry, and cauliflower is one of my favorite ingredients to use it on! And you can really never fail with sweet potatoes. Making your own spices, especially when you actually grind the seeds, can really make a difference. I don’t often do this for lack of time, but it’s usually well worth it!
Oooh have fun at the game! Is Illinois and OSU as big a rivalry games as Michigan and OSU?
That looks so good! And I have never had curry. Or sweet potatoes, really.
Ha. My husband usually plans our meals. And cooks them. I wonder if he tries the reverse psychology on me.
Have fun at the game this weekend – should be perfect football weather!
Happy Friday 😀
This recipe looks good! I was just thinking this morning how I havent had curry in a LONG time.
Nicole, my dear, you are brilliant. I usually ask Mike what he wants for dinner and it’s pretty much a free for all…I will definitely start giving him a choice of 3 dishes, that way he feels involved and I still get to have a say too, lol! Thank y0u for the inspiration! 🙂 By the way, your curry looks delish!
That looks wonderful! I wish I had that for din din right now =)
This weekend I am going out for drinks with missy and some other friends and then on sunday I am running a 5k in memory of Koko…
Wow, sorry ive been so behind on your blog!! I need to catch up..im curious how the new job is going!!
Dana xo
http://happinessiswithin.wordpress.com
PS
I thought you might be interested in taking a peak at my dietitians blog:
http://www.thebeginwithinblog.com/
Your cauliflower situation looks divine…
Enjoy the game.
been way too long since ive caught up on here! im sorry im sucking at commenting!! girl your creations ROCK!! that is a total comfort food dish!
What…you’re pumpkin for OSU to kick Illinois’ BUTT??!! Yeah, it’ll be nice. Don’t cry too hard 🙂
I think you’re right about men being able to “choose” what’s for dinner. I love your little trick there. I typically do the same with Nick, but I am boring and give him the same four options everyday; loaded potato, spinach salad (with tons of stuff on it), stir fry, or eggs and toast with veggies. Yeah, boring, but oh so good according to him!!
The curry looks great! And I totally agree, it’s so important to give people choices and involve them in the food they’ll eat! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
I wish my husband liked curry because I love it. This sounds wonderful!
wow, and to think that this looks better than any of the curries i can get in town here- this is immaculate <3
Yumm…..this would go so well with roti but it looks delicious. as for this weekend I’ll be working
Mmm, this sounds so flavorful! I’ve been on a huge Indian kick lately and wish I had a big bowl of this right now!