It's a new year, and as much as I love food, I'm ready to leave the excesses of the holidays behind for a bit and indulge in some healthier fare. I'm trying to incorporate at least one meatless meal for dinner each week, and this is my first vegetarian foray for 2013. A total experiment, and it turned out to be a hit. I love it when that happens. It's always fun to experiment, but I tend to feel deflated when the results don't quite measure up. What I love about this is how quickly and easily everything comes together - seriously, this was my first time and it took about 30 minutes. I think with practice and knowing what to do, this could come together in even less time. This makes a huge pot, which will provide many a meal. It tastes even more flavorful the day or two after, as the flavors get to know each other better (many thanks to my friend Richard, who introduced me to this phrase back in the '90s!) and deepen. This recipe freezes beautifully, so you get a lot for pretty minimal effort.
The key to saving time for yourself is to defrost a 16-oz. bag of frozen spinach the night before. Just take it out of the freezer, plop the unopened bag onto a plate, and let it sit in the fridge. Alternatively, you could defrost it in the microwave.
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons curry powder (or more, to your liking - I kept it mild for the kiddies but would add more next time)
1 16 oz. bag of frozen spinach, defrosted overnight
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
Salt
Pepper
Steps:
1) Steam cauliflower until tender.
2) While cauliflower is cooking, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a big pot over medium heat. Toast curry powder until fragrant.
3) Add spinach, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes (with the tomato juice) and coconut milk. Simmer.
4) When cauliflower is tender, add to pot and mix well, breaking up the cauliflower into smaller pieces.
5) Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6) Serve atop grain of your choice. Some ideas: basmati rice (white or brown), quinoa, millet, bulgur. (Trader Joe's recently introduced these 10-minute grain packs for farro, barley and bulgur and they are easy and delicious!)
Verdict? It's going to be a repeat in my repertoire of weekday dinners. The girls enjoyed it, and the hubby enjoyed it, too. I think he was a bit suspicious at first, peering at the pot, stirring the wooden spoon inquisitively, as if in search of something. "Is there any meat in here?" But now he's on board with my idea of incorporating more meatless meals into our weekly meal routine. Here's to your health, happiness and nourishment in 2013!
