superfitbabe

This. Is gonna be BIG.

I cannot even tell you how revolutionary this curry is in my book. If you recall my original vegan tikka masala, it tasted absolutely delicious, but it was so difficult to yield the extremely creamy consistency that normal tikka masala has. As you know, I’m lactose intolerant and I love Indian food, and of course, tikka masala has to contain my favorite ingredients: butter, cream, yogurt, ghee, milk, or a combination of all five. It was no wonder that I was constantly bloated and I was getting stomachaches after every time I had any tikka masala!

In the midst of my culinary dilemma, my email was being bombarded by other blog posts worshiping the all-hailed cauliflower through recipe roundups ranging from mozzarella sticks, soups to porridge and muffins. Suddenly, it hit me. Since you could make faux mashed potatoes out of cauliflower, it would only figure that by adding some curry powder and Indian spices, you can make a super thick curry out of it as well! Who would have thought?!

Once I tried it with the kabocha, TVP and raw spinach, I suddenly became hooked. I was astounded that this recipe needed not only NO dairy, but also NO coconut milk or vegetable broth. You are free to add any if you find that the sauce is too thick, but I thought that what I yielded was absolutely perfect! It was so good that I ended up eating this recipe twice in one day and polishing it off the next day. No shame, except for the fact that from now on, I claim the cauliflower in the house just to make this recipe!

RECIPE

• 1 small yellow Italian squash
• 1 peeled clove of garlic
• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1-2 cups of organic baby kale and spring greens
• 1 1/2 TBSP curry powder or Indian spice mix
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you’re a spice fanatic like I am!)
• Pure sea salt and pepper to taste
• Light coconut milk for flavor and texture (optional; I personally found that the broth was perfect by itself!)
• Opt: other ingredients such as broccoli, spinach, peas, sweet potato, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, or even non-vegan ingredients such as paneer, chicken, tilapia, lamb, etc.

PROCEDURE

1. The night before, chop your head of cauliflower into small flowers.
2. Set a boiling pot with water on medium-high heat and add the cauliflower into the pot once the water begins to bubble.
3. Allow the cauliflower to simmer for 30-40 minutes on low heat, or until the cauliflower is so soft that it falls apart when you poke it with a knife or a fork.
4. Drain the cauliflower from a strainer until most of the water has been eliminated.
5. Refrigerate the cauliflower in a bowl over night, covered.
6. The next day, blend your cauliflower with all other ingredients except the yellow squash, orange bell pepper and spring greens in a food processor until extremely thick and creamy. If necessary, add more coconut milk, vegetable broth or water to make the curry thinner.
7. Set a pot on medium-high heat and spray with a little coconut oil or olive oil if not nonstick.
8. Once the pot is hot enough on the bottom, pour the curry into the pot and immediately dial the heat down to low.
9. While the curry is simmering, slice your squash and bell peppers.
10. Steam your squash for 1-2 minutes if a softer squash is desired.
11. Add the vegetables into the curry.
12. Season with one more tablespoon of curry powder and stir thoroughly.
13. Let the curry simmer for 8-10 minutes on the lowest heat, covered.
14. Stir in one cup of your spring greens, season with black pepper and mix until the leaves have wilted.
15. Allow the curry to simmer for 8-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally so that the curry doesn’t burn.

What are your best tips on trial-and-error recipes? Favorite ways to use cauliflower?