Cauliflower, Chickpea and Quinoa Curry

 

It’s actually a Cauliflower, Chicken, Chickpea, Quinoa and Coconut Curry as I wanted to get as many ‘C’ ingredients in as I could (Quinoa totally counts, right?)

This recipe came about after inspiration from DeliciouslyElla’s Chickpea, Quinoa and Turmeric curry.

It’s been unseasonably chilly in the Caribbean of late and I was craving something warm and comforting. What I really wanted was a huge bowl of carbs (like creamy mac and cheese or a curry rice bowl), but instead I decided to use her recipe and tweak it to make it lower carb and more suited to my diet (Quinoa is a bit of a cheat but a girl needs a break every now and again!)

So, using DeliciouslyElla’s recipe as inspiration, I first subbed the potato for cauliflower (which I actually prefer since it’s tastier) I also replaced half the coconut milk with chicken stock. You get (almost) the same coconut flavor with less of the carbs and fat, and lastly added the chicken breasts for some extra lean protein (shrimp would also work really well but, ya know, it doesn’t start with C so it didn’t make the cut…)

(Want to keep it veggie? Leave out the chicken/shrimp and just use vegetable stock or consider adding tofu for some additional protein)

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower head, chopped into florets

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 tbsp coconut oil (or preferred oil for cooking)

1″ piece of ginger, peeled and diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

3 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chili flakes (or more to taste)

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1/2 can of coconut milk

2 cups chicken stock

2 skinless chicken breasts, chopped

6 oz uncooked white Quinoa

Generous handful of fresh spinach

Chopped cilantro and toasted cashew nuts to garnish (more C’s)

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil in a pan on a medium/high heat.
2. Add onion, garlic and ginger, stir until onion starts to look translucent.
3. Add chicken breast and cook until seared on the outside, remove chicken and set aside.
4. Add cauliflower to the hot pan and 1/2 cup of chicken stock – put lid on to steam the cauliflower.
5. Once cauliflower has started to soften add chickpeas, turmeric, chili flakes, coconut milk, Quinoa, remaining stock, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. After 15 minutes add back the chicken and allow to cook through (another 10-15 minutes)
7. Finally add spinach to the pan and let it wilt into the Curry. Quinoa should be nice and fluffy and excess moisture will have been absorbed.
8. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro and toasted cashews.

Serves 4-6 depending on how greedy hungry you are.

Prep time 20 mins, Cook time 30 minutes

Any of you got any low carb comfort food favourites that I can try when I’m craving pasta and cheese…??