I don’t think anyone can truly be prepared for hurricane/ hurricane-like conditions.  One of the drawbacks of living on the causeway is that weather conditions that involve rain are magnified by like 10. Let’s just say that living water-level is not for the faint of heart.

Tropical storm Isaac has been making its way to us for the past couple of days but hadn’t really been felt until yesterday.  There has been a lot of activity around here and this morning I woke up freaked out because the wind was just so loud!

This is what we are looking at now:

Last night, as a precautionary measure but also as a distraction,  I took it upon myself to freeze all the extra veggies I had lying around in my fridge as well as embark on the project that is making curry.

Yesterday I bought the Cook Fresh issue of Fine Cooking magazine which came packed with amazing recipes. I don’t really like curry…at least I thought I didn’t.  But Hugh does.  When I saw the recipe for a South-Indian Style Vegetable Curry, it seemed  like a fair compromise (and I had most of the ingredients).  Let’s just say that I don’t regret it one bit.

South-Indian Style Vegetable Curry
Ingredients:

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (1 Tbs.)
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cups  of vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small cauliflower, broken into 1-1/2-inch florets (about 4 cups)
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 1 cup)
One 15-1/2-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. baby spinach (about 4 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium low if necessary) and cook until the onion is richly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well blended with the aromatics, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Raise the heat to medium high and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, and zest; cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt.

Serve garnished with the cilantro.

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I will admit, it does take forever to make, it requires a lot of ingredients, and in my case, I broke a nail and burnt my wrist. Ouch. But the end result is completely worth it.  You end up with a really healthy meal that is super tasty.  It is also very cost-effective because if you have all the spices already, your total investment will be less than $8 and your yield is about 6-8 servings.

I highly recommend you try it.  Today, I look forward to experimenting with more of the recipes in my new magazine.  It has been my experience that it is easier to be vegan when you have variety in your diet 🙂

Oh! and in completely unrelated news for those of you in the Miami area, our friends at Fashionably Conscious are currently accepting donations of gently used designer items for their yearly fundraiser.  Donations can be dropped off at the Village of Merrick Park on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8-10am, OR donations can be picked up on Saturdays at your place of residence. Drop-offs and pick-ups must be scheduled in advance by emailing them at fashionablyconscious@gmail.com .

Until next time, keep dry 😀

annush 🙂