Tomato Curry with Creamy Coconut Cauliflower "Rice"

Remember when we discussed that exercise not only makes you fitter, it also makes you smarter? (You don’t? Read here!)
Well, turns out it doesn’t apply to me.
Yesterday morning I worked my butt off running, swimming and stretching; 3 hours of grueling training.
I got home and planned to watch football all day long. Which is what I did. But wait, here comes the “me dumb” part.
At around 7:30 PM, after watching New Orleans taking on Atlanta and San Fran taking on Green Bay (more than 5 hours of football) it suddenly dawned on me: All this was happening on a Sunday! I know, breaking news.
Here’s the thing though; during a football game commercial breaks take place after every score, whenever a player is injured, after every punt or kickoff, and when a play is reviewed through instant replay. Did I mention instant replay? Every time that swings into action, you sit and wait for another two minutes or so.
At the end of every commercial break the TV’s scream at you “Welcome back to NFL Sunday football action!” or “It’s Sunday Night football on NBC!” or “....heeeere on FOX NFL Sunday!”
Yet in over 5 hours my mind didn’t registered that tiny piece of information: Sunday.



Fact is that on Sundays I cook something for me to pack for lunches for the week. It varies, but is often something such as a Pumpkin and Potato Masala Curry or my beloved Vegan Pumpkin Chili or some Quinoa Patties or a Beef stew. You got the idea.
This helps me tremendously by saving time, money, and eating healthy.
Last night however, with so little time left (and the Giants game on TV) I was in crunch time.
That’s when I remembered about this fantastic tomato curry I made a couple of months ago.
It takes about 30 to 40 minutes tops to make it and there’s very little effort involved; just some chopping and stirring.
It’s very quick, very easy, very healthy and very good.

Perfect companion for this tomato curry? Coconut rice or, even better, a creamy coconut cauliflower “rice”. A perfect marriage of tastes and textures: The acidity of the tomatoes is met with the sweetness of the peas and the rich creaminess of the coconut cauliflower rice: Pure bliss.
Plus it's not hard to ensure you always have what you need in the house to make this.
Last but not least, it’s vegan and almost paleo.
This is what I call covering all bases!

Tomato Curry with Creamy Coconut Cauliflower “Rice”                                     Print this recipe! Adapted from Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home

Ingredients
Serves 6

Tomato Curry

2 large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 lb / 900 gr cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups / 9 oz / 255 gr frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala

Creamy Coconut Cauliflower “Rice”

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 13.5 oz / 400 ml container full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Directions

Tomato Curry

Heat in a casserole (or pan) over medium heat the olive oil. Add the onions and salt and saute’ for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until translucent and lightly colored (if they start to brown reduce the heat to low).
Stir in chopped garlic and saute’ for another 4 minutes. Add all the spices at once and saute’ for another 3 minutes, until spices are toasted and fragrant. Turn off the heat, this is your curry paste. Now you can leave it as it is, but for a smoother paste (which is what I like) transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed and creamy.
Return the curry paste to the casserole, add the chopped tomatoes, cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes.
In the meantime, cook the peas in boiling salted water (as usual), drain and add to the tomato curry for the last 5 minutes cooking time. By all means cook the peas directly in the tomato curry, but be prepared to sacrifice both the vivid red of the tomatoes and the bright green of the peas.

Creamy Coconut Cauliflower “Rice”

In a food processor with the blade inserted rice the cauliflower florets in batches. You want the cauliflower to be evenly chopped but not pulverized.
Alternatively you can use a hand grater, but I imagine it would take quite a bit of time.
In a large skillet over medium heat melt the coconut oil. Add the cauliflower rice and saute’ for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the coconut milk and salt, and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy and has absorbed the coconut milk. I like the cauliflower rice to be a bit crunchy (like if it was brown rice) but if you prefer a softer texture cook it more.
Before serving, sprinkle some chopped cilantro over the tomato curry and serve with the creamy coconut cauliflower rice. Or pack into containers for a week's full of lunches!

Nutrition facts

One serving of Tomato Curry with Creamy Coconut Cauliflower “Rice” yields 330 calories, 22.4 grams of fat, 28.5 grams of carbs and 9 grams of protein.