Vegetable Korma

I follow the Meatless Monday campaign on Facebook, and this week they posted a question that got me thinking. "What's your favorite meatless comfort food?" My first thought was homemade macaroni and cheese... and then I couldn't think of another one!

Later, it struck me that a good Indian vegetable curry is right up there for me. The whole experience is pleasurable, from the sizzling onion/ginger/garlic triumvirate at the start, then roasting the spices until they reach the peak of their fragrance, and at last sitting down to a steaming bowl of creamy, spicy sauced vegetables over basmati rice.

I altered this great recipe for Vegetable Korma (originally from allrecipes.com) by adding chickpeas, substituting half-and-half for the cream, and omitting the ground cashews. (Where am I going to get ground cashews? I don't have a spice grinder or food processor, so I can't really grind them myself. ) Also, I'm a big fan of blooming the spices before adding the liquid ingredients; I think it really brings out those flavors.

So here it is, my meatless comfort food for these cold nights we're having. Who says food can't be comforting and good for you at the same time?

Vegetable Korma

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
minced2 potatoes, cut into small cubes
4 carrots, cubed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. curry powder
1 c. frozen green peas
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 red AND green bell pepper, cubed
1 c. half-and-half
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until tender. Add the ginger, garlic, curry powder and salt, and cook about 1 minute. Now add your potatoes, carrots, red pepper flakes and tomato sauce. Cook and stir for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Stir in your frozen peas, chickpeas, bell peppers, half and half, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Garnish with more cilantro and serve over brown basmati rice. Makes 6-8 servings.