Carrie, here! Nutrition resident for Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, here to share with you some delicious dinner inspiration. When I’m cooking for my family, I believe the best defense against any illness is a good offense. So, I’m cooking the rainbow and making colorful, nutrient-dense meals to help support and strengthen our immune defense.
Tonight, I turned up the heat a little with Curry Riced Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew. This spice filled dish includes a triple anti-inflammatory punch of fresh ginger, ground curry and turmeric. The riced cauliflower (just cauliflower pulsed a few times in the food processor!) and sweet potato combine to provide over 100% of the DRI for Vitamin C, not to mention their ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. And, the lime juice and cilantro add digestive and detoxification support.
I paired the curry stew with sautéed broccoli, shitake mushroom and edamame. Shitake mushrooms are a nutrition work horse filled with beta-glucans for immune support and cardiovascular health, plus antioxidants that scavenge for free-radicals. Broccoli is another superstar vegetable! It contains dietary fiber for digestive support and sulforaphanes, known to inactivate our body’s unwanted inflammatory response. Steamed broccoli supports cardiovascular health by helping to reduce LDL levels, plus it’s a strong antioxidant and great source of immune supportive Vitamin C, E, A (carotenoids), selenium and zinc.
Build your family’s defense with colorful whole food!
Recipe source: Natural Gourmet Institute’s Complete Vegan Cookbook.
Sweet Potato Cauliflower Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric powder
- 3/4 inch Ginger peeled and minced
- 1 large head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 1/2 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
- 4 tsp fresh lime juice 1-2 limes
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion with ¼ tsp salt and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sweet potato and cook until it begins to soften and brown, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk, tomato paste, curry powder, turmeric, ginger, and ½ tsp salt, plus 1 cup of water. Simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens, and potato is soft, about 10 minutes.
- To make cauliflower rice: In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower in 2 batches until it is similar in size to rice grains.
- Add cauliflower rice and chickpeas to the curry and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and season with more salt, if needed. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.