Coconut Curry Chick-Pea & Vegetable Hodge-Podge (that will leave the carnivore wanting more)

The die-hard carnivore is not easily duped. You can’t slather a slab of tofu in barbecue sauce and pass it off as a T-bone and expect this breed to dig in with gusto. No. He or she (although the true, unfaltering carnivore is often of the husband variety) likes meat, big hunks of  juicy meat that have been skewered, seared, braised or grilled. The carnivore likes to gnaw meat off of bones and enjoys ribs, crispy and burnt.

When you present a steaming hot plate of chick-peas and oven roasted vegetables smothered in a delicious coconut curry sauce, the carnivore digs in, but after a few mouthfuls, he becomes confused. Fork as a spear, he hunts through the forest of cauliflower and squash for meat like a child searching for the toy in a box of Cracker-Jacks.

The ginger and garlic, curry and coconut meld beautifully with the sweetness of the oven roasted vegetables, and the sauce infuses the perfectly fluffed couscous with flavour, but the carnivore searches on. Nothing this tasty can be meatless.

When he finally concedes defeat, his plate is empty and his belly full, but still he struggles. How can a plate of food without meat possibly be dinner? He wants to feel content, but his inner caveman is restless, so he gets another plate and begins the search again. In other words, he has more, because he wants more.

But let’s back up. The first rule of cooking is to cook good food. You don’t cook for the carnivore, (at least not all of the time) you cook for health and wellness, but most importantly, taste. Coconut curried vegetable hodge-podge ticks all of the boxes. It is a hodgepodge because you can add whatever you want. No squash?  No cauliflower? Try sweet potato, parnsips, carrots. The choice is yours.

Recipe

2 cans of chick-peas (rinsed)

1/2 red onion

1.5 tblsp of grated fresh ginger

5 cloves of garlic

2 Tablespoons veg oil (to sauté the garlic and ginger)

1 can lite coconut milk

2 tsps Curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp tumeric (optional)

1/2 ground coriander (optional)

2 Tablespoons of mango chutney (optional, I suppose, but a bit of chutney is just really, really  good. The carnivore suggested chicken and sultanas)

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

3 or more Tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander.

Oven Roast the following:

1 Head of Cauliflower (break into flowerettes)

1 Butternut squash (cubed)

4 tablespoons Olive Oil (for roasted veggies)

Kosher salt

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of turmeric

black pepper

 

Method

First, wash and separate your cauliflower into flowerettes. Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, some Kosher salt, a dash or two of black pepper, turmeric (my new favourite spice) and cayenne pepper. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and roast at 375 until it is tender (probs 40 minutes or more) and it looks like the picture. (Brown crispy bits are nice)

At the same time, peel and cut butternut squash into 1 inch-ish cubes and do the same thing as above. Dealing with squash is not unlike butchering a small animal, but as a vegetarian or pseudo vegetarian, this is the price you must pay.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, sauté the garlic and ginger for, say 30 seconds, in a pan with the oil, then add the onions for a minute or two, the spices and then the chick-peas and coconut milk and cook until it thickens a bit, (Maybe 5 minutes). Mix in the chutney and lemon juice. NOTE: IF YOUR JAR OF CURRY POWDER IS HIDDEN IN YOUR CUPBOARD BEHIND A GIANT TUB OF METAMUCIL, SEND YOUR DAUGHTER TO THE STORE FOR MORE. DO NOT BE UPSET WHEN SHE COMES HOME WITH A SMATTERING OF  BLUE PAINT OFF THE BELCO TRUCK PARKED NEXT TO HER AT THE GROCERY STORE. YOU PAY A PREMIUM FOR ELECTRICITY, SO YOU’RE OWED A BIT OF PAINT. Do not tell the carnivore, as it will only spoil the surprise.

When the vegetables are nicely oven-roasted and tender with yummy crispy bits here and there, add them to the chick-pea concoction and toss until mixed. Don’t over mix or your cauliflower will start to break up and your squash will get too squished.

Couscous:

Any idiot can make couscous. Follow the instructions on the box.

Spoon the hodgepodge over an elegant bed of couscous, sprinkle with coriander, and enjoy.