Eating vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy eating (shocking, I know). Sure there’s fruits and veggies galore, but there’s also plenty of vegan junk food to go around, not to mention high fat, high sodium and any number of highly processed vegan food. I’m guilty of eating all of these things.
But then, I received a review copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s latest cookbook, Appetite for Reduction. Hallelujah.
There’s so many yummy sounding recipes, covering a range of cuisines and dishes complete with nutritional information for each one. Having never really cooked Indian food before, I decided to make the 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma – a rich, creamy, mildly spicy curry with vegetables.
Super easy to make and so flavorful and it only took about 30 minutes. Can you tell I used an orange cauliflower? Also known as “cheddar” cauliflower, it’s just like a regular white one except it has extra beta-carotene (hence the brilliant orange color and 25% more vitamin A).
2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma
Serves 4
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 pound zucchini, cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Extra chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for another minute.
Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Mix in the spices and salt. Add the cauliflower, zucchini, and carrots. They won’t be completely submerged, but that’s okay. Cover the pot and turn up the heat to bring the broth to a boil. Let boil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender.
Add the peas, coconut milk, agave, and cilantro (if using). Taste for salt. Turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for about 5 minutes. Serve the korma in bowls over rice, garnished with cilantro.
From the book Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2010.
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I love Indian food, especially cauliflower curries, so this is very appealing to me. The more I read about this cookbook, the more I think I should buy it.
So lovely dish! Veg korma looks truly delicious! Beautiful capture too.
I just got my copy of ‘Vaganomicon’ last week and loving it. I’ve been reading and making a ‘to-try’ list. I think I would get this book too, sooner or later. :)
Ack, another reason to just break down and buy this book! I’ve been waffling over it since I just got another half dozen cookbooks, but it sounds amazing… Oh, my aching bookshelves!
I’ve made a bunch of recipes from Appetite so far, but not this one yet. Looks delicious!
Beautiful veg korma (one of my favorite dishes!)!
This looks warm and tasty. I should’ve never given this cookbook away as a gift. just kidding! I just have to buy myself a copy.
Help! I’m making this now, and I measured the vegetables exactly, but there are so many that I can barely put the lid on my 4-quart pot!
Is it supposed to be 1 and 1/2 pounds cauliflower BEFORE trimming or after?
Cat – Sorry I didn’t see your comment earlier, hope everything worked out in the end. :-) I thought the amount of cauliflower was before trimming.
Whenever something doesn’t all fit in whatever pot I have, I would take some of it out and either cook it in another separate pot or just make something else with the “extra”.
I have made this following the recipe and loved it. I just made it tonight with broccoli instead of cauliflower and fresh dill instead of cilantro and the substitutions worked very well–just using up what I have in the house. Five star recipe. I have the book and use it every week.