Weight Watcher Wednesday: South Indian Vegetable Curry

I think I need to call these posts, Weight Watcher Wednesdayish.  Seems I have missed the mark a few times.  Oops.  I will blame it on the holiday Monday- threw me off a day.  But the important thing is that I am back and loving the opportunity to tell you about this beauty of a dish.  Yes, its Indian.  I know that does not appeal to a lot of you but I know it will appeal to some.  This was rich and creamy.  Full of nutrition and easy to make.  It was really easy to make since I didn't make it.  My husband did.  Yup- you heard it!  My husband actually likes to cook but I never let him.  The reason is because he acts like hes been cooking forever when he hasn't.  He throws this and that in.  And I am here to tell you that is sometimes very unappealing.  I told him he has to start with recipes and then when he gets to know which things work well together he could start major improvisation.

He took my advice and followed this recipe pretty exactly.  Except for the tomatoes- he just put extra paste in. We did not have light coconut milk on hand we used regular with water.  He omitted the cilantro and replace the chick peas with black eyed peas (which frankly were wonderful in this dish). Other than that- perfectly.  Ellie Krieger's got it going on with her fabulous, tasty and healthy recipes.

South Indian Style Vegetable Curry
Adapted from this recipe by Ellie Krieger for Fine Cooking.

2 Tbs. canola oil
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (1 Tbs.)
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. cayenne
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cups lower-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup light coconut milk
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small cauliflower, broken into 1-1/2-inch florets (about 4 cups)
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
3  large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (about 1 1/2 cups)
One 15-1/2-oz. can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
4 oz. baby spinach (about 4 lightly packed cups)
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest


 In a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium (or medium low if necessary) and cook until the onion is richly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne; stir for 30 seconds to toast the spices. Add the tomato paste and stir until well blended with the aromatics, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, coconut milk, cinnamon stick, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low or low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots. Raise the heat to medium high and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.

Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, lime juice, and zest; cook until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt. Serve garnished with the cilantro.

The following is based on the original recipe.  My recipe is pretty close to these counts.
Calories (kcal): 300; Fat (g): 10; Fat Calories (kcal): 90; Saturated Fat (g): 2; Protein (g): 12; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3.5; Carbohydrates (g): 45; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 680; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 12