Curry & Coconut Vegetable Stew

Home run for healthy, home run for taste! 

Normally I steer clear of coconut recipes because of the high cholesterol/saturated fat content, but for this I used my soy-coconut milk recipe and had great results.  This is a meal that will be repeated in our house.

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew (adapted from thekitchn.com)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 medium white or red potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced (for milder curry, I used a 4 oz can of mild green chiles)
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 (16-ounce) cans beans, drained and rinsed (originally chickpeas, but I used a combo of chickpeas and pinto, you can use any beans you like)
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used red)
• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
• 8 ounces baby spinach (most of a 10 oz package)
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used my imitation recipe here)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion with one teaspoon of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and another teaspoon of salt, and sauté until just translucent around the edges.

Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in 1/4 cup of broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Pour this onion-potato mixture into the bowl of your slow cooker.

To the slow-cooker, add the rest of the broth, beans, pepper, cauliflower, and the tomatoes with their juices. Stir to combine. The liquid should come half-way up the sides of the bowl; add more broth as necessary. Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH.

**Kim's note: at this point, if you'd like a thicker sauce, remove some of the liquids, wisk them with 1 Tbs cornstarch, then return them to the slow cooker, stirring to incorporate.

Slice spinach into thin strips, then again into chunks. Reduce heat to warm, stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid for 1 minute to allow the spinach to wilt. Serve, or leave in the warm slow cooker until ready to serve.  Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and other seasonings as needed.

Serve on its own or over cous cous, rice, or quinoa.