Vegetarian Tikka Masala, Turmeric Brown Rice

Meat lovers pizza twice in one week? Ugh. Time for another vegetarian meal to lighten things up. I decided on a meatless version of my Chicken Tikka Masala (recipe: here), subbing out the chicken for cauliflower and potatoes. 

And since I keep reading articles (like this one) that remind me about the amazing health benefits of turmeric, it seemed a good idea to add a scoop in with the brown rice... Wow! The rice turned out gloriously golden, a brilliant pop of color that contrasts vibrantly with the curry! 

I also served this with store-bought naan (boo :( still haven't got my homemade whole wheat naan recipe right) because the curry is pretty spicy and you'll want more than just your mouth soaking up the heat directly! 

Serves 4

• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 inch fresh ginger
• 2 dried red chili peppers*
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 cups cauliflower
• 2 red potatoes (2 cups)
• 1 roma tomato
• 2 tsp garam masala, heaping
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne*
• 1 can (6oz or 170gr) tomato paste
• fat-free milk (enough to fill emptied can of tomato paste twice)
• dollop of fat-free, plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 brown rice (2 1/2 cups water)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder, heaping
• cilantro, garnish (All I had was fresh mint and that worked too)
• 1 pkg naan

* Feel free to adjust the amount of dried red chilis and cayenne powder to taste! 

Start by prepping the veggies -- Mince garlic, ginger and dried chilis together. Dice the onion. Wash and chop 2 cups worth of cauliflower florets. Dice the potatoes and tomato. 

Measure out the spices and set aside. 

Heat a small amount of olive in frying pan over med-high. Add minced garlic, ginger and chilis. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring, til fragrant and edges of garlic turn golden. Add diced onion and cook for another few minutes. 

Add the spices which have been set aside and stir. Then add diced tomato, tomato paste, skim milk, and yogurt. Stir well to incorporate until the paste becomes a thick sauce. 

Add cauliflower and yogurt, mixing well to coat the veggies in sauce. Once the curry starts to bubble, turn heat to low, cover with lid, and let simmer for about 40min. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom. Feel free to add more skim milk or water to achieve desired consistency. 

Once the curry has been set to simmer, set the brown rice and scoop of turmeric powder to cook (rice cooker or stovetop are both fine).

Closer to serving time, preheat oven to 350, wrap naan in tin foil, and bake for 5-10min so the naan is soft and fresh for dinner.

Serve with fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!