I was so exhausted from my work week last week that all I could manage to do on Saturday was lie in bed. I didn’t eat at all; my body was wreaked. So on Sunday, even though I was still pretty exhausted, I knew I needed to nourish my myself so that my body had the energy it needed to heal.
Often, when I’m in states like that, I crave comfort food and a great curry always hits the spot! I made this yesterday (you can find the video below the recipe) and it turned out amazing even though I didn’t have enough spinach. To increase the amount of leafy greens in the curry, I added a bunch of fresh parsley that I chopped up and added to my spinach. Parsley has a few important health benefits, including being:
- Rich in antioxidants
- Supporting bone health
- Containing cancer-fighting properties, and
- Containing antibacterial properties.
When you add this to the health benefits we get from spinach (i.e., spinach reduces hypertension, helps prevent anemia, full of vitamins K, A and C, as well as being high in antioxidants), it turned out to be the perfect curry to help rejuvenate my tired body.
I served it with brown rice, a hard-boiled egg (because that’s how I like it;) and freshly sliced onions for a refreshing crunch (I spent the day watching The Bear on Hulu, so I had no plans of being in company).
Try it out and let me know what you think.
Spinach and Parsley Curry with Chickpeas
A hearty and nutritious vegetarian curry with spinach and chickpeas as the stars of the dish. Perfect for weeknight dinners and best served with rice or couscous.
- 2 1/2 Large red onions (2 onions to try in the curry and 1/2 an onion to add to the blended mixture)
- 1 thumb Fresh ginger (peeled and chopped into pieces)
- 3 cloves Fresh garlic
- 5 Fresh Campari tomatoes (chopped for blending)
- 1 bunch Fresh Pasley (chopped, stems removed)
- 250 g Frozen Spinach (thawed and drained)
- 1 tbsp Organic tomato paste (concentrated)
- 3 whole Habanero peppers (stalks removed)
- 1.5 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tbsp Fresh black pepper
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Hot Hungarian Paprika
- 1 tbsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tbsp Ginger powder
- 2 cups Organic Vegetable broth
- 1 can Chickpeas (washed and drained)
Prepare all your vegetables (red onion half, garlic and ginger) and blend together until a smooth sauce.
Place a pot over medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. While the oil heats, slice your remaining onions and add to the pot once the pot is hot enough.
Add your all your cumin, hot paprika, ginger powder, salt and pepper, and sauté until your onions begin to turn translucent. Then add your concentrated tomato paste, stir thoroughly (allowing the concentrated tomato paste to loose some of it's bitterness). This process can take up to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, if needed, to prevent the burning of the paste.
After the tomato paste has cooked and infused with the spices and onions, add your blended tomato mixture to the pot. Keep stirring to ensure the all the ingredients combine thoroughly. Keep stirring for about an minute.
Now add your vegetable stock and continue to stir. Once the curry is completely combined, allow the fresh tomatoes to cook with the heavily seasoned sauté mixture. Add your Habaneros whole for a little kick and flavor. Stir for another minute and then cover to cook for about 30 minutes, checking every 7-10 minutes and stirring so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the put. After 20-25 minutes, you can reduce the heat slightly, stir and cover again to continue cooking.
In the meanwhile, prepare your spinach (remove from the package and DRAIN, or if you're using fresh spinach, chop it up). I included parsley in this recipe, which I added to my spinach. Also, open a can of chickpeas, wash and drain to prepare for use.
After 30 minutes, add your washed and drained chickpeas to the pot and then add your greens, stirring as you go along. Slightly over the curry and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes. The curry is ready once majority of the moisture has evaporated. Serve immediately with rice or couscous.
Orana Eats: Food | Wellbeing | Travel 