Cauliflower Tikka Masala

This is a meat free take on the popular Chicken Tikka Masala dish - great flavors!

Marinade: 

You need: 

1/2 head of cauliflower cut into medium size pieces
3 tablespoons low fat yogurt
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped and crushed 
1 teasp. chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teasp. garam masala
1 teasp. paprika powder
1 teasp. salt
1/4 teasp saffron

Boil the cauliflower at medium heat for 8-10 minutes and cool down  for a little bit.
In the meantime, mix everything else together in a bowl.
add cauliflower to the marinade and mix until all covered
leave in the fridge for 2-3 hrs

Sauce:

You need:

1 tablesp. oil
1 tablesp. ghee
3 cloves
3 cardamom seeds
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
1 onion finely chopped
1 teasp. Ginger & garlic finely chopped and made into a paste
Marinaded cauliflower from before
1 leek chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
1 teasp. cumin powder
1 teasp. coriander powder
salt to taste
2-3 cups (or more if desired) chicken or vegetable stock
2 medium size carrots chopped
1 cup presoaked Mung beans (if you cant find Mung beans use Garbanzo beans)
1-2 green Serrano chili peppers 
fresh chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Put oil and ghee in a large pot at high heat. Add cloves, cardamom & cinnamon stick and follow with onion and ginger & garlic paste. (Note that Cloves can burst when added to the hot ghee so keep your distance)
Add marinaded cauliflower and turn down heat to medium and sauté for a few minutes. 
Add Leeks and tomatoes and cook for another 3-5 minutes
Add cumin coriander salt and stir
Add carrots, beans, chili pepper and stock and let simmer for medium heat 15 minutes

Serve with brown rice and garnish with coriander 

Note: use the fresh chili peppers to taste. I have young children and so only use between 1/2 - 1 pepper (all depending on size), make sure I completely de-seed it and chop it up
The amount of stock completely depends on your preference. If you like a  runny sauce feel free to add more and if you like it really thick add less

Spinach Frikadeller

Its Detox Time! 
Every January we go into detox mode and this year is no exception. We have one month with no meat, no dairy (apart from eggs), no white food and no sugar. This is a great way to give your insides a rest from the overindulging of the holidays and shed those extra holiday Lbs.

Frikadeller is a danish meatball and spinach frikadeller is the vegetarian option for these. Having just returned from a trip to Denmark, I am all about spreading the danish recipes to the United States. This is recipe is interpreted from the Danish vegetarian food blog "Vegetaropskrifter"

You Need: 
1 lbs chopped frozen spinach - thawed
4-5 slices of wholewheat bread, crust cut off
1 egg
1 spoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 pods garlic finely chopped
3 spoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

Let the spinach drain in a sift and squeeze out the liquid.
Put the bread in the food processor and blend until crumbs.
mix the other ingredients in, put in a bowl and leave in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes

Heat an oiled pan to medium heat. The frikadeller should be about a  spoonful. 
Fry them on the pan a few minutes on each side until cooked through.

serving ideas: 
Brown ride and red lentils
Steamed brocoli
Avocado & tomatoes

enjoy!