The nice thing about moving from the frigid Midwest to the South is that you can gloat to all your family and friends back home about the weather when fall starts. "Oh, it snowed there today? That's nice. It's 70 here." (Yes, I am a terrible person.) But a week or two ago, when I saw people posting pictures of the first snow of the year on Facebook, I felt a little bit jealous. Could it really be? Do I miss snow?!
The last winter we spent in Wisconsin, I pretty much had a mental break over the weather. I worked on the University of Wisconsin campus and I took the bus to work, which meant that I had to walk several blocks to my building everyday in the wee early hours of the morning. And those wee early hours were cold! The wind and the snow and the sub-zero temperatures would make my face ache and by the time I got to the office, my toes would always be numb no matter how many pairs of socks I layered on. I was done! Done with winter!
But now I feel a little nostalgic for it. Maybe not for the cold weather itself, but for looking out the window and watching the snow fall. And for that feeling of relief that hits you when you enter a warm building after being out in the cold. And for hot stews and curries on cold winter nights! On the worst of the winter days, I'd get home from work, put on my pajamas, and throw together a quick pot of soup or curry. I guess it's that cozy, bundled up feeling that I miss. So I tried to remedy that with this Cauliflower and Chickpea Coconut Curry.
This is one of those recipes that I never needed a recipe for. Sometimes I'd make it with chickpeas only, other times I'd put different vegetables in it. It's easy like that. It's not a spicy curry and the creamy coconut sauce makes it perfect for serving over rice or with a side of naan. This curry is a heaping pot of winter comfort food—even if your winters involve sunny 60 degree days.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1- inch ginger peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
- 1 medium head cauliflower broken into florets
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Cooked rice or naan for serving
Instructions
- Heat the coconut oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook until they're fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, coconut milk, and cauliflower. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes more, or until sauce has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish each serving with cilantro.
Kathy says
Made this tonight in windy, chilly PA for my husband and 2 grown boys. They ate the whole pot! I fortunately also had brown rice to serve with. Love your page!
Kiersten says
I'm so glad it was a hit! Stay warm! 🙂
Marie says
I've been living on the island of St Barths for 6 months now and it is definitely very weird for me not to have a real winter... Last year I lived in Moscow and gosh how many times I wished I'd never see snow again... But now I kinda miss it. Anyway, I made your beautiful curry for lunch today and it is DELICIOUS 🙂
Kiersten says
I think you always want what you don't have! 🙂 I know if we moved back north, I would be missing the warm winters here. I'm glad you enjoyed the curry!
Shirley says
I love curry, and the sound of creamy coconut sauce. But I would happily eat it in 60-degree weather instead. 🙂 The temperature this morning was 18 degrees, and the wind was whipping around with the force of hurricane wind yesterday. Yikes.
Kiersten says
The news here have declared that we're experiencing an "Arctic blast" here because the temperature was in the mid-30s the other day. 🙂 I guess that's still better than 18 degrees!
Sue says
We made this for Thanksgiving and LOVED LOVED LOVED it that day and the two other days it was left over. It gets better in the fridge.
Kiersten says
Yay for non-traditional Thanksgiving dinners! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Emily Rainbow Delicious says
I know what you mean about missing snow, and being confused about it! While living in Colorado for a few years I didn't really enjoy many aspects of the snow, but now that I'm back in California I find that I miss it, at least some of the time. There really is something magical about snow, especially watching it from inside a warm cozy home.
This recipe looks amazing (but what else is new, all of your recipes are so good!) I featured your recipe in my latest cauliflower recipe round up, thank you!
Kiersten says
Yes, it is magical! Now that most of the country is under show and we're not, I'm missing it even more. Everyone's Facebook feed is full of snow pictures! Thanks for including my recipe in your round-up. 🙂
Kendel says
This sounds absolutely amazing! I'm definitely going to make this one day soon! 🙂
Kiersten says
I hope you like it!
Carrie says
I have been reading your recipes all night, I am so excited about them : ) I do not own a dutch oven. Will cooking in a dutch oven vs. a stainless steel pot for this recipe make a HUGE difference in quality of the dish? Thanks!
Kiersten Frase says
Nope, you can use a stainless steel pot too! 🙂
Katie says
Made this for my non-vegan family and they all loved it! Success.
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment--I'm glad it was a winner!
Julia says
Made this tonight. Very delicious an absolute crowd pleaser.
Thanks for posting
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment--I'm glad you liked it! 🙂
Joni says
Outstanding and super-yum! Great on this cold night! This is definitely a keeper. I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes, thanks for sharing them!
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Maria Elena Valle says
Made it last night and loved it. Just added a little bit more of the garam masala spice. Both of my children loved it but my son would have liked it more spicy. Am loving the recipes you post. Thank you.
Kiersten Frase says
This definitely isn't a spicy curry, but you can add a little cayenne or some red pepper flakes to make it spicier. 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Amy Auld says
I was wondering if this (or any of your recipes) can be frozen once cooked? I am wanting to try making some veggie dishes and freezing them to enjoy when I'm in a rush and can't spend 40mins cooking. If you can freeze them would you need to defrost before heating them through or could you heat from frozen?
I'm new to cooking so don't know that much and hope you can help 🙂
Kiersten Frase says
I've tried and successfully frozen a variation of this recipe--I didn't use cauliflower in it, and I used more chickpeas instead. That froze really well, so I'm guessing this would also freeze well, although sometimes the addition of veggies throws things off a little bit (the sauce might be a little thinner upon reheating, for example). As for reheating, it varies from recipe-to-recipe. For this one, if you're going to reheat it on the stovetop, you'll want to thaw it in the fridge first. If you're going to cook it in the microwave, it can be cooked from frozen as long as it's in a microwave-safe container. But it will cook faster if you thaw it. 🙂
In general, soups and stews do really well with freezing and reheating. Casseroles too. Most veggie burgers hold up really well to freezing--I like cooking them first because that helps them stay together, then you can pop them on an indoor grill or in a skillet while they're still frozen to reheat them. Here are a few recipes that I've frozen (some of them have freezing & reheating instructions, but if there are any you have questions about, let me know!):
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-broccoli-parmesan-meatballs/
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-broccoli-quinoa-quesadillas-a-cast-iron-cookware-primer/
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-lentil-mushroom-meatballs/
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-cremini-and-chard-stuffed-shells/
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-veggie-loaded-chili-freezer-friendly/
https://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-make-ahead-cheese-roasted-vegetable-baked-manicotti/
Hope this helps!
Nicki N says
Made this for dinner tonight and both kiddos asked for 2nds. Absolutely delish!
Kiersten Frase says
Thank you for your comment--I'm glad it was a hit!
Jen says
This recipe is a new family favourite. Thank you!!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂
Steve Mc says
I am a 51 year old Canadian male so I can definitely relate to the feeling of how a tasty meal cooking on the stove can indeed make one grateful for the comfort of a warm home when the snow is flying. I also have a 21 year old vegetarian/sometimes vegan daughter. I need to eat better myself and I like to try and support my daughter so I am very happy to have discovered your blog. I tried this recipe last night. It was very easy and smelled great while cooking. it was delicious and my daughter liked it. Yay!! I think next time I will make it a bit spicier and maybe toss is some frozen peas for colour. Any tips on getting the sauce a bit thicker? Looking forward to the leftovers today and trying out some other recipes. Great website Kiersten!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! A little cayenne pepper will add some heat and frozen peas would definitely be a great addition too. As for the sauce, you can increase the heat and boil it uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes until it thickens up to your liking.
Meredith Youngson says
Thanks for this phenomenal recipe! For the amount of curry recipes on the web I have experienced a lot of so-so results. This was so easy and incredibly delicious! Cant wait to check out the other recipes on your blog.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it--thanks for your comment! 🙂
Lauren says
I just made this for dinner and it was amazing! Even my roommate who swears she doesn't like coconut or curry anything admitted that she thought, 'It isn't bad." From her, that's a compliment. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Kiersten Frase says
I'm happy to hear that it wasn't bad--I'll take it! 🙂
Heidi says
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Once a week my vegan sister-in-law and her husband join us for dinner so I am always on the watch for good vegan recipes. We like our curry very rich and spicy, so I added some cayenne and a couple of tablespoons of curry powder...even so, this was a little on the bland side for us. But still enjoyed! I will definitely make it again but next time I'll add some medium- or hot-spiced curry paste.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yes, this is a mild curry, not a spicy one. 🙂 You might also want to try adding red pepper flakes or even sriracha!
Krista says
Made this for my family tonight, the husband who is a big meat eater really enjoyed it, and so did the very picky preschooler. My son even asked me to make it every night for the rest of the week! Deff going into the recipe rotation and sharing it on facebook!
Thank you so much!
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for sharing the recipe--I'm happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it!
Maria Raines says
A new family favourite. So quick and easy and the kids loved it! We're not vegetarian but always on the lookout for quick healthy meals which makes this a winner. Perfect for a chilly winter night in Wollongong. I added some green beans and broccoli in the last 5 minutes of cooking - delish!
Kiersten Frase says
It's so versatile, you can really add just about any veggies to it! 🙂 Thanks for your comment - I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
monique says
Looks delicious...can't wait to try this recipe . Love your website ... I just came across it and love your different recipes.
Kiersten Frase says
Thank you! 🙂 I hope you like the recipe!
Izabela says
It's delicious, thank you 🙂
Krystal Tyree says
This was Glorious. There is nowhere near me that has decent Thai food and this is exactly what I have been craving. Thanks!!!
Kiersten Frase says
Thank you for your comment - I'm glad it was a hit! 🙂
Hayley says
Made this the other day (just for me since I am the only one in my family who likes coconut!) and it's kept well in the fridge all this time! It's going to be a new Winter stew stand-by for me. I didn't have garam masala so I added a little curry powder and cayenne pepper (for spice) and it suited my spice tastes fabulously. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Theresa says
This recipe is the first one I made in my new staub Dutch oven. Turned out great. A lot more than for just me but I will share and freeze.