*Vegan
I love Indian takeout—there’s a wide variety of delicious and spicy food with almost unlimited vegetarian options. I could eat it every day (if I didn’t mind dropping $40 plus on dinner for two, which I do). It has a great reputation as a healthy restaurant option, but after a few samosas, paratha bread, rice, and a couple of shared entrees, it’s nearly as indulgent as anything else. That’s because Indian joints fill their dishes with ghee, a form of clarified butter, cream, and a boatload of salt. Try this lightened-up version instead.
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 cups fresh spinach
3 cups tomato puree
2 tablespoons curry powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons coconut oil
4 cups chickpeas
2 cups sweet peas
1. Make your spice blend. Put the onion, garlic, ginger, 4 cups of the spinach, the tomato puree, curry, garam masala, paprika, cumin, salt, water, and lemon juice into a blender or food processor and blend it all together until you have an ugly, thick, green liquid.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Pour the spice blend in and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas, sweet peas, and the remaining 2 cups of spinach and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Serve with quinoa or rice.