Curried Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower and Sautéed Veggies

Curried Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower and Sautéed Veggies

Curry. Oh, curry. Whether it's Thai, Indian, Lebanese, Moroccan, you name it, curry is always delicious.  To top it off, it's super easy to make and tastes good with practically any ingredient, you can't go wrong.

Indian was on my mind tonight. The idea of a yogurt sauce, simmered with veggies, sweet potatoes, chicken and served over brown rice. Yum. To die for. All things involving Indian food, I love.

Sadly, being gluten and dairy free has limited me in this arena. I can no longer eat my beloved Naan bread. I can no longer have sauces infused with yogurt. So much of this food is now off-limits to me. I try to avoid temptation and have simply steered clear of this cuisine.

Tonight, temptation got the better of me. My jar of curry powder was staring longingly at me from the spice cabinet. The fresh cauliflower was flirting with me from the fridge.  I knew Indian was on the menu.

Since I'm on my cleanse, many of the traditional ingredients like yogurt, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant have all been eliminated. In order to satisfy my craving, I knew I needed to get a bit creative. And so, I turned to my partner in crime, quinoa. Curried quinoa. What could be better?

Curried Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower and Sautéed Veggies

Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas & Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 head organic cauliflower, chopped into florets (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/2 summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp fenugreek
• 1 tbsp cumin
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400° F.

Toss your cauliflower florets in 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add 1 tbsp of curry powder and toss to coat. Spread out on a baking sheet and place in your oven. Roast until soft and browned, about 15 minutes, flipping the florets halfway through.

Meanwhile, start your quinoa by bringing 1 cup of water to boil. Adding the dry quinoa and turn down, simmering for 8 - 10 minutes until it's light and fluffy.

In a small saute pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add the carrots. As they begin to soften, add your celery and summer squash. Saute all three together until they are tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh veggies from this weekend's Burlington Farmer's Market

When the quinoa is just about done, add your chickpeas to warm them up. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and add your sautéed veggies, remaining curry powder, fenugreek and cumin. Fold all the ingredients together. Once everything is mixed and coated in spice, add your roasted cauliflower and gently toss it with your quinoa mixture.

Serve hot, warm, cold, however you would like! We ate it as our main dish, but I will be repurposing it for lunch tomorrow. I will serve it cold, over a bed of mixed greens.

Keep it creative and enjoy the delightful Indian flavor that this gluten-free girl has been longing for.