Good food with health benefits await you! Turn up the heat and spice up your winter with this amazing coconut vegetable curry dish!
Spices are my favorite! Not only do they have healthful benefits, but they also bring amazing flavors and aromas to the senses. I believe food alters our emotions in a very good way, as long as we make the right food choices.
Some of my favorite spices are in the following dish:
Cayenne Pepper–contains capsaicin. There are different heat indexes of cayenne. I aim for 40 000 heat units or higher. Cayenne can help relieve arthritic pain, cause apoptosis in Prostate cancer cells, and increase circulation to me a few. I can attest to the amazing benefits of cayenne pepper. It definitely helps me in the cold winter months for circulation, but one day I recall cutting through my skin with a chef knife. I tried everything stop the bleeding and nothing worked until I remembered a story about Cayenne stopping bleeding. Well, I took a tablespoon of cayenne and pressed my cut finger into it. Within a few seconds, the bleeding stopped. Yes, it did hurt, but what’s a little pain over losing any more blood?
Turmeric–contains curcumin. This is known to have anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant properties. There has also been some research in its effects against cancers. Black pepper is known to increase turmeric’s effects by 1000 times, so always remember to add black pepper.
Beyond all the health benefits of cayenne and turmeric, they make the flavor in any dish really pop! So enjoy this fabulous meal!
Coconut Vegetable Curry
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Half teaspoon sea salt and black pepper (or to your liking)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups chopped mix veg (broccoli, carrot, jicama, cabbage)
- 2 cups cubed sweet potato
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can red kidney beans (or beans of choice)
- 3 tablespoons honey (or agave for the vegan option)
Directions:
Add coconut oil to a large pot, and place on medium heat. I prefer coconut oil as it is able to withstand high heat.- Add the chopped onion to the pot, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent and turns slightly brown. This takes about three minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute. If the onions and garlic start to stick, add a little water to the mix.
- Add the turmeric, garam masala, cumin, cinnamon, curry powder, and cayenne pepper to the mix and stir to blend all the different flavors. Tt will be very aromatic.
- Add the cubed sweet potato and chopped veggie mix and stir, adding in a couple tablespoons of water. Add two cups of vegetable broth and let the veggies simmer for about 10 minutes until they start to become tender.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes and the coconut milk and turn up the heat to medium high. Once it starts to boil, reduce to medium low heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the kidney beans and the honey (agave) and cook for about 3–5 minutes
- Turn off heat and let it sit for a little time and then serve.
I like to serve this dish over a bed of lettuce, over rice, or with a side or two of toasted Ezekiel bread.
This is a spicy and very flavorful dish. It is the perfect winter food as it is warming to the body and keeps the circulation going.
