May 17th

I don’t even remember what I ate for breakfast or lunch today – all that is overshadowed by my delicious dinner. It was amazing! Honestly, I’d be very sad if no one tried this... it’s so good. For anyone out there who has ever thought to themselves “I’d love to be vegan, except I don’t think I could live without Swiss Chalet dipping sauce” which, as unlikely as it sounds is still possible, then this is the dish for you. I don’t know how it happened; maybe it was the combination of spices, maybe it was a fluke never to be replicated or maybe it was magic like the infamous green pepper from years ago that tasted exactly like Fruit Loops (my cousins know what I’m talking about) but whatever it was, it honestly tasted just like the Chalet sauce. So what exactly is this magical dish, you ask? It’s a curry! I made it inspired by a recipe that I’d read once but I changed to veganize and deliciousize it. I figured using coconut milk instead of cream would be a good substitution since coconut milk is used a lot in thai curries. Also, I didn’t really measure anything so I’m guessing with the amounts of spices and stuff. Feel free not to follow it exactly.

Melly’s Coconut Curry:
About 2 cups soaked and cooked chickpeas (or use canned if you like)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ medium onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
Sprinkle of ground cloves
1 can organic diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
¾ can of coconut milk (my guess is ¾ cup?)
Chopped kale

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds and toast for about a minute. Add the onion and cook until just transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Add the curry, turmeric, cinnamon and cloves. Quickly mix with the onion and garlic until they are coated with the spice mixture. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes, including the juices. Add the chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, make sure the tomato is just barely bubbling and add the coconut milk. Mix everything together. Wilt in the kale and let cook for another 5 minutes. Serve on brown or basmati rice with a pita. (I couldn’t find any vegan naan and didn’t have the time to make any, but pita was great.) I had mine with brown rice, pita, cucumber and asparagus.

This recipe actually made quite a lot – too much for one person. I have enough to last me about a week, but I’ll be able to bring it to work for lunches and have it for dinner tomorrow. But next time I would probably halve it and keep the extra canned tomatoes for spaghetti sauce and the extra coconut milk for some delicious dessert.
This turned out amazing – I think it was one of the best meals I’ve ever made. Ever. It’s very rich because of the coconut milk – I wouldn’t make this all the time, but don’t let that deter you! It’s the same as eating a cheesy dish in the richness department. Just kinder.