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| Recipe of the week... ... Low-carb cluckin' curry with cauliflower rice |
Ingredients:
For the curry – 300g meat-free chicken-style pieces, a stalk
of broccoli, 100g green beans, ½ an onion, ½ a red chili pepper, 1 small root
of ginger, 1 tablespoon curry paste, 200ml coconut milk, a knob of butter, and
salt and pepper
For the cauliflower rice – 250g cauliflower, a knob of
butter, and salt and pepper
Serves: 2 big platefuls.
Time taken: Half an hour prep and then 20 mins to cook.
Hi readers,
How are you all today? It’s Fridayyyyyy! That’s right, as I
write, it’s a bright Friday afternoon in January. We’re within two hours of the
weekend and it CANNOT come quickly enough.
Tonight – exciting! – I’m going on an 80s night dressed as
Madonna. Think: black dress, bold makeup, big jewellery, even bigger hair. So,
once this post goes live on ChefBeHere, I’ll be turning the curlers on and
finding out my funkiest eye shadows… bring on the 80s tunes!
How about you, readers? Do you have plans for your Friday
night?? I hope there are tipples and tunes on the horizon – time to let your
hair down!
As we edge towards the weekend, readers, I’m now 26 days
into low-carb January with five more days to go. The end is in sight! I’m beginning
to get a little excited – anticipating a major treat day on the 1st
Feb with pizza, cereal, bananas, peanut M&Ms, and all the orange juice I
can drink. I may explode on the day but it’s going to be GOOD.
As well as anticipating the carbs in store next Thursday, I’m
also looking forward to easing off with the rules around what I eat. Although I
intend to keep going somewhat in February, with a lower-carb diet that I’ve
held up until 2018, it’s going to be a relief to relax the rules and enjoy a
more flexible, spontaneous way of eating.
Just last night – lying awake for around 3 hours from 4.30m,
when my housemate’s Tinder date staggered into my room looking for the bathroom
– I found myself unable to sleep and endlessly going over low-carb meal plans in
my head. Thinking days in advance!
And, really, I’d like to go back to thinking about more
interesting things. Like whether or not the guy was wearing any clothes or I’d
briefly had a naked man in my room. I wonder that now. And I wonder how I
possibly passed 3 hours planning 5 days’ worth of food… maybe I did fall
asleep?
Anyway, regardless, I have a low-carb recipe to share with
you, readers! This may be one of my last, as we’re nearing the end of January
now, so I hope you’ll enjoy. This recipe is based on one from the Diet Doctor
website (see here), for a low-carb chicken curry with cauliflower rice.
I decided to give this recipe a go as I’d never tried
cauliflower rice before – shock, horror! – and was intrigued. Also, I really
fancied something resembled a proper meal, rather than just serving up a
selection of low-carb things on a plate. So, I adapted the ingredient quantities
a little, and replaced the chicken with Quorn, and a new recipe was born!
Fancy giving it a go? Here’s the recipe in just ten simple
steps…
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Recipe: Low-carb cluckin’ curry with cauliflower rice
Ingredients:
For the curry – 300g frozen meat-free chicken-style pieces,
a stalk of broccoli, 100g green beans, ½ an onion, ½ a red chili pepper, 1 small
root of ginger, 1 tablespoon curry paste, 200ml coconut milk, a knob of butter,
and salt and pepper
For the cauliflower rice – 250g cauliflower, a knob of
butter, and salt and pepper
1.
Begin by getting all your ingredients out onto
the side and pouring yourself a chilled drink. Stretch really tall, crack open
a window, set some chilled music playing.
2.
Ready to go! To begin with, you need to do some
veg prep. Chop the head of your broccoli into small florets (and save the
stalk). Top and tail your green beans, then chop in half. Grate your
cauliflower and the stalk of your broccoli.
ChefBeHere Top
Tip: Stick at it, readers. If – like me at the time of cooking – you’ve just
done a body pump class and can barely feel your arms, I feel for you. Try using
one arm to press the grater downwards into the chopping board, as the other arm
grates, instead of your arms pushing towards each other. This helped me
somewhat.
3.
Give your arms a rest now! Gently heat a knob of
butter, in a wok or frying pan, then add your frozen chicken pieces and your
broccoli.
4.
Leave these to heat through for 5 mins, stirring
occasionally, while you – deseed and finely chop your half a chili, finely chop
your half an onion, and grate then finely chop your small ginger root.
5.
Once your chicken pieces look as though they’ve thawed,
add your green beans, chili, onion and ginger to the pan.
6.
Stir everything together and fry for 5 mins
until your kitchen smells good and the onion in the pan is softening.
7.
Meanwhile, gently heat a knob of butter in a
saucepan. Add your grated cauliflower and broccoli to the pan, and season to
contents of both your frying pan and saucepan. Leave your cauliflower rice to
fry for around 10 mins.
8.
Add your curry paste and coconut milk to the
frying pan, stir everything together, and leave to simmer for around 10 mins.
Both pans will need stirring occasionally.
ChefBeHere Top
Tip: Apply some common sense here – if you aren’t a fan of spicy foods just stick
with a teaspoon of curry paste / or if you like your head blown off then go
ahead and tip the whole jar in.
9.
Use your next ten minutes wisely. I’d set the
table for dinner, find something good on the telly, and refresh your drink.
Maybe heat dinner plates in the microwave, wipe round the kitchen, and make a start
on your dishes.
ChefBeHere Top
Tip: Remember to keep an eye on your pans. Give them a stir every time you pass
by – make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom or burning.
10. Time
to serve up your tea! Remove both pans from the heat, spoon cauliflower rice
evenly between two dinner plates, and then ladle out the curry. By now your
kitchen should smell fragrant and your food should be piping hot – tuck in!
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And that’s all there is to it, readers! What do you think? Would
you give this recipe a try? I can promise you a colourful, flavoursome tea,
with at least 3 of your 5-a-day in veg per serving. The recipe’s gluten-free
and, if you switch the butter for vegetable oil and use Quorn vegan pieces, then it’s vegan too! Plus, you get
a free workout grating all that cauliflower.
Am I selling it or am I selling it?? Honestly, readers, I
enjoyed this recipe. I had fun in the kitchen and then tucked into a great
tasting plateful of food. I was impressed with cauliflower rice – not the poor
man’s substitute I’d been imagining! – and a tablespoon of curry paste is about
as spicy as I can handle, so I did cry through my nose a little, but I wasn’t
melting. Which is good.
Please let me know, readers, if you give this recipe a try –
what do you think? Would you rate this, as curries go? How did you get on in
the kitchen? Shout out with your feedback on the recipe – I’d love to hear!
And have a fantastic weekend, everyone.
Vogue safely,
Hayley
