Guest Post: What Ali Did Next’s Comfort Food Curry

Ali is one of the sweetest bloggers I know. She’s a devoted mom and wife who has taken a really proactive stance to healing her family through the foods they eat. I have so much respect for her and the effort and time she dedicates to her loved ones. It is so obvious how much she cares about her family, friends and blogging! 

She also lives in New Zealand, which makes it extra fun because we get to hear about summer when it’s winter and vice, versa. Having been raised on an island so close to the equator, I always love hearing about experiences both north and south and the crazy weather and seasonal changes that brings!

I won’t blab on any longer but rather will introduce Ali, whose warm and kind spirit I am sure you will sense in this post. Show her some love!

Anna xx

Hi everyone, I am so excited to be posting for Anna while she is away on holiday.

When Anna asked me to guest post for her, I would love to say I replied with cool calm collectedness. Alas no. I may or may not have jumped up and down and clapped my hands, and I may or may not have squeaked with excitement and rang most of my friends. For me, this is a highlight of my journey over the last few years.

Two years ago I was stressed out, working full time, ferrying kids around and pretty unhealthy. I had a really unwell husband in hospital, and felt like my life was out of control. After hitting a wall I took stock and decided to change my life.

One of the first things I did was start to research diet, nutrition and wellbeing tips. Through my reading I discovered valuable information and gradually transitioned to a primarily vegan and whole foods diet. I learned to relax, took up meditation, and discovered a long lost love of writing. One of the most surprising things I discovered was that I enjoyed cooking! I am the first to admit that the cooking gene skipped a generation when I was created and I am not at all what you would call a domestic goddess or gourmet cook.

I decided to share the simple things I learned over my journey to wellness in order to help others in similar situations so I started a blog – simply titled What Ali Did Next.

These days I am healthy and happy and spend my spare time writing articles on ways to make being healthy simple. I am now studying holistic nutrition and am currently enrolled at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition to become a Certified Health Coach.

The Guiltless Life was one of the first blogs I discovered, and Anna gave me a wealth of advice when I asked her for help on getting my own blog up and going. So to be now guest posting on her blog – so exciting!!

Anyways enough about me…the chance to be the centre of attention went straight to my head as usual! It’s time to give something back.

It’s freezing cold outside here in New Zealand, even though it is early autumn. Glass of wine in hand (I still have my vices) and slippers on foot I have made this hearty curry for you. I adapted it a while back from one of my favourite cookbooks, Vegetarian with a Vengeance. I call this a leftovers curry, because it is best made at the end of the week using all of the leftover vegetables you have not quite gotten around to using yet.

Be warned. The only acceptable way to eat this curry is to accompany it with appreciative food eating noises.

Comfort Food Curry

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground cloves
4 small onions
4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
600 mls concentrated tomato puree
500 mls vegetable stock
400 mls coconut milk
1 kg veggies (I used leeks, red pepper, baby spinach, green beans, and broccoli)
400 grams cooked chickpeas
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel and chop the onions, and fry in the olive oil in a large saucepan until becoming soft.

2. Add the garlic and spices and cook a little longer, stirring continually.

3. Add tomato puree and vegetable stock, cover  and simmer the sauce for approximately 20 mins.

4. While the sauce is simmering, roughly chop your veggies. Add veggies and chickpeas to the sauce and continue to simmer for approx 10 mins. I prefer my veggies to stay slightly crunchy, so you could easily cook for longer if you wanted them less crispy.

5. Add the coconut milk, stir and simmer for another 2 or 3 mins.

6. Serve over rice, or if you want an added protein punch, serve with quinoa.

Enjoy 🙂

Please do feel free to hop over to my blog www.whatalididnext.com. I would love to meet you. You will find mostly vegan, generally gluten free and always healthy recipes, topped up with tips and recommendations on ways to make healthy simple (alongside my general ramblings of course!)

Cheers,

Ali

QUESTION:

• What is your favourite comfort food?