SWEET POTATO & KALE CURRY WITH CASHEWS

This humble, hearty Sweet Potato & Kale Curry dish ticks all of my “ideal” boxes. A pleasant kick of heat and fragrant spice combined with a vibrant assortment of plant-based goodies (including some of my favourite vegetables), makes for an exciting vegetarian dish… whether you pledge yourself to a strictly plant-powered way of eating or not.

It’s warming, delicious and, for those to whom it matters, this curry is vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, Paleo, IQS-friendly, featuring an impressive cast of nutrient-dense ingredients.

We like to serve this curry with quinoa, cooked using the absorption method with organic vegetable stock instead of water, and a pinch of saffron (just a few threads will do), but please feel free to serve it with whatever you like.

I first shared this recipe a year ago via the healthy lifestyle site Three Silver Spoons, for which I am a guest contributor (check it out for beauty, nutrition, happiness and healthy food inspiration!).

I am fast approaching week 35 of this pregnancy and, despite taking it easy (by my standards) in order to watch my stress levels, the days are flying by! I am currently giving myself a couple of very simple daily challenges; 1) to try out prenatal yoga flows/short workouts available online and 2) to undertake the daily tasks from the latest Peter Walsh 31 Days to Get Organized challenge (coincidentally, the last time I took on the challenge was exactly 3 years ago, when I was around 35 weeks pregnant with Cupcake!). I will share more about both of these little personal challenges soon… and hopefully hang out in the blogosphere a little more too (I miss spending time here with you)!

In the meantime, lots of <3 from Stockholm and best wishes for an amazing 2016!

MM xx

SWEET POTATO & KALE CURRY WITH CASHEWS

Makes: 6 servings | Cooking Time : 50-55 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3-4 tbsp melted coconut/macadamia oil
600 g sweet potatoes
1 aubergine (approximately 350 g)
150 g cashews
1 fresh red chilli (medium heat)
2 cloves garlic
2 red onions
1 small thumb sized piece ginger
1 small bunch coriander or parsley
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
4 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
6 plum tomatoes
100 g kale, de-stalked and chopped
1-2 tbsp water if needed during cooking
Sea salt
1 fresh lime

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks (of approximately 3 cm x 3 cm). Pop them into a large bowl and coat lightly and evenly with oil. Turn them out onto a large foil-lined roasting tray.
3. Chop the aubergine into similar sized chunks before coating lightly and evenly with macadamia oil then adding them to the roasting tray with the sweet potatoes.
4. Roast the aubergine and sweet potatoes for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and starting to colour.
5. Meanwhile, peel and slice the red onions.
6. Finely slice the coriander or parsley stalks, reserving the leaves for garnishing later.
7. De-seed and slice the red chilli, peel and crush the garlic and grate the ginger.
8. Place a large, deep frying pan (one that has a lid; it will be used later) on the stove top set to medium heat. Tip the cashews in and toast them until golden and starting to brown a little. Tip them into a bowl and leave to one side.
9. Place the same pan back on the stove top set to medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, followed by the onions, coriander/parsley stalks, chilli, garlic and ginger, and fry everything for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
10. Add the dry spices to the pan, with a little more oil if necessary and continue to fry the onion and spice mix for another 3-5 minutes.
11. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan (with a tablespoon of water if needed). Bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer. Pop the pan lid on but leave it slightly ajar and cook for around 20 minutes.
12. When the roasted vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and add them to the curry, along with the chopped kale, the cashews and a tablespoon of water if needed. Pop the lid back on and cook the curry for a further 10 minutes on a low heat.
13. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary using salt. Sprinkle with fresh coriander/parsley leaves and serve with lime wedges (a squeeze of fresh lime adds a lovely zing) and quinoa cooked with vegetable stock (or plain rice/an alternative, if you prefer).