Chicken and Chickpea Curry with Cauliflower Rice

In my humble opinion, I was a good eater as a child. I ate my vegetables but only certain ones like broccoli and carrots. That was pretty much it, actually, but my tastes have evolved to include most vegetables like peppers and zucchini. Some things, however, never change. I still despise brussel sprouts, I don't care how much bacon you waste on them, and asparagus. Cauliflower is also not a favorite but I've been able to hide cauliflower in other foods instead.

I heard someone at the gym discussing cauliflower rice which is basically just ground and toasted cauliflower. Since rice is typically paired with other more delicious things, I thought it wouldn't be too bad to give it a try with a spicy curry recipe.

I've made fish curry before but this recipe seemed more up my ally, very simple with few ingredients but enough flavor to overpower the cauliflower rice. Originally this recipe was vegan but I added some chicken. You can go either way!

Onion, garlic and peppers are cooked in a skillet until almost soft. Doused in coconut milk and mixed with curry paste (the more the spicier) to finish cooking. Chickpeas and cooked chicken are added to soak up the curry flavors.

Meanwhile, the cauliflower is ground in a food processor. It took me a few rounds in the food processor to get all of the florets to be crumbly. Lightly toast with some olive oil before serving with the curry.

I honestly couldn't taste the cauliflower flavor but boy did my apartment smell like it. I managed to convince some friends that we should get together and watch Bollywood films together. Granted we ordered real Indian food for the occassion but reheating this curry afterwards got me pretending I could bangra--but only in the serious privacy of my apartment with only my cat as my witness.

Recipe

• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 head of cauliflower, chopped in food processor
• 8-10oz chicken, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the chicken until almost cooked through.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the onion and garlic to the oil and cook until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the chopped pepper to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes more.
4. Add the drained chickpeas and coconut milk to the skillet. Mix in the curry paste until the coconut milk turns an orange color. 
5. Simmer over medium heat and add the chicken. Allow everything to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, process the cauliflower in a food processor until course. 
7. Toast the cauliflower in a large skillet with olive oil until fragrant. Some of the cauliflower will toast and turn brown but it's not necessary to get all of it to brown.
8. Serve the chicken and chickpea curry over the cauliflower rice.