I wanted Indian food... My favorite... But I wasn't prepared to make the 20-30 things I usually do (OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but still...). I had some things in the fridge that I thought might make a fun Indian-ish meal.
First: a head of cauliflower that needed to be used! So I trimmed it, cut it into pieces and then - get ready - I pulsed it in the processor until it was about the size of cooked rice. Next, in a large sauté pan, I "fried" the cauliflower bits in EVOO just until they started to brown. Then... off the heat to cool.
In another small pan, I brown-fried one minced onion, and added my curry spice mix: some turmeric, cumin, cardamom, salt, red and black pepper. I fried that for about a minute and added a splash of water.
When it was time for dinner, I mixed the curry sauce with the cauliflower, added some black beans I'd cooked two days before (for a salad) and heated it through. At the last minute, I minced the season's first jalapeño harvested from our garden, tossed in half, and then plated. I spooned this luscious beany cauliflower into bowls and topped it with a dollop of drained full-fat yogurt ("Greek," some would say), and sprinkled the yogurt with more jalapeños and some minced chives.
This filled the bill in a way I wasn't prepared for... The cauliflower added a very subtle sweetness that allowed the fire of the spice to make its presence known without killing us!!!