Dinner Rush! Quick Cauliflower Curry

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In the fast-paced, cutthroat world of trendsetting foods, one industry veteran has managed to stay the course through it all. While sprouts, kale and juices may come and go with the seasons, the mighty cauliflower has managed to keep its head high and its florets robust through the storm. 

It’s understandable how cauliflower’s neutrality can easily dump it into the “boring” category. It’s white (yawn). The flavor is no beet or sun-ripened tomato, but it's solid. It’s got that whole crazy “I look like a brain” thing going on. But isn’t it our weaknesses that can serve to be our greatest strengths?

Bold flavors like curry are a fantastic pairing for a vegetable as brilliant as cauliflower. It lets them shine bright while providing a base that’s hearty and satisfying. And while some may see “brain,” I see “edible work of organic art.” Keep the florets bigger when cutting the head apart and you’ll have to knife and fork your way through them, making you all the less likely to miss the meat in this vegan Dinner Rush.

Quick Cauliflower Curry
Total Time: 28 min
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 23 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1-inch knob ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
14-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 head cauliflower, cut into large chunks
1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 pound green beans, stems removed, cut into large pieces
1/2 small bunch cilantro, torn, for serving

Place a medium pot or large high-sided saute pan over medium heat with the oil. Add the onion, ginger, curry powder, coriander and cumin; cook until onions begin to soften, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, 1 minute.

Add the white wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the coconut milk, raisins, cauliflower and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are almost done, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the green beans and cook until tender, 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve garnished with cilantro.

NOTE: This dish doesn’t have a lot of excess liquid — there’s just enough to cook the vegetables and have some sauce to serve them with. If the liquid in the pan evaporates before the vegetables are done, add a few splashes of water or chicken stock to stretch it.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food. Always has, probably always will. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary teams for Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Marc Forgione and Bobby Deen, he now works on digital production for FoodNetwork.com, CookingChannelTV.com and Food.com in NYC by day and develops recipes at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night. You can see what he’s up to by following him on Twitter & Instagram at @patrickwdecker or visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.

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