Veggie Coconut Korma and Naan

A marvelous Naan recipe inspired some Indian creativity and it turned out lick-the-plate divine!

Veggie Coconut Korma

10 medium red potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
approx 1 1/2-2 cups chopped carrots
3-4 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1/2 small white or yellow onion, diced
2-3tbsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp curry powder
1-2 tbsp cumin
2 14 0z cans coconut milk
1 small-medium head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
approx 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas.
generous amount of sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steam potatoes and carrots in steamer or rice cooker steam basket until tender.
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add cinnamon, curry and cumin and stir well for 1 minute. Add coconut milk. Stir well, bring to a simmer reduce heat to medium low. Add cauliflower and peas, cover pot and let simmer until cauliflower is tender but not too soft- stir occasionally. Add steamed potatoes and carrots. Combine well and add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer uncovered for at least 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine and permeate veggies. Adjust seasoning amounts if needed.
Serve over cooked brown rice and with fresh naan and enjoy!

Fresh Pillowy Naan
(based on the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a day book)
For this recipe I clarified my own butter in place of ghee. To do this, place a stick of butter (1/2 cup) in a skillet on low heat until it melts and separates. Pour through strainer into glass container or scoop solids off top. The clear liquid is what you will use to cook the naan in.

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sea salt
3 1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half unbleached all purpose)

Combine ingredients in large bowl until incorporated-no need to knead. Cover with kitchen towel and place in a warm place for at least 30-40 minutes (up to 3 hours). In cast iron skillet, heat clarified butter over medium heat. With floured hands and working with a floured surface, pull off a tennis-ball sized piece of dough. Flatten and work into a thin circle (1/16 to 1/4 inch thick), sprinkle with sea salt and place in hot ghee. Cover with lid and let cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and cook for 2 1/2 more minutes.
Repeat for as many naan as needed. Add ghee to skillet as needed.
Cover (not air tight) and refrigerate any leftover dough for up to 2 weeks.
Dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated after rising.
3 naan fed our little family of 5 well.

Enjoy!!

MSG

It is in EVERYTHING! I try really hard to avoid MSG, but those sneaky processed food people have started renaming it- or using food titles that we don't recognize as containing it. From the Mercola website:

Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

Autolyzed Yeast	Calcium Caseinate	Gelatin
Glutamate	Glutamic Acid	Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate	Monosodium Glutamate	Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein	Yeast Extract	Yeast Food

Yeast Nutrient

These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]

Flavors and Flavorings	Seasonings	Natural Flavors and Flavorings	Natural Pork Flavoring	Natural Beef Flavoring
Natural Chicken Flavoring	Soy Sauce	Soy Protein Isolate	Soy Protein	Bouillon
Stock	Broth	Malt Extract	Malt Flavoring	Barley Malt
Whey Protein	Carrageenan	Maltodextrin	Pectin	Enzymes
Protease	Corn Starch	Citric Acid	Powdered Milk	Anything Protein Fortified
Anything Enzyme Modified	Anything Ultra-Pasteurized

I will definitely be going through my cupboards and fridge checking labels!

Here is a link to the Mercola article on MSG and what it does to our bodies.

All the more reason to eat more food in it's natural form!