Roasted Red Pepper & Chickpea Curry

The crudites platter from Friendsgiving is the gift that keeps on giving. It was time to tackle the sweet mini peppers and although I could have eaten them with some hummus or roasted them for soup, I decided to get a little more creative. I found a recipe for a Moroccan inspired Red Pepper Curry that looked promising. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any harissa but I did like that the recipe included chickpeas and spinach which made for a more substantial meal. I also had a leftover can of coconut milk in the fridge that needed to be used. I adapted the recipe by roasting my own peppers, adding veggie stock, tomato puree, extra curry powder and sliced grape tomatoes. The result was absolutely delicious. The sweet smokey flavors of the roasted peppers worked beautifully with the Moroccan-inspired spice notes. The texture of the sauce courtesy of the coconut milk was the real highlight of the dish — so silky and creamy. I look forward to having extra red peppers on hand so I can make this again.

Red Pepper Chickpea Curry

• 2 cups roasted red peppers (see note below)

• 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

• 1/4 cup of water

• 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

• 1 (15.5 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk (I actually used 3/4 of a leftover can and it was plenty rich)

• 1/2 cup diced onions

• 1 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1/2 cup tomato puree

• 1 cup veggie or chicken stock

• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes (sliced in half)

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1/2 cup chopped onion

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 15 oz. can, drained)

• 9 oz. bag fresh spinach

To serve

• Cooked brown or white rice

• quinoa

• optional chopped cilantro and fresh lime squeeze

Instructions

1. Add roasted peppers, chili garlic sauce, salt and coconut milk to a blender and puree until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of water to thin it out a little. The pureed red peppers and coconut milk makes a pretty tasty soup as well.

2. In a skillet, heat up the oil and saute onions until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute.

3. Add curry powder and cook for 2 minutes (this toasts the spices), add a little water to the pan if the curry sticks or burns.

4. Add tomato puree, veggie or chicken stock, chickpeas and bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add spinach and stir in the red pepper and coconut puree. Cook until spinach is done, about 3 minutes.

6. Add cherry tomatoes to the curry. Add additional salt to taste.

7. Serve over rice or quinoa. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime (optional)

How to Roast the Peppers

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat peppers with a little bit of oil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes until peppers are slightly charred and blistered. Allow peppers to cool. Remove the stems and seeds. I didn’t bother removing the the thin membrane on the skins since everything was going into the blender.