Vindaloo Vegetables

After an indulging weekend (thanks to my friends who hosted a fantastic Mardi Gras party), I wanted something light and full of vegetables. I had this Vindaloo Vegetables recipe in mind for a couple of weeks, having seen it on FatFreeVegan.com and the time came to try it out. As with many Indian dishes, more time is spend chopping up the veggies, grinding the spices and the paste vs. the actual cooking, which can be quite time-consuming. Also, I had a sink full of cooking accessories by the time I was done (an auto spice grinder), so I've modified the process to cut down on the preparation time.

I've used my mighty pressure cooker from the beginning to finish to make a one-pot meal: from cooking dry beans to sauteing all the veggies to heating them up. This definitely saves you washing another pot and a skillet.  

The result is an outstanding sublime Vindaloo Vegetables dish so full of flavour, very light, and a virtually a guilt-free foodie main dish. I served it over rice for the kids but Vindaloo Vegetables is great on its own (that's how I had it) .

Servings: 8 
Makes in: 1 hour

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
• 4 cups small cauliflower florets
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 green / red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 pitted date, coarsely chopped
  i used 1/3 cup of sultana raisins
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 cardamom clove, ground
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (or one 15.5 ounce canned beans, rinsed and drained)
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  i used 1 cup tomato sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper (salt is optional)
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

1. Prepare all of the vegetables.
2. Heat a large non-stick pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and one tablespoon of water, cover, and cook until softened, stirring often and adding more water as necessary to prevent burning - about 5 minutes. 
3. In the mean time, a blender or food processor (I used a coffee grinder and only 1/4 cup water), combine the garlic, ginger, date, coriander and other spices, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water; process until smooth and set aside. 
4. Add the spice paste from the blender and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 
5. Add the cauliflower and kidney beans. Cover and turn heat to low. 
6. Put the tomato paste and 1 1/4 cup water in the blender and blend thoroughly. You can skip this step by using tomato sauce + 1 cup water instead. It will not have the same concentrated tomato taste, but I'll take it as I won't have to clean up a messy grinder.
   Add the tomato paste mixture to the vegetables, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. 
7. Add the zucchini and bell pepper, season with pepper and salt (if using), and continue cooking, covered, until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, about 5 -10 minutes. 
8. Add the peas and allow to heat through for a couple of minutes.
   Serve alone or over basmati rice or other grain.