I have an excellent recipe for you, as well as a special treat for all of you Loki fans.
Over spring break, my husband and I took our high school junior on a 5-day whirlwind tour of 6 colleges in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. We had excellent vegan food, especially in Chicago (Karyn’s on Green just rocks!) but one meal stands out as an unexpected treat. We were driving through Indianapolis after touring our last college, on our way back to Chicago to catch a 9pm flight home, and stopped at an all-vegetarian Indian restaurant called Spice Nation.
We were just in time for the lunch buffet, where all the vegan dishes were helpfully labeled. I will be honest: We stuffed ourselves. Everything was so good, and it was a thrill to be able to eat at an Indian restaurant and not worry about butter or cream. I think all of us would agree that our favorite dish was the one that was put out last, a creamed spinach with chickpeas similar to Palak Paneer but without the cheese.
By the time the spinach dish was put out on the buffet, I was already so full that I could only have a small taste of it. Rich and creamy, it was hard to believe that it was vegan, but the staff assured us it truly was. I came home determined to replicate it at home. Of course, I had to be a little different, so I made my version with kale instead of spinach. But my family didn’t notice, and according to them, it’s as good as the original, which was definitely not low-fat.
I used a few raw cashews for creaminess, but other than that, this rich, flavorful curry contains no oil, not even to temper the spices. I also used soy milk, but you can make it completely soy-free by using rice, almond, hemp, or coconut milk. And, of course, it’s naturally gluten-free.
It was an instant family favorite both for its flavor and for how quick it is to prepare. Even using a bunch of kale that had to be washed, stemmed, and chopped, I was able to make this dish in under a half hour. If you use pre-chopped kale or spinach, you can make it even more quickly.
Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger root minced, or 1 tsp. powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons garam masala see below
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 cups chopped kale 1 10-ounce bunch, about 6 ounces after stems removed, packed
- 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened soymilk or other non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast optional
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15- ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed well
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the kale and vegetable broth. Cover and cook until the kale is bright green and tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the kale is cooking, put the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste in the blender and puree until smooth. When the kale is done, add it to the blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer blended mixture back to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Check seasonings and add more to taste. Stir in chickpeas and continue simmering about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve over basmati rice.
Notes
1 small cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns Toast lightly in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant (be careful not to burn). Remove from heat, cool, and grind in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Use immediately or seal tightly and store in a dark place away from heat. Makes about 2 tablespoons.
Nutritional info is approximate.
Before our trip, I had to buy a new suitcase. It arrived from Amazon in a big box that Loki immediately decided was our gift to him. I taped his favorite toy to the top and threw some of his balls and stuffed animals inside, and whenever he starts running wild, knocking everything off the kitchen table or climbing up the drapes, I bring him over to his box. This is the result:
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Jane
Wishing you rapid healing and sending positive energy your way. Your sharing is so helpful to so many. Loki will be great company for you.
Danielle
Dear Susan,
I hope you are already on the road to recovery and that you will be enjoying some delicious vegan food very soon.
I wish all of us readers could go to your house and cook you a meal, so you could feel some of the love you give us each week.
Caeli @ Little Vegan Bear
I absolutely love the sound of this! I always gravitate to the green spinachy curries, I imagine kale is just as delicious! I’m definitely bookmarking this one for later.
Hannah
Best of luck with your recovery, Susan! You’re a gem for us vegans–a speedy and easy recovery to you! Also, high school junior?! I can’t believe E is looking at colleges. This recipe looks amazing, thanks for yet another positive addition to my kitchen!
Vanessa
I tried this recipe today and I loved it. It’s so delicious, yum yum
Knitnana
I’ll keep you in my thoughts. And send good healing vibes too…love your site, and that kitty video is AMAZING! What a great idea for a kitten, my almost 3 year old Tonk will always be a teenager because of a brain injury, so I’m going to see if he’ll enjoy a box like this!
vadams
This is an amazing vegan food blog. I just found you about a month ago and I’m so grateful for your site. I’ve been vegetarian for 2 years and I’m now going vegan. I’m slowly, ever so slowly, taking my family with me on a journey to eating healthy. Everything that I’ve made has been delicious and oh so flavorful. All good thoughts for your surgery. Surround yourself with peace and love. I look forward to your return.
Kelsey M
Wow this recipe looks amazing! Hope the surgery went well.
Clare Thompson
Hi Susan
This recipe was simply amazing, haven’t enjoyed a meal so much in ages:)
Sending you healing blessings and hoping you are on the road to recovery.
Best wishes
Calre
Michelle
Thank you for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it. I buy boxes of Palak Paneer every week and am so happy to know how to make it myself AND happy to not have the dairy.
Allou
Wishing you a successful surgery and swift recovery!
Allou
Mary
Wishing you a speedy recovery!!!
The kale and chickpeas was fantastic !! I think it serves 4!
Jim Allen
Delicious recipe! It’s going into my Meatless Monday line-up.
Jill
Susan: I hope your cooking friends are treating you as well as your Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas recipe treated us tonight. I added the cashews and used soy milk with the nutritional yeast-I did the whole bit. i used spinach and added mushrooms to the “creamed mix” and added chopped red pepper and lots of broccoli at the end. It was absolutely delicious. Thanks so much for developing such an outstanding recipe.
I’m focused on your recipes to keep me focused on healing thoughts for you.
Sending love and lots of hugs for your speedy recovery. Jill
Paula
Sending positive thoughts your way, Susan!
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Paula, and everyone for your healing thoughts!
Walt
I apologize if this is a dumb question, but is the nutritional info for Creamy Curried Kale and Chickpeas based on the cream dish only, or does it include an estimate of the rice you suggest to serve it with?
34 carbs in the dish alone plus the carbs from the rice would put it over my allowance.
Thanks, great site!
Susan Voisin
The nutrition info is only for the dish itself, not the rice or any grain you serve it over.
Martin Miller
Hello Susan,
I couldn’t find the ingredient curry in the above recipe. Am I missing something?
Thank you for a great blog!!
Martin Miller
Susan Voisin
Hi Martin, curry isn’t an ingredient; it’s a style of cooking or a set of flavors inspired by Southern or Southeast Asia. There is a curry leaf that can be used for flavor, but it’s not necessary for a curry to contain it (most don’t). And there is curry powder, which is a combination of spices, but most curries made from scratch contain the individual spices rather than a pre-made mix.
Martin Miller
Hi Susan, Thanks so much for the quick reply! I am a newbie at eating Vegan. To stay on course, I have started cooking, trying out interesting
and varied vegan recipes and that’s how I came to your delicious sounding recipe. I appreciate your explanation, I recalled another time running into this kind of situation, but that time I assumed it got left out so I added a 1/2 tablespoon. 🙂 I was curious this time cause I get bulk curry and I noticed the label said “curry blend”. Well, this sure is fun learning all these wrinkles and help I get from fellow vegans. We seem to be a pretty nice bunch. Thank you again Susan, what a wonderful blog you have!
Martin
Ricksi
Thanks a lot for the recipe. I used some leaves that are just called seasonal greens in the shop but they look like collards. I also wanted to make a sauce without any tomato so I added a couple of medjool dates and a tablespoon of lime juice as substitute for the sweet and sour tastes of tomato. Additionally I used walnuts instead of cashews, a green chilli instead of flakes and some coriander leaves instead of the spice. I am eating it as I write and it is delicious.
Andrea
We had this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!!!! I posted it on Facebook and many friends will be making this as well. Thanks!!
JoanL
Just discovered your site recently and thanks to it, I’ve gathered energy and good thoughts as well as inspiration. So I have plenty of healing thoughts and good energy, which I’m sending your way, with my thanks and hopes that all went well with your surgery and you’re having a speedy and good recovery. 🙂
Martin Miller
Let me add my energy and good thoughts to you Susan for a complete
recovery.
Thank you for your blog.
Fat free vegan is what Dr.Neal Barnard, M.D. recommends. You help make the journey healthy and tasty!
Best,
Martin
Alkhaleejion Saudi Kitchens
Hope and wish for your quick recovery. Susan I just joined your blog and found many amazing original recipe with a partly unique taste. You are a food genius, hope you will share many more in near future.
Howard
Which schools did your daughter enjoy? My Daughter is just finishing up her last semester before she takes a gap year(she is actually taking two years). My other children have finished and they actually have jobs.
Hope the surgery went well
Paige
Hi, Susan. I hope your recovery and followup treatments go quickly and smoothly. I just had to thank you for this recipe. I made it last night and it was fantastic. My husband and daughter (reluctant kale eaters, both) ate full servings–major victory. Thanks and good wishes–
Maria
Just made it! I used coconut milk (because I had half a can left from doing garlic soup the other night) and added some green peas I had in my CSA this week. AWESOME!!!
Speedy recovery!
mshanker
Just a note to wish you the best in recovering from surgery. Be well.
Murali
Mary
Can’t wait to give this a go!
Sending you lots of healthy vibes!! ♡
Elisa
This looks incredible to me, as I looove chickpeas. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Hope you’re well!
Love frome Germany,
Elisa
JL Fields
This looks oh, so, delicious, Susan! Can’t wait to try it!
Ayesha
Just made this, really excellent! I think my garam masala mix is a bit ‘sweet’ and strong so next time I will cut it down, or make your version. Thank you! I hope you are recovering well!
Nika
What a funny cat and she is so playful 🙂 I hope everything is well with you.
Thanks for this yummmi recipe!
Martin Miller
Hi Susan,
A few days ago I made this recipe for the first time as I wanted to demonstrate to my friend how delicious vegan dishes can be. We went to our small city’s square where they have picnic tables. She enjoyed it very much…and so did I!
Susan, I am a newbie. Eating vegan what I eat 1. is satisfying 2.delicious and 3. I am losing weight which I was not able to do when eating exclusively a typical American diet. In retrospect, I was addicted to cows milk and cheese and often ate too much protien.
I am very happy and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the wonderful recipes that you post.
Warmest wishes,
Martin Miller
Jen
This was delicious! I added spinach to the kale. Thanks so much.
Linda P.
I’m just catching up with blogs. I wanted to add my wishes that you are healing as quickly as possible.
Chessie
I made a version of this tonight based on what I had. I used white beans in place of the chickpeas, and because I didn’t have enough kale, I added a couple of cups of sliced mushrooms. It was tasty, but I suspect it would be better with chickpeas. I’ll try this again when I’m better prepared.
Thanks for the recipe!
HW
This was one of the first things I made in my new Vitamix and wow, this is so flavorful. It really blew me (and my husband) away. Thank you !!
Katie
I haven’t checked this blog in quite awhile; so I am in special awe of how the stars align. I live just down the street from Spice Nation! There are many fantastic ethnic restaurants in this stretch of 38th St. in Indianapolis. Welcome to our great city!
hippymomelizabeth
You’ll bounce back before you know it, Have a great day1
lesleyeblen
Hope you’re recovering well Susan 🙂
Leah
I have never left a comment on a site like this, but I felt compelled to after trying this recipe! I was amazed at how easy it was to make, how few ingredients I needed, and how flavorful it was! This is definitely going to become a staple in my house, and I’ll be looking at this site for more delicious recipes!
Esther J
Susan, this was absolutely fabulous!
I approached this with somewhat mediocre expectations (even with you and my trust in your culinary tastes and skills), as palak paneer was one of my favorite standard Indian dishes when I was an omnivore, and I thought there’d be no way to replicate the taste and overall flavor without the cheese. And between becoming vegan and moving to a rural area with no Indian restaurants in sight, it’s been a very long while since I’ve had any.
Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong–and any more pleased! As I as eating, I thought to myself, “God really loves me! He really does! This dish proves it.” LOL
It was quick and relatively easy, too.
I admit to tempering the cumin seeds with a teaspoon of coconut oil (which truly wasn’t necessary), but everything else was kept as is. Served over brown basmati, this was just what my taste buds needed, but didn’t know they needed.
Thank you so very much!