Refreshing Bites I love Indian food and I used to order chicken tikka masala from an Indian restaurant out in California. It was always a treat to eat with some naan bread. So I wanted to make a healthier version that was vegan but still satiating. I make this recipe every week and I could honestly eat it every day. It’s packed with vegan proteins like pressure-cooked lentils and chickpeas. I pressure cook dried beans to remove the lectins, which can disrupt digestion. You can see how to pressure cook chickpeas here. I add in some potatoes and cauliflower to make it more filling. Then I add in some greens like spinach or kale to help it be more nourishing. You can really add any vegetable you have in hand that you like to this sauce.
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What you’ll need
- 1 yellow bell pepper (can also use orange or red bell peppers)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup tomato sauce (try to find tomato sauce that has it ans a single ingredient and not canned)
- 1 cup coconut cream (can also use canned coconut milk, sauce will be little more runny)
- 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt or sea salt
- 1 tsp date sugar
- 1/3 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 1/2 cup cooked potatoes cubed
- 1/2 cup cooked lentils
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas can use canned
- 1/2 cup cooked cauliflower
- 1/2 cup spinach
Chop yellow pepper and onions. Mince garlic and ginger, set aside.
Cube potatoes and chop up cauliflower. Place potatoes in steamer basket first and steam for 3 minutes. Add in the cauliflower into steamer basket and steam for an extra 7 – 9 minutes until fork tender. Set aside.
Add the olive oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add in the peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 7 minutes.
Brush the cooked vegetables to the side of the pan. Add in turmeric, cayenne pepper, coriander, garam masala, and cumin directly onto pan. Make sure it’s touching the pan and not on top of the vegetables. Cook spices for 1 -2 minutes until its aromatic. Mix spices with the cooked vegetables. Cook for 1 min.
Pour in tomato sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in coconut cream, cooked lentils, cooked chickpeas, cooked potatoes, cooked cauliflower, cabbage and spinach. Add in salt and date sugar and cook for 5 – 7 minutes to blend in flavors and cook the vegetables.
Serve with rice or naan and enjoy!
Items I used to make vegan tikka masal
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- I love using lentils in a lot of my recipes cause it’s a great vegan protein. Plus it’s high in folate and iron.
- I cook a lot with chickpeas as well. It’s a great source of protein, fiber and iron.
- I use my Insta Pot quite often to pressure cook beans. It’s also great at making meals fast.
Easy Vegan Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 yellow bell pepper (can also use orange or red bell peppers)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup tomato sauce (try to find tomato sauce that has it ans a single ingredient and not canned)
- 1 cup coconut cream (can also use canned coconut milk, sauce will be little more runny)
- 1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt or sea salt
- 1 tsp date sugar
- 1/3 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 1/2 cup cooked potatoes cubed
- 1/2 cup cooked lentils
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas can use canned
- 1/2 cup cooked cauliflower
- 1/2 cup spinach
Instructions
- Set up steamer basket in a medium-size saucepan. Cover and boil. Cube potatoes and chop up fresh cauliflower. Add potatoes to steamer basket. Add in cauliflower after 3 minutes and continue to steam for 7 – 10 min or until fork tender. Set aside.
- Shred or thinly chop cabbage and set aside. Chop and deseed yellow pepper. Mince garlic cloves and grate the ginger. Chop up onions. Heat up a medium saucepan to medium heat and add olive oil.
- Add in onions, garlic, peppers, and ginger to pan. Cook for about 7 minutes or until onions are golden brown.
- Brush the cooked vegetables to the side of the pan. Add in turmeric, cayenne pepper, coriander, garam masala, and cumin directly onto pan. Make sure it's touching the pan and not on top of the vegetables. Cook spices for 1 -2 minutes until its aromatic. Mix spices with the cooked vegetables. Cook for 1 min.
- Pour in tomato sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in coconut cream, cooked lentils, cooked chickpeas, cooked potatoes, cooked cauliflower, cabbage and spinach. Add in salt and date sugar and cook for 5 – 7 minutes to blend in flavors and cook the vegetables.
- Serve with rice or naan and enjoy!
Notes
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