Increasing my sexy with a recipe.

I actually cooked! Something other than a sandwich or a scrambled egg. Truth be told, I've been cooking a lot more over the course of the last 6 months or so. But it's usually some kind of lean protein and a veggie. Nothing fancy or time consuming because I'm lazy. But I like eating at home, because it's so much easier to eat healthy when you cook something at home. (I'm always suspicious of dining out... you order a side of steamed veggies to be healthy and it comes to the table drowning in butter... Ummm.. yeah, shoulda just ordered the onion rings, thanks).

And... while I do try to eat healthier just to be healthy, let's be honest... what really drives me to eat healthy is vanity. I know that by eating a diet low in fat and calories will help me "increase my sexy" (as my friend Jeff and I call it. Anything that we do to look more attractive is deemed as "increasing our sexy." For instance... the ass workout I did on sunday? Yeah, solely to increase my sexy).

I've had this picture cut out from a Victoria's Secret catalog plastered onto my refrigerator for about 3 months now.I want this bikini. I want to be able to wear a freaking bikini. And everytime I open my fridge thinking that I want a cup of yogurt or an apple, I see this bikini and am reminded... dude, you're trying to increase your sexy so you can wear this bikini. (Nevermind the fact that about a month ago, Chic Runner posted pics of her in Hawaii rocking this bikini. Ugh. Bitch*).

Okay, digressing here. The thing is... I'm pretty lazy when it comes to food and eating. I love trying new things, etc... as long as I don't have to cook them. The exception is baking (obviously) which certainly decreases my sexy. So, something has to really knock me off my socks for me to actually cook on a weeknight.

I found this recipe awhile back and FINALLY got around to buying some lite coconut milk so I could make it. It turned out really well! I assumed that I'd have to add some of my favorite hot sauce to it, but it has it's own subtle late burn.

It looks like yellow crap on a plate in the photo, but I assure you, it's very tasty, full of flavor and healthy!

Oh, but don't make it if you're expecting visitors for the next week or so. Cause your house and everything in it is going to smell like curry for DAYS. Small price to pay.

*Chicrunner, you know I love you and that I'm just jealous.

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Curried Cauliflower & Chickpea Stew

Original recipe from May 2009 Bon Appetit, I stole it from Spork and Foon.

So, here's the deal... I made some healthier adjustments to the original recipe. Also, I pretty much halved the original recipe. My version would feed 3-4 people as a side dish and 2 people as an entire meal. I wished I wasn't trying to watch my calories while I was eating it, because I kept imagining how tasty it would be over rice. Yum!

This entire recipe has about 765 calories. So, if you divide that into 4 portions... you get a hearty side for less than 200 calories (I know, I'm a genius at math).

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 tbsp curry powder

3 cups cauliflower florets

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1 10 oz can of Rotel (or diced tomatoes with green chiles) *I used hot!

1/2 cup of lite coconut milk

1/2 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of cilantro* gag! I skipped this

Black pepper and salt to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet (and I mean the biggest freaking skillet you got) over high heat. Add onions and saute until golden brown, about 8 minutes (fyi, I had to supplement the small about of oil with cooking spray... it worked fine). Add curry powder and stir 20 seconds. Add cauliflower and chickpeas; stir 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes with chiles, then the coconut milk and the skim milk (now you'll thank for telling you to pull out the big ass skillet). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover (which, I didnt have a cover for my big skillet, so I just used a cookie sheet), and boil gently until cauliflower is tender and liquid thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 16 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro gag; serve.