Meatless Monday…week 14…Cashew Nut Curry with Halloumi and Brocolli…

Good morning and welcome to Meatless Monday’s…

Meatless Mondays here is just for scheduling purposes it can be any day and not just one day a week…I am gearing up for 2 days…

Food choices are very personal and learned behaviour can be very difficult to change… there is so much evidence now around our food choices that I believe it is vital for me and my family to make some changes…

Why you may well ask…  we have a healthy diet anyway…but for a sustainable future not for me but for my kids and their kid’s action should be taken now…

The fact and it is fact that it will make us healthier makes it a no-brainer really…

I am not advocating giving up meat I am saying we need to learn how to eat less meat by making better choices…What do I mean by that?

Mass-produced meat sold in supermarkets is often inhumanely reared and killed for our plate…it may be laden with antibiotics it is fact that animals reared in closed overcrowded abodes get diseases…which in turn affects our health…it may not be palatable to read this but it is a FACT…

There are livestock farmers raising animals sustainably plus managing The land to reduce the effect of greenhouse gases, treating animals humanely and creating better, safer working environments…

Plus it’s likely covid and other viruses started and were transmitted through unclean working conditions and inhuman animal husbandry…

Yes, higher standards mean higher costs to us the consumer but what price do you put on health?…

Surely eating a piece of mass-produced flavourless meat is not preferable to a lovely albeit smaller piece of grass-fed meat…

I will be doing a post on how to flavour your food with meat rather than meat being the larger part…it is not difficult to cook with flavour yes if you are starting from scratch it takes time…

A good example of this is I love beetroot and orange smoothies…

The place I used to get it from ..made freshly in front of me has gone…I am trying to replicate it at home…so far it’s not cutting it…I need to adjust my ratios of beetroot to orange yet again but I will get there…

To make sure our families are eating the best food we can buy/make for them withing our budgets may not be easy..BUT… we need to teach our children and it will become easier for future generations and at the same time, it builds family relationships and neighbourly ones if we share our successes and recipes…

Our health and the future health of this beautiful planet we inhabit will be far healthier and don’t you want to leave a better place for the future generations and hopefully, they will have learnt from their mistakes.

My recipe for this week is a Cashew Nut Curry with Halloumi and Brocolli…

Halloumi…Halloumi or haloumi is a semi-hard, unripened cheese made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk, and sometimes also cow’s milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. This property makes it a popular meat substitute.

I thought I would try halloumi as I haven’t eaten it before…

Ingredients:

  • 120 gms raw Cashew Nuts
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • Piece fresh ginger
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 200 gm tomatoes skinned
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp garam masala powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 300 gm coconut milk
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • Broccoli florets or cauliflower

Let’s cook!

Cover cashew nuts switch salted water and leave to soak for at least 2 hrs I left mine for 5 hrs…the reason for this is if not soaked they are quite bland.

Once cashew nuts are soaked then blitz the cashew nuts with the skinned tomatoes, garlic and ginger, green chillies and onion then add coconut milk…

Cut the halloumi into cubes and fry on all side in olive oil until golden and crispy then remove from pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper.

Lightly steam broccoli florets.

Heat ghee in a pan and add the blitzed curry to the ghee and stir bring to a slow simmer and add garam masala and salt to taste cook on low for about 15 mins…

Then add halloumi and broccoli cook for another 5 mins until heated through. Taste to season and add lime juice…Taste and adjust as required.

Serve with rice and garnish with coriander(optional)

This is the first time I have made a cashew nut curry and used halloumi…

The curry was flavourful and I preferred the halloumi to tofu…I would make the sauce slightly thinner next time but would make it again with a little more spice and some more vegetables.

How is introducing more plant-based meals going in your kitchen… Going well or meeting with some opposition?...

That’s all for today on my journey into eating more plant-based meals on a Meatless Monday……Thank you again to everyone who is suggesting recipes I will try them all…xx

Thank you for reading this post If you have enjoyed this post please leave a comment and any tips or recipes you want to share… I love to chat and share recipes…Love Carol xx

27 thoughts on “Meatless Monday…week 14…Cashew Nut Curry with Halloumi and Brocolli…”

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  4. OIKOS™-Editorial

    Awww, just forgot to read this posting. But i swear i had not ate a lot of meat last week, Carol. 😉 As usual carrots are best for filling the stomach, with less calories. 😉 Michael

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  9. Victoria Zigler

    Removing meat from a meal tends to make you think more about finding other ways to add flavour. Or, at least, that’s what I’ve noticed. I noticed it with my own cooking, and have seen the same results with many others who have reduced or cut out meat.

    I know going 100% meat-free isn’t for everyone, but it seems it was the right choice for me. I’ve been vegan almost two years now, and it seems to be agreeing with me. In fact, the doctor checked literally everything he could with blood tests recently because of my issues after the jab, and I’ve even got some improvement in some areas (such as my kidney function, which has been poor for me since I was born, and is now actually in the normal range, all be it at the low end of the scale, for the first time in my life).

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thats good to hear, Tori and you are correct I was looking for ways to improve the flavour when I made the cashew nut curry and am having another go today as I have some cashew nuts to use and tomatoes…:) x

      Liked by 1 person

  10. johnrieber

    Love this recipe! Cashews are a rich, satisfying “meat alternative” to be sure! We have to care more about the effects of our food choices on the health of the planet – bravo to you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Thank you, John…Absolutely, I will be using cashews again as we do have to make more informed food choices for the planet and our health 🙂 x

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  11. beetleypete

    That’s an unusual recipe, Carol. I love halloumi, but usually have it as a starter, grilled.
    We have curry tonight. Julie is cooking an Indian chicken curry from scrtach, and the house smells like an Indian restaurant. 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete. x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It was lovely , Pete I was just playing with flavours…I am going to grill some tomorrow and make a dip to go with it as I have some left…Enjoy your Indian 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It was a first for me Bern and I will make a few tweaks as using cashew nuts for a curry like this was a first for me…it was nice but is a work in progress I have to tweak I like to change a recipe I’m always doing it as I’m sure you are 🙂

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