Champagne wishes and curry dreams…

I don’t know why I originally named this post what I did. I do have champagne wishes though in that I wish I had the amount of money a good champagne cost. Cuz a sista is BROKE! Which means we use what we have in our fridge. Tonight the fridge gods were good to me and gave me the ingredients for this: curried chicken and “rice.”

For most post-op RNY’ers rice is a precarious thing. It weighs heavily on the pouch and is hard to eat a lot of. But there are things…many things…that go on rice that are not quite right by themselves. It’s a dilemma. Well there are several things that can replace rice. TVP for example. But I don’t like that as a rice replacement. It’s heavy and despite the fact that it is mild, it does have its own flavor going on. My replacement of choice? Good ol’ fashioned cauliflower. Yes, the cruciferous veggie is damn near tasteless and mashes up to look kinda sorta like rice for the first four seconds you look at it.

So the recipe I am posting below is the “Rachel Ray” version of this dish (meaning it takes about 30 minutes to make…not that Rachel had anything to do with it). It’s good when you want something exotic and comforting but don’t want to be in the kitchen all day. This would pair well with my Thai Iced Tea recipe but that would necessitate eating/drinking at the same time which is an express ticket to RNY damnation, right?!?!?!? Ah well…drink your thai iced tea, 30 minutes after eating this dish. There…

Curried chicken and “rice”

Ingredients:

1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. whatever chicken parts you deem worthy (the above were boneless, skinless thighs, fat trimmed)
Either 12 oz. mixed veggies from the can OR 2 c. uncooked ‘random veggies’ (read: whatever is in your fridge), chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. water
1 tbsp curry powder, salt and pepper to taste
Optional: a dash of cayenne pepper, about 1/2 tsp. garam masala (an Indian spice blend…gives it a nice touch, but totally not necessary)
2 tbsp cornstarch or flour + same amount of COLD water (for thickening)
1 batch of cauliflower rice

Directions:

Spray a skillet down with nonstick cooking spray and set it over medium heat and let it get good and HOT. Add onions and drop the heat down to medium-low and allow them to caramelize (become golden brown in color)
Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides.
Add veggies, garlic, spices and water and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When chicken is done through and fork tender, use two forks to shred all the chicken meat up and stir to make sure veggies are fully incorporated. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings as desired (sometimes I have to add more curry or salt).
In a cup, combine starch or flour with water and stir with a fork or a mini-whisk to form a smooth paste. Make sure that water is cold! Put an ice cube in it if your kitchen is particularly warm.
Increase the heat of the chicken mixture until its liquids are boiling. Add starchy mixture and stir through. Sauce should begin to immediately thicken.
Allow it to simmer an additional five minutes or so then serve atop hot cauliflower rice.

This is one of my all-time favorite post-op meals! I know what some of you will ask. About the flour (or the “rue” used to thicken the sauce). The previous iteration of this recipe called for a can of coconut milk but any way you slice it that adds a bunch of calories and fat (which you are welcome to do if you love coconut curries).

This version requires 2 tablespoons of starch in a fairly big batch of food so if you divide it out the carbs aren’t terrible. But you are welcome to skip that step. You’ll just have a thin broth instead of a sauce to serve atop your cauliflower rice.

But any way you make it, it’s still good!