Chicken Curry with a Cauliflower and Squash base
4 sweet red bell peppers
1 small red onion chopped
1 yellow (summer) squash peeled and sliced
1/2 a bag of frozen califlower
4 medium sized carrots π₯
Canola Oil, about 3 tablespoons
Pre-baked and seasoned chicken, cut into strips. ( You can substitute this with chicken breasts cut into strips and marinated with lemon pepper and a light honey mustard salad dressing or any seasoning of your choice)
Seasonings for Sauce
Crushed rosemary
1/2 a teaspoon of minced garlic
Ginger powder
Tumeric one dash/ sprinkle of it, about 1/2 a teaspoon
Black pepper
Salt
Curry
Method
Wash bell peppers, squash, carrots and onions with salt and water ( I peeled the outer layer of the onions before washing.
Slice onions, and bell peppers. I peeled the squash and sliced it, peeling it is optional, it's just my preference. Puree cauliflower and half of the squash.
Add Canola oil and add in bell peppers and onions, sautee for about 5 minutes.
Add in pureed mixture of squash and cauliflower, add in carrots and the sliced squash
Add in crushed rosemary, a dash of tumeric,salt, black pepper and 10/11 sprinkles of curry. I would suggest varying this based on if you like a lot of curry or just a moderate amount of it.
Add in baked seasoned chicken to the sauce, stir to mix in all the ingredients. If you don't have baked chicken you can cut chicken breasts
Add about 8 ounces of water and let the mixture cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutritional analysis:
The vegetables in the sauce come with a lot of nutrients but I made squash and cauliflower the base of the sauce so I will discuss the main nutrients in these vegetables.
Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C. On this food label, it has 472% of the daily value required for vitamin C. It is high in Vitamin B6, 55% of it's daily value. It also contains Magnesium at 22% of its daily value, Iron at 13% and calcium at 12%.
Squash is high in Vitamin C, 55% of its daily value, 20% of the daily value (DV) of vitamin B-6, 8% of the DV of Magnesium, 7% DV of Vitamin A, 3% DV of Iron and 2% DV of Calcium. I will list the functional properties of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C since they have the highest daily values in the two principal ingredients of the sauce.
Nutritional Properties of Vitamin C.
It is an antioxidant. This means it protects the body from free radicals which can attack cells leading to genetic malformation and possible cancer cells. Simply put, it is an anticancer vitamin.
It also helps in the absorbtion of Iron, copper, and chromium.
It strengthens the body's immune system.
Nutritional properties of Vitamin B6
It is a coenzyme for over 100 chemical reactions in the body. It is important in producing serotonin which helps in mood regulation, and dopamine which is an important neurotransmitter in the brain.
References:
Online USDA food labels