Listen, y’all know I love cheese more than my luggage. But sometimes, especially after an epic cheese-fest, I recognize the need to cut back. A little. I stumbled across this recipe for vegan palak paneer on Food 52 and thought “Well, I think I hate tofu, but with curry…”

Turns out, curry covers everything – I actually like this dish just as much, if not more, with tofu vs paneer (plus, tofu is easier to find.) Even better, I discovered recently that the tofu isn’t even necessary! Less palak paneer then and more…Indian creamed spinach?…not the same ring, but still delicious.

Especially since this was part of a larger Indian dinner, I figured the protein wasn’t needed. I also used fresh spinach because I got a great deal at the Costco, but would absolutely use frozen in this unless you hit a sale. (2.5 lbs, for real, is a lot of spinach.) One last note on coconut milk – I have discovered, as of late, the magic that is full-fat coconut milk. It’s so…CREAMY. Which sounds dumb and obvious, but I swear, it’s a little mind-blowing. So since you’re being so good about eating your greens – and coconut oil is health food and all – I’m saying go for it.

You’ll need:

• 2.5 lbs of fresh spinach or 4 10 oz bags of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry (you are cooking the spinach quite a bit, so frozen is really fine here.)
• 2 15 oz cans coconut milk (I prefer using at least one full fat, as it really adds to the creaminess of the dish)
• 1 block extra firm tofu, cubed – optional (I have included it in the past, but didn’t here as I served it with another protein.)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T fresh ginger, minced
• 3 T curry
• salt and pepper to taste

Get cooking:

1. If using fresh spinach, cook in batches until wilted down, squeezing as much excess water from cooked spinach as possible. If using frozen, defrost and squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside.
2. Heat coconut oil over medium heat, and saute onion until browned, 8-10 minutes.
3. Add other spices and cook 2-3 minutes.
4. Add spinach back in, along with coconut milk and tofu (if using). Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5. Serve over rice with naan.

I find myself, in general, super skeptical of fad diets. Oh don’t misunderstand – I’m not judging. I’ve tried the Jillian Michales 7-day detox water, whipped up more than one green smoothie and hopped on the spiralizer train. I’ve done chocolate brownie date bites and powdered peanut butter and, in fits of complete self-loathing, stevia brownies.

Some of these things have been total disasters (stevia’s aftertaste makes me very skeptical of its natural claim), but others were a pleasant surprise. (The brownie bites, while not brownie-ish at all, were nevertheless good, slightly chocolatey and imparted a fair amount of energy.) Spiralized veggies and spaghetti squash can be pretty good in certain dishes, and I’ve even found tolerance for the occasional green smoothie (though I’m always scavenging for a snack by 10.) Cauliflower rice was another fad I was prepared to hate. But the man loves him some fried rice, and while I’m really good about veggies in my diet, he is…less so.

Turns out, we like it a lot! (In fact, it was declared “one of the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen” from a man who would eat Cincinnati chili and shells and cheese until the end of time.) Like veggie ‘noodles,’ I would argue it’s no replacement for the real thing – but when you’re using rice as a vehicle to sop up something else – like in the Indian feast pcitured above – it’s perfect.

You’ll need:

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped roughly
• 2 T oil of choice (cater to cuisine)
• 3-4 T spices as needed
• A food processor

Get cooking:

1. Pulse cauliflower florets in food processor until pebble-sized.
2. Saute in oil for 7-10 minutes, checking texture (this is really a preference thing, however done you like it is how done it should be).
3. Add in spices of choice and saute 1-2 more minutes.
4. Serve with…anything!

Everyone has that ‘favorite restaurant dish’ – every time you order something else (because variety is spicy and all that) it’s good, maybe even really good – but nothing lives up to that one amazing thing. At Graydon’s Crossing in Grand Rapids, that dish (for me) is the Bali pulled pork. I didn’t even consider I could attempt it at home until I was messing around on Pinterest. (See, sometimes those rabbit holes pay off.)

This is a slow cooker recipe, which means it’s pretty hands off and simple. You might even be tempted to skip the browning step, but in Indian cooking, toasting the spices really does make a huge difference. This recipe was part of a larger Indian feast, so I focused solely on meat and seasoning here – if you were serving it alone, I’d serve pita-like with naan and pickled veggies.

Recipe loosely adapted from http://myheartbeets.com/indian-style-pulled-pork/

You’ll need:

• 3lb pork (either shoulder roast (more fat) or pork loin (lean))
• Salt and pepper
• 2 T coconut oil or ghee
• 1 onion, diced
• 2  fresh ginger, minced
• 7-8 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 T curry powder
• 1 T garam masala
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 2 T honey
• ½ c water

Get cooking:

1. Heat coconut oil over medium-high heat, add onions and saute until soft, 8-10 minutes.
2. Add pork and sear until browned on all sides.
3. Add seasonings and saute 2-3 minutes, until you can smell them.
4. Add tomato sauce, water and honey. Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for 8.
5. Shred meat, taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary.
6. Serve with naan.