This weekend, in a word: rocked!
Saturday morning I woke up to clear skies and one of those exceptionally nice, sunny, and crisp autumn mornings. I popped into Starbucks then, pumpkin spice latte in hand, drove to Ottawa to cheer Tess on in her second fitness competition. Oh, and managed to squeeze in a kick ass 10k run along the Ottawa canal. So far, so good 😉
If you’ve never checked out Tess’s blog, I really suggest you do. She is one of the most motivated and inspiring people I know. Here are some shots from her show:


Yeah, I know. I wish I could look that good too. Simply amazing.
Following her competition we went to Play, this fantastic small-plates style restaurant where we had, hands down, the best curried brussel sprouts I’ve ever tasted. Yes, the side dish is what I raved about the most. Don’t get me wrong, my gnocchi with radicchio and oyster mushrooms was also delicious, but I can’t stop thinking about the sprouts.
That’s normal behavior, right?
Anyway, by the time I got back to Montreal, I guess those sprouts were still on my mind along with my newfound obsession with kale. Following a trip to the fruit and veggie market, I walked out with these ingredients:
I guess I decided to make a curry of my own 😉
Curry dishes are all about flavour, so I really made sure to pack it in.
Start with a base of garlic, ginger, and onion
Now add in some spice: I used Garam Masala and some crushed red pepper flakes. The key here is to make sure you let this cook for a few minutes to give the flavours time to come together- you’ll smell it when it’s ready.
Next, add in coconut milk to create an amazing curry sauce for your veggies. I opted for Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Potatoes and white kidney beans. Be sure you pre-cook your potatoes and sprouts, you could roast them if you wanted, but I decided to just boil them.



When prepping your sprouts remember to score a cross on the bottom to eliminate any bitter taste, I also like to add a bit of white vinegar to the water when boiling them- a trick I learned from Mama Starkey.
This recipe is easy, delicious, and vegan and I really encourage you to try it out.
Curried Greens and Beans
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegan butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp miniced fresh ginger
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp garam masala
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can of lite coconut milk
4 large leaves kale torn into bite-sized pieces
1 ½ c. brussel sprouts, cooked, halved
1 ½ c. small potatoes, cooked, halved
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Directions:
Boil brussel sprouts and potatoes until almost cooked through, halve, then set aside.
Preheat butter and oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add in your garlic, ginger, and onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in your seasonings and allow it cook for 3-5 minutes until golden and fragrant and most of the oil has been cooked down. Next, add in your coconut milk, cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
Now add in your kale and cook it down for at least 3 minutes before adding in the remainder of your veggies and beans and let it cook through.
Serve it up and enjoy!
