Vegan Kale and White Bean Korma + Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

We're celebrating Meatless Mondays with balanced, delicious meal plans. We hope you'll join us -- whether you're vegetarian all the time or just here and there. 

Today: Spring may be right around the corner, but hold your horses! Make two rich and creamy winter comfort foods that also happen to be vegan.

  

Now that it's March and spring is in sight, we can almost taste the asparagus, the snap peas, and the marshmallow peeps. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take advantage of the comforting foods winter has to offer.

For tonight's dinner, make two dishes that will warm up your kitchen as they simmer away on the stove. We don't believe you need an excuse to eat comfort foods, but it may help to know that this meal is not only creamy, rich, flavorful, but it's also entirely vegan, too. 

And the best part? Leftover rice pudding is an entirely acceptable breakfast option. 

The Menu

Take advantage of our handy grocery list and game plan, or click the recipe photos or titles to see (and save and print) the full recipes.

Vegan Kale and White Bean Korma by Alexandra Dawson

Coconut Milk Rice Pudding with Citrus and Ginger by Gena Hamshaw

The Grocery List

Serves 4 to 6

Two 13 1/2-ounce cans coconut milk
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup long grain basmati rice
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 medium sweet potatoes
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 bunch kale
One 15-ounce can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon orange zest

Chances are, you have vanilla extract, salt, olive oil, an onion, garlic, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ground ginger in your kitchen. If not, you'll be needing those, too.

The Plan

1. In a medium pot, combine one can of coconut milk with the orange juice and the rice. Add 1 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover the pot, leaving the lid very slightly ajar so that steam can escape. Simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add an onion, diced, and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in the ginger and 4 cloves of garlic, minced, and cook for another minute. Add the tomato sauce, curry powder, and the sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes begin to soften.

3. Add the remaining can of coconut milk, the kale, roughly chopped, and the beans. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. 

4. Check on your rice pudding. When most of the liquid has absorbed, stir in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, and the orange zest. Continue cooking until the rice is soft and creamy. Add a little more maple syrup or water, to taste. Keep warm until you're ready for dessert. 

5. When the potatoes are completely cooked through, the korma is ready to eat. Do your best to eat the kale and white bean korma before you dust the rice pudding with cinnamon and dig in. 

Photos by James Ransom