Vegetarian Makhani Curry

So I was planning on making the Chicken Makhani that I had made before, but when I went to pick up the chicken at the grocery store, I couldn't bring myself to pick up a package. I don't know if it's just because I've been cooking mainly vegetarian stuff lately or because I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and was feeling irresponsible for eating a piece of meat that had been grown in a non-sustainable setting... Though that latter fact didn't stop me from eating Chick-Fil-A today, so I'm thinking it had more to do with the fact that the chicken in the grocery store just looked kind of sad. So... I decided to vegetarianize this recipe.

And it came out really well. Added bonuses: I was able to use some spices that I don't regularly use but have giant bottles of them in my spice drawer (why are these unusual spices only available in giant containers?). AND I was able to use a can of beans that I had kept forgetting to use every time a recipe called for it. Yay. I used cannellini beans, but I think chickpeas (garbanzo beans) could have worked really well too.

Vegetarian Makhani Curry

1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons curry
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup frozen peas
Brown rice

Place onions, garlic, carrot, celery, and beans in crockpot. Dot with butter. Add spices, coconut milk, tomato paste, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in plain yogurt and frozen peas 15 minutes before serving. Serve over brown rice.