Coconut Curry Lentils

I started out wanting to make a soup tonight then I got a craving for mashed cauliflower, I needed something thicker so stew it became. All by just simmering a little longer to reduce the liquids.

So I've posted both versions including their nutritional facts for you to choose from. 

 Soup

Gluten free, vegan, high protein, high fiber, low fat, high in iron, folate, zinc, thiamin, magnesium, potassium & manganese.

*The key to getting more nutrients with out eating more is by eating nutrient dense foods such as sprouted foods. You can read more about the benefits of sprouted foods on an earlier blog posted under Superfoods.

Ingredients

2 cups dried sprouted green lentils

1 carrot 

1 celery rib

1/2 yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 jalapeño pepper

Handful of spinach 

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp curry powder

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can lite coconut milk

Salt to taste

1 tsp coconut oil

Give it a taste and add any other seasoning you feel would suit you. I always like to say that all recipes are ideas for creating our own recipes. They all can be changed or simply be kept the same.

**use organic when possible 

Yields about 6 cups as a soup & about 4 cups as a stew

 

Method

Add sprouted lentils to lukewarm water for about 20 minutes then drain/rinse & set aside

Dice carrot, celery, onion, garlic & jalepeno pepper. Then chop spinach & set aside separately 

Add 1 tsp coconut oil to a hot pan

Sautéed carrot, celery, onion, jalapeño & garlic for about 5 minutes

Add spices for about 1 minute

Add lentils, chopped spinach, vegetable stock & coconut milk

Simmer on medium heat 

Approx 30 minutes for making soup

Reducing down to a stew will take approx 50-60 minutes

Monitor the liquid absorption to get the consistency you would like. 

 

Now for the cauliflower, if you have never made mashed cauliflower I encourage you to give it a try. It's a great alternative to pasta, rice & mashed potatoes. Just like mashed potatoes you can add many different ingredients to create a dish you will love. 

Mashed cauliflower recipe

Use as much cauliflower as you like. I used half of a large one. It ended up yielding about 2 1/2- 3 cups.

Add chopped cauliflower florets & whole garlic cloves to salted boiling water ( I used 3 cloves ) Try to keep the floret sizes consistent so the pieces cook the same time. If some are firm & some soft the mashed won't turn out to a creamy consistency.

Boil till very tender & drain

Set aside in the colander so the cauliflower is well drained, as it absorbs a lot of water. Tilt the colander a few times also to help get rid of excess water 

When it's well drained  approx 10-15 minutes add butter or a vegan version plus salt & pepper ( or any spices you like ) 

Blend with a hand blender till creamy smooth

Top with the stew

Approx 25 calories per 1/2 cup ( excluding any added ingredients )

A dollop of Greek yogurt mixed with curry & tandoori masala spices was a refreshing touch. I didn't post it because it turned out the color pink. Ha ha didn't look as good as it tasted. So I skipped the picture on this one.

 Stew

Nutritional facts

Soup based on six 1 cup servings

300 calories

4g fat

44g carbs

20g fiber

17g protein

Nutritional facts

Stew based on four 1 cup servings

450 calories

6g fat

66g carbs

30g fiber

26g protein

A healthy, hearty dish such as this will keep you fuller longer, your waistline slimmer with many added health benefits. Hope you enjoy and may you be Nutritionally Well.