Red Lentil Vegetable Curry

Know what these little guys are?

How about now? Ok so you probably didn't need to guess since the answer is right in the title. That's right! Red lentils!

Missing my Kazu curries while I was in France, I made this dish a couple times and now that I'm a little homesick for said France - Im making it again. This curry can be done with any veggies and Im sure it will still turn out great - it would also be good with brown lentils - but I wouldn't really mix it with green lentils.

Lentil and Veggie Curry

1 soup spoon of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1-2 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup of red lentils
14oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups veg stock
1 tsp chili paste (or skip it if you dont like it too spicy)
1 pound potatoes, cubed
1/2 a head of broccoli, cut into florets
garnish: cilantro, plain vegan yogurt



1. In a big sauce pan heat the oil over medium low heat and then add the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, curry, chili powder and the carrots and cook for 5 minutes or just until the onion is soft.
2. Incorporate the lentils, tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Bring everything to a boil then reduce the heat, cover, and let the curry simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add the chili sauce (if using), along with the potatoes and broccoli - cook 15 to 20 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender.
4. Serve the curry over rice, quinoa, or cous cous. Top with a bit of fresh cilantro or some vegan yogurt

Lentil Squash Soup and Moxie Bread

This is another soup that comes from Love Soup - and its technically a winter soup - but who cares? Now I know what you are thinking....this looks like carrot baby food right? Yeah it does - but trust me its sooo good (even picky Ryan agrees) and plus, puree is super easy for your body to digest which means good absorption of nutrients and no bloating and burping...eww why are we talking about this?

In any case, this is a hearty vegan meal that will satisfy even the picky eaters in your life.

Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup
1 cup red lentils
1 small butternut squash (1.5 pounds)
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 yellow onion, sliced thin
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp tumeric
several generous shakes of cayenne pepper
the juice of one small lemon
4 cups veg stock (if you are using store bought then dilute it with a cup of water)

1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. Rinse the lentils and put them in a soup pot with 4 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and boil gently for 20 minutes, skimming off the foam that forms.
3. Cut the squash in half and clean out the guts and seeds (put the seeds aside in a bowl for later). Put the cut side of the squash down on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes or until you can poke the squash and it gives easily. While this is roasting, saute the onions in the olive oil with a little salt over medium heat, stirring often, until they are soft and golden (20 to 30 minutes). Peel and dice the sweet potato.
4. When the lentils are tender, add the onions, sweet potato, ginger, cumin, tumeric and cayenne, and 4 cups of veg broth. Simmer everything, covered, for 25 minutes. As soon as the squash is ready, scoop it out (you dont want any of the skin) and add it to the soup. Cook until everything is soft.
5. Puree the soup in batches or with an immersion blender. Add the lemon juice.

With the squash seeds
1. Clean the seeds by placing them in a colander and running them under cool water - picking away bits of squash guts that cling.
2. Lay the seeds out in a single layer on a paper towel and let them dry completely (I usually leave them overnight). They may stick to the paper towel a bit so you could use aluminum foil instead if you want but it will take a little longer to dry.
3. When the seeds are dry throw them in a small bowl and toss them with a tsp of olive oil and a few pinches of salt.
4. Lay them flat on a baking sheet and roast them at 400 F for as long as it takes for them to get golden and crispy (10-15 minutes). These will keep for months in a air-tight container.
5. Sprinkle over your soup and enjoy!



The bread you see on the side here is a vegan herbed focaccia bread that I picked up at the farmers market in Frederick. It comes from the new bakery in town called Moxie down on Market between 6th and 7th street. Not only was the bread delicious, but when I read the little blurb on their postcard I was totally sold. They are run by Cakes for Cause and their mission is to "provide job training and support to youth in Frederick who have aged out of foster care or who live in public housing in our community." Pretty cool thing to have in Frederick - plus they are ensuring a healthy group of future bakers for Frederick's future.

Know what else is cool? Every saturday at 10:45 is Yoga Saturday. Instructors from Sol Yoga come over to give a class and then there are smoothies and apricot bars and other treats afterwards. May be checking this out soon!

Coral Lentil and Split Pea Curry Soup

The idea for this soup came fully from Heidi over at 101 cookbook. But, as I am currently cleaning out my pantry in preparation for the big move back to America, I changed the recipe around to suit what I had and what I prefer. For sure though check out her recipe here.

So - Item # 4 and 5 for cleaning down the pantry are: coral lentils and split peas.

Lentil Split Pea Curry Soup

1 cup split peas
1 cup coral lentils
5 cups home-made veggie stock
2 cups water
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 tbsp ginger, peeled and sliced thin
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup small portobello mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
14 oz coconut milk
2 tsp salt
fresh cilantro

1. Rinse the lentils and peas in a fine mesh strainer. Combine them with the water and the veg stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the carrots and a 1/4 of the ginger. Cover, simmer 30 minutes or until the peas are tender.
2. During this time heat a dry skillet on low heat and toast your curry powder. Set the curry aside in a bowl. In the same skillet heat the oil and add the onion and ginger and mushrooms. Sautee for 2 minutes, stirring, then add the tomato paste and simmer a few more minutes.
3. Add the curry to the tomato paste mixture then and when it is well incorporated, add the whole mix to the soup pot. Add the coconut milk and the salt. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes or until the soup thickens sufficiently.

Lentils and Leeks Lunchtime or Soup and Sammy Sunday

Both of these titles appealed to me (for obvious reasons) but as neither was descriptive enough to capture the whole sense of the meal I just put both! Deal.

Since coming to France I have been eating a lot more lentils because they use lentils in soups and salads much more often than we do at home. It seems only fitting that I make a French Green Lentil Soup at least once while in France. So I went out and bought a little sac of Puy lentils (another name for green lentils) and whipped up something simple and delish. Lentils, aside from being yummy, are a good source of protein, fiber, folate and B1. Pair is with rice and you've got yourself a complete protein.

For this soup I paired it with my staple sammy - goat cheese and cucumber.



Leek and Lentil Soup (for 2)
1 leek, washed and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 soup spoons of olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 cups veg broth
3/4 cup French green lentils
fresh mint

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Sautee the onion, leek and garlic until the onion and leek are soft and golden (5 minutes or so). Add the lentils and veg broth and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. While the soup is simmering you can get your sandwich ready.
2. When the lentils are tender take the soup off the burner and let it cool slightly. Add the lemon juice. Place half the soup in a food processor and puree. Split the puree between two bowls then top the puree with the unpureed lentils. Top with fresh mint and serve with the sandwich.