Coconut Curry Lentil Stew

This is a quick-to-prepare, delicious-to-eat, one-pot lentil stew. Because it contains a can of full-fat coconut milk, it’s hearty and filling and doesn’t need to be served with much of anything. Here I added some garden chives and they were a welcome addition of green, herby flavor.

The stew itself is a great recipe to have in your mental archives because it’s comprised of pantry staples (lentils, diced tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder) and storage vegetables (onion, garlic, ginger, carrots) and because of this I find myself throwing it together often.

Lentils are one of my favorite foods for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They’re high in both fiber and protein, making them ideal for simple, one-pot meals that fill you up and keep you going. Lentils are also high in B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, iron and potassium.

My whole family has enjoyed this stew from Day 1. I think maybe it’s the classic combination of coconut milk and curry, but whatever the reason, this stew has quickly become a regular rotation meal. Other legume-centric favorites from the recipe archives include Moroccan Chickpea Stew, Moroccan Lentil Soup and Quick Taco Beans.

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Coconut Curry Lentil Stew

Notes: If you’re avoiding gluten, be sure to pick through your lentils and take out any gluten grains that may be hiding in there. I pour 1/2 cup at a time onto a large white plate, making it easy to sift through and see everything. Every once in a while a little pebble may be hiding in there as well. Also, I’m writing this recipe for a pressure cooker, but if you don’t have one you can easily make the stew in a stock pot on the stove. After you add the lentils, coconut milk and water, bring everything to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 35-40 minutes until the lentils are tender. Finally, I specifically call for French green lentils here because, unlike many other varieties, these lentils hold their shape with cooking. Puy lentils are a sub-category of French green lentils and therefore also fine to use. Leftovers can be thinned with a bit of water before serving.

Special equipment:
Instant Pot or other pressure cooker

1 1/2 cups French green lentils, picked over and rinsed (see note)
Good glug of olive oil (coconut oil can also be used here)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 medium / large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 medium / large carrots, diced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (the whole can / do not drain)
15 oz can full-fat coconut milk (I like Native Forest brand)
1 3/4 cups water
Sea salt to taste, usually 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté function and pour in a good plug of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the carrots and sauté for a few minutes more. When the vegetables have softened a bit, add the freshly grated ginger and the curry powder. Stir well for a few moments, then pour in the can of diced tomatoes. The acid from the tomatoes will do a great job of unsticking anything from the bottom of the pan.

Add the lentils, coconut milk and water to the pot. Give everything a good stir and secure the lid. Cancel the sauté function, turn the knob on top to the “sealing” position, cook on high pressure for 13 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.

Once it’s safe to do so, open the lid and season the stew with sea salt to taste.

Serves 4-6

"White Chocolates" Made with Cocoa Butter, Nut Butters & Honey

Although we call these “White Chocolates,” just like the recipe they’re adapted from, they’re not actually white chocolates. They’re better!! In addition to being delicious, these treats are packed with healthy fats and only a scant amount of honey per serving. They perfectly satisfy a craving for a decadent treat.

You can play around with nut and seed butters here. I usually use peanut butter and roasted cashew butter as the recipe is written, but I imagine that almond butter and/or tahini would also be nice. If you use a different combination, please leave a comment!

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“White Chocolates’ Made with Cocoa Butter, Nut Butters & Honey
Adapted from Raw Vanilla White Chocolates (pg 389) in Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten & Tom Malterre.

Notes: I make these in square-shaped silicon ice trays (the ones they sell as cocktail ice trays), but if you don’t have silicone molds you could also pour the mixture into a glass Pyrex or something of the sort, chill to firm up, then slice into serving-sized squares and store.

Special equipment:
High-speed blender

8 oz cocoa butter
½ cup creamy roasted, salted peanut butter
½ cup roasted cashew butter
¼ cup raw honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Place the cocoa butter in a saucepan and gently melt on the stove over low heat. Once fully melted, pour the melted cocoa butter into your high speed blender and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until creamy and fully incorporated, then carefully pour the mixture into your silicon molds or other container (see note). Place into the freezer or refrigerator to chill. Either is fine; I like the slightly softer texture that the refrigerator yields, but freezer space is often easier to come by.

These are perfect after dinner when you don’t have much room left, but are craving a small treat to end the meal and the day :)

Enjoy!!

Puffed Rice Party Mix with Curry Powder and Lemon Zest

This is a fun, flavorful party mix that adds an unexpected element to a wine-and-cheese-style snack spread. It also happens to be both vegan and gluten free, making it a nice complement to the traditional offerings.

I’m a huge fan of curry powder, both for its taste and health benefits. Because curry powder is a mix of spices, it varies a little from brand to brand. If you’re unsure, try a few to find one that you really like. Curry powder has a variety of antioxidants that are beneficial for cardiovascular health, blood sugar regulation and cancer prevention. If you’d like to read more, see a couple of articles here and here.

This party mix is very quick and easy to make, and most of the making time is hands off.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

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Puffed Rice Party Mix with Curry Powder and Lemon Zest
Adapted from the Puffed Rice Party Mix in Super Natural Simple by Heidi Swanson (pg 63). 

Notes: The original recipe calls for raw peanuts, which you roast in the oven with everything else. But because raw peanuts can be relatively hard to find, I’ve been using roasted, which I add after the rest of the mix has been in the oven for some time, and I wrote the recipe that way here. If you happen to have raw peanuts, go ahead and use them and add them to the initial mixture before putting it into the oven. Also, this is delicious with a bit of cayenne and can actually handle quite a bit of heat, but I made it optional because spice level preferences vary so much. For an audience that includes children, I use a fairly small pinch. For an all-adult crowd, I might use up to ¼ teaspoon.

2 cups puffed brown rice cereal (I love One Degree Sprouted Brown Rice Crisps)
½ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ cup unsweetened large flake coconut
½ cup raw whole cashews
½ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
Scant ¼ cup olive oil

Spice Mix:
Rounded ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Rounded ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional; depending on how spicy you’d like this)

Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cereal, pepitas, coconut flakes and cashews into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Drizzle over the olive oil and mix well. I usually do this with my hands to make sure that everything is coated with the oil. Place the mixture into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice in between, until the coconut flakes, cashews and pepitas are nicely browned and toasty. If I remember, I toss in the roasted peanuts for the last 3-5 minutes of baking. If not, no harm, you can add them when the mix comes out of the oven.

While the mix is in the oven, stir together the sea salt, smoked paprika, curry powder and cayenne (if using).

After you pull the cereal mixture out of the oven, add the peanuts if you haven’t done so already, then sprinkle the spice mix over the whole thing and toss well. The last step is to finish it off with the lemon zest.

Taste, adjust any of the seasonings if you like, and enjoy!