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

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!

Curried Cabbage Soup

One of my favorite soups - it's hearty and filling without being heavy. It tastes good the day you make it, but by day 2 or 3, it’s amazing.

I’ve found that kids usually like curry flavoring. Hammie happily eats this soup. Daniel takes a little cajoling, which is normal for him, but in the end he will eat it as well. Teaching a picky eater to have an appreciation for a wide range of healthy foods isn’t for the faint of heart :)

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Curried Cabbage Soup
Adapted from the Cabbage Soup recipe in Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson.

2-3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 medium/large yellow potato, cut into small cubes
1 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (7 teaspoons) curry powder
5 1/2 - 6 cups water
15-oz can white beans, chickpeas or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium head of green cabbage, shredded
15-oz can full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt to taste (I usually use about 3 teaspoons)

Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large stockpot over medium heat and add the potatoes and a sprinkle of sea salt. Cook, covered, for about 5-6 minutes, stirring several times and scraping the bottom of the pan really well, until the potatoes are browned a bit.

Next add a little more coconut oil if needed and toss in the onion and cook (now uncovered) for several minutes until the onion starts to soften (stirring frequently). Add the garlic, and cook for a couple minutes more (still stirring often), then add the curry powder and stir for another minute.

Pour in 5 1/2 cups of water, add in the beans and bring to a simmer. Toss in the cabbage (it will look like a lot but it cooks down significantly), stir and simmer for another 5-8 more minutes (if the cabbage isn’t totally covered, then pour in a bit more water). Finally pour in the coconut milk and season with sea salt to taste. Depending on how soft you prefer your cabbage, you may choose to simmer the soup for several more minutes at the end.

Enjoy!

Serves 8