I love to use my Moroccan spice blend every time I roast veggies - especially cauliflower but this time I went a bit further. I decided to try my hand at a Indian flavored dish that using red lentils. There were many recipes for dishes that were more like a stew with all the ingredients together in one pot but I decided to roast the cauliflower to maintain some of the texture of the dish. By not cooking the cauliflower in the lentil stew you have more distinct tastes and textures. Usually we don't eat to many Indian type dishes as curries are often a bit overpowering to me. In this dish most of the ingredients retain their own flavors which is more pleasing to me. I also used some lemon to brighten up this dish.
I used chicken broth in this recipe just since we had an open container available but feel free to use water or veggie stock to make this recipe appropriate for vegetarians/vegans. If you would like to serve the dish with the roasted cauliflower I would suggest putting that in the oven before starting on the lentils - I usually roast at 400F but feel free to use 350F if something else is in there! Just toss with some olive oil and a bit of spices into the oven for about 30-40 min depending on the size of the florets. If you aren't a cauliflower fan you could try adding rice or even a protein like grilled chicken or fish.
click through for the recipe
Red Lentil Curry
1/2 cup red lentils - rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 onion - finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper - diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed minced
14-oz. can diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp fresh ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp canola oil
salt
1) In a pot, bring lentils and chicken broth cook, covered and simmering (about 20 min)
2) In a pan, heat oil and saute the onions and peppers
3) Add the garlic and spices (garlic - cayenne)- stir together and let spices become aromatic then add the tomatoes
4) Add the cook lentils to the spice mixture and mix - bring to a simmer
5) Serve with cilantro and lemon on top of roasted cauliflower.
I used chicken broth in this recipe just since we had an open container available but feel free to use water or veggie stock to make this recipe appropriate for vegetarians/vegans. If you would like to serve the dish with the roasted cauliflower I would suggest putting that in the oven before starting on the lentils - I usually roast at 400F but feel free to use 350F if something else is in there! Just toss with some olive oil and a bit of spices into the oven for about 30-40 min depending on the size of the florets. If you aren't a cauliflower fan you could try adding rice or even a protein like grilled chicken or fish.
click through for the recipe
Red Lentil Curry
1/2 cup red lentils - rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 onion - finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper - diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed minced
14-oz. can diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp fresh ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp canola oil
salt
1) In a pot, bring lentils and chicken broth cook, covered and simmering (about 20 min)
2) In a pan, heat oil and saute the onions and peppers
3) Add the garlic and spices (garlic - cayenne)- stir together and let spices become aromatic then add the tomatoes
4) Add the cook lentils to the spice mixture and mix - bring to a simmer
5) Serve with cilantro and lemon on top of roasted cauliflower.
