It’s blistery cold out. I don’t like to go out on cold days. And there’s not much left in the cabinet – this is when my most creative recipes come to life. I do have plenty of coconut milk for some reason. And following up  on my lentil kick from the weekend, I decided to lookup some recipes using coconut milk and red lentils. So I found this Red Lentil Coconut Curry recipe to use as a base, and modified from there based on what I had in the kitchen. This is a very mild curry recipe. If you like it spicy, add more chili oil, cayenne pepper and other favorite heat spices as you wish.

What you need

• 1 1/2 cup red lentils, cooked
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup braggs amino acids
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Thai chili oil (or more to taste)
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 celery stalks, sliced

How to make it

First, cook your lentils. The original recipe uses a stove-top method which you are more than welcome to try. I prefer the rice cooker method so I can walk away and forget about it while moving on to the next step.  The original recipe also called for extra water for the lentils. I simply cooked the lentils and added an extra cup of hot water at the end of the recipe.

Sautee onions in coconut oil in a large soup pot until clear.  Be sure to stir frequently to avoid browning. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, red pepper, cinnamon and bay leaves and sautee for another 3 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid browning.

Turn temperature down to medium-low. Add coconut milk, braggs aminos and tomato sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes. I didn’t have any tomato sauce. But I had 5-6 cherry tomatoes that were extremely soft and not quite ripe sitting in my window. The last of my cherry tomato harvest from the garden. So I put them in a cup of boiling water, chopped them up, and added organic ketchup.  Thank you cherry tomato plant for getting me through one last creative recipe. May you rest in peace in my compost bin.

Add cooked red lentils and vegetables and cook over medium heat until vegetables are just tender. Ready to serve! Try it over brown rice like the original recipe suggests, or add some asian rice/vermicelli noodles to the pot and serve when softened.

Yummy. And warm!

Tags: vegan