This is a post I was waiting to post until I got a picture of it taken. That hasn't happened yet and I'm getting sick of it sitting in my drafts folder. So here you go!
For some reason, I bought a jar of red curry a while ago, and have been searching for a way to use it. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a number of recipes for lentils as well. So when I got a gift card to Whole Foods, I figured Lentils would be a good thing to get and I made my way over. Unfortunately, as I was getting ready to make the recipe that I thought sounded the best, I realized I didn't have any coconut milk. Sadness. So I improvised and ended up doing a bunch of substitutions to end up with this lovely soup. It's nice and warm and fills you up nicely.
Red Curry Lentil Soup
Originally found at Zesty Cook
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp red curry paste
1 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 cups vegetable broth + 2 cups water
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and carrot and cook until tender. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry paste, heating until fragrant. Add in the lentils, vegetable broth, water, and tomatoes, and cook until the lentils are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add in the cayenne pepper (more to taste), then add the chickpeas and heat through. Serve hot with a side of flatbread.
My Notes:
This dish has a ton of fiber and protein. The original recipe calls for quinoa as well, but I didn't have any on hand, so I skipped it. They also recommend garnishing with cilantro and plain greek yogurt, but I found it wonderful even without the extra creaminess. It's great reheated, and the flavors really meld together well. Though this makes a ton of food (far more than enough to feed lil' ol' me), I'll be make this again in the future.
