Curried Red Lentil, Leek & Cauliflower Stew

Sigh.

Although I love this dish and it’s wonderful depth of flavor, it screams only one thing-FALL.

Yes, as August comes to an end and Shipyard and Octoberfest hit the shelves, I am forced to start creating hearty soups, stews and gourd recipes in preparation for the upcoming season.

Trust me…I am not happy about it.

I am always excited for a new recipe season, I am just not a fan of the weather that comes along with it. Who wants to spend all day freezing and shoveling their car out of the snow? Call me crazy, but I’d take humidity and 100 degree heat any day over that.

Anyways, I have been cooking up an Indian storm for my new clients because their kids LOVE Indian food. It’s been awesome because I’ve been forced to broaden my horizons a bit and start whipping together new meals that I hadn’t previously tackled. I’ve basically been putting cauliflower and potatoes into EVERY meal, and this is no exception. The red lentils give it a smooth, thick texture that make it perfect for eating with some bread or serving over our coconut basmati rice.

This is also fantastic with a little extra water and blended-it turns it into a creamy soup!

5 cups water or vegetable broth (or a mix of both)

2 cups red lentils

1 cup coconut or almond milk

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

2 red potatoes, cubed

1 large or 2 small leeks, sliced

2 tomatoes, chopped and seeded

2 tbsp curry powder

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground mustard seed

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• Bring water/broth and lentils to a boil-reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 12 minutes
• Remove from heat, stir in paprika and set aside
• Meanwhile, cook leeks and garlic in coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes
• Add ginger, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper and cook for 2 more minutes
• Add tomatoes, potatoes and coconut milk and bring to a boil
• Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently
• Once cooked, pour curry mix into led lentils, add cauliflower and reurn to low/mediumj heat and cook, covered, for 20-30 minutes, until cauliflower is cooked but not soggy and falling apart
• Once cook, you can blend half of the stew in a blender until creamy if you want a mixed texture-I like doing this, but if you like a chunky, textured stew, then no blending needed!