You’re shocked, right? No chocolate, and no sprinkles today!
You might not know it from my recent posts, but I promise I don’t sit around all day eating chocolatey desserts… Today I’ve decided to break the “desserts-only” streak, on which I’ve been for the past month or so, with a savory recipe featuring one of my fave legumes: the lentil!
When I do make a lentil dish, I always say to myself, “I should cook with lentils more often!” Such was the case with last night’s dinner.
Yumlicious Lentil Curry
(Lentils… perfect for Lent!)
- 2-4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 4 carrots, chopped
- Optional: 2 zucchini, sliced
- 3 minced garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp)
- 1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes
- 1 cup (7 ounces) lentils (See the note below this recipe, in regards to whether to use 1 cup uncooked or cooked)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped (I use 1/2 tsp dried)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- optional: pepper (I only use a small dash)
- 1 tablespoon good-quality red wine vinegar
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes with a knife until they are coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes (and the juice in the can), lentils, broth, curry powder, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check occasionally to be sure the liquid is still simmering.
- Remove from the heat and allow to sit covered for another 10 minutes. Add the vinegar. Season to taste and serve hot. Enjoy!
Cooking Mishap!
The original recipe, based off one from The Barefoot Contessa, is supposed to be for lentil curry. So I could not figure out why mine looked more like soup. Finally I realized: when it called for 1 cup lentils, it meant un-cooked. I’d used 1 cup canned! Oops!
All was not lost, however. I simply drained the liquid and poured it into a separate container. This gave me the curry for which I’d hoped… and now I had the most delicious, broth-y soup, besides. Two dishes from one recipe!
And just because it wouldn’t be a CCK post without chocolate…
I don’t photograph everything I eat at all. I used to, but it got old really quick!
I made a delicious vegan lentil bolognese sauce yesterday, and it was SO good. I love lentils!
This recipe looks awesome. I love lentils and I love everything else that’s in this too!
I don’t even have a camera haha, not to mention my food isn’t very pretty, as a student I am currently living off cabbage :P.
I think recipes are made to be guidelines more than instructions, so I always do my own thing with them and make ooddles of substitutions and it almost always comes out tastier and healthier than it would have if I used the exact recipe. That way there are never any mistakes, just new variations!
Haha have you ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean? Your comment made me think of the pirate code! (And lol you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about if you haven’t seen it; sorry to be confusing!)
Hahaha! Yes! with ‘Parle’ 🙂 I love that movie!
as delicious as that lentil bowl looks, i was thrilled to see you include dessert 😉
have a great weekend!
rebecca
http://fromheretothereinpurple.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/rlustig
Lentils ARE perfect for Lent. I love your sense of humor! 🙂 Have a great weekend, Katie!
This looks incredibly delicious. Can I ask a stupid question? How many portions is it supposed to be? Because my most common mistake when I cook for the family is to cook enough for an appetizer instead for a main course… 😀
I used to photograph most of my meals but then I got bored and started taking pictures only when I cook something I find very interesting or good-looking. It obviously doesn’t happen very often.
Not a stupid q at all! The Barefoot Contessa recipe says 6 servings… but I have a large appetite and never get that many outta it ;). It also depends on whether or not you add zucchini.
That looks so yummy and warming! The rain just wont go away here. I want this 🙂
Looks really good, I like lentils!
all you need is Veggies & Chocolate and call it a meal!!
I don’t photograph everything I eat. I also haven’t made a cooking mistake that turned out to be good that I know of lol maybe one day
It looks yummy even though there was a mishap.
Blessings, Debra
Raw Vegan Diet
I’ve never tried lentils before. Gasp! :O This looks so delicious!! And I don’t photograph everything I eat just because a ham and cheese sandwich or chicken with broccoli would not be something to drool over haha 😉
recently i’ve been taking photos, but with my built in webcam, so they aren’t fancy or anything. i’d try this recipe tonight, only i don’t have everything, and i already have some chicken i need to make
I am completely okay with the desserts I love them too!!! This lentil thing looks good too tho… my sister loves lentil soup!! She lives in Doha, Qatar right now and they have amazing soup there!! There was also a really good mushroom one… I forget what it was called tho.
Wow, that is SO cool your sister lives in Qatar!
ohh, you should totally use that unused soup broth to make rice or other grains – so flavorful!
as for mistakes in the kitchen – i used to be a pastry chef & so mistakes never end well … it just means that the restaurant is serving fruit crisp tonight instead of creme brulee!
🙂
I love lentils, and anything made with them, so this sounds delicious!
And I quite often make mistakes, but it always ends up edible 😀
DITTO GIRL! i always forget about lentils.. i rmbr beans but lentils just float away and then i remember why they are so good once ive eaten them and how i rly should eat them more often.. then i forget about them and the cycle goes on! ahahah i would done that canned lentil mistake too- thats an example of a typical Carrie kitchen mishap!
oh i defs DO NOT photograph everything i eat.. esp now since my phone is broken!!! (phone=camera 😉