Curried Red Lentil Coconut Soup

soup
I am a big fan of the Meatless Mondays concept. This worldwide movement is practiced by people in almost 30 countries and attempts to remove meat from your diet for at least one day (Monday) every week.

There are many global and heath benefits to this practice. Cutting out animal products from your diet at least one day a week can reduce your risk for heart disease and cancer and will reduce your carbon footprint, according to the organization (Meatless Mondays) that organizes the effort. More days are even better, but every little bit helps.

For me, it is a great restart to the week. Weekends tend to be a bit more relaxed, and bad habits can creep into our diets. There are après ski options, which aren’t generally healthy. And, there are the slightly hungover meals, which again, aren’t always light and fresh.

But when Monday rolls around, I am always anxious to get healthy again and start my week off right. Going meatless, for me, is no problem. I eat vegetarian most of the time. But finding meals that will satisfy my hungry husband after a cold day outdoors can be a slight challenge. He has been known to go eat a steak after one of my meatless dinners.

That is why, when I make something he loves on a Meatless Monday in our house, I know the recipe is a keeper. Veggie lasagna is always an easy choice, as it’s filling, but it is kind of heavy. Recently this also happened with a red lentil soup. It was a new recipe I tried, and I will for sure make it again.

For whatever reason, I don’t make lentils that often. I like them, I just don’t think about using lentils except for a couple of times a year.

In the legume family, lentils are high in fiber and protein, and low in starch, making them a great meal main course on any meatless day.

There are many different colors and varieties of lentils. The green variety is considered French and used very commonly. They also come in red, black, yellow and brown. I have not found a strong difference in taste in any varieties, but cooking times can be different.

This soup uses red lentils, and the color and flavor of the dish are perfect. It was easy to make, had tons of flavor and was full of fiber and protein to keep you full.

I found many similar recipes online but came up with this variation by combining a few. As always, you can adjust the soup to your tastes. One pepper gave it just the right amount of spice for me, but if you like things hot, add more.

I topped our bowls with fresh cilantro and really didn’t think it needed anything else. Served with a simple salad, it was a perfect meal. It would be great with homemade cornbread, too, or some crusty, rustic bread.

Recipe: Curried Red Lentil Coconut Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 8 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
  • 1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 can (400g Size) diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup of cilantro, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chili, red pepper and carrot to a large pot with a little oil and sauté for around 10 minutes. Add the curry powder and paprika and mix well to combine.
  2. Add stock and lentils to the pot and bring to boil. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
  3. Add the garbanzo beans, coconut milk, tomato paste and diced tomatoes and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until it is thick and the lentils are done.
  4. Top bowls with freshly chopped cilantro.

 

Allison Arthur

Owner and publisher of Dishing magazines in Jackson and Park City.

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