This is a very quick and uncomplicated recipe, and DELICIOUS. Put this one into your regular rotation! It’s easy to pan roast veggies, and then serve them over the lentils with the curry sauce. And, it is so satisfying and fills you up without making you feel FULL. This is like the most gourmet and flavorful comfort food you’ve ever eaten. Remember that lentils are packed with plant protein and are an important staple for folks who eat a plant-based diet. Also key is the connection between lentils and heart health.
Lentils can be a crucial part of reducing cardiovascular risk as we get older. Like other legumes, eating lentils can help lower hypertension and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, thereby reducing the likelihood of atherosclerosis or the hardening of arteries.
For this recipe, be sure to get black lentils (or “French Lentils”) as they will hold their shape much better than green or red. Green and red lentils do have their rightful place at the table, though! We love the comfort-food quality of red lentils, and we love green lentils in soups or as pre-made salads you can keep in the fridge. Check out Edie’s Lentils for our favorite accessible make-in-advance healthy meal!
Feel free to vary your veggies with this dish, based on what is in season. You really can’t go wrong, and eating the rainbow is great for overall health and certainly during menopause. In the spring you can add peas and asparagus to this recipe, and in the winter, root vegetables like parsnips and sweet potatoes.
The curry sauce adds zing, flavor, and even more magical nutrients. Never underestimate the medicinal power of spices! We love this bean company called Rancho Gordo, and they carry a great black lentil. We love this lentil bolognese over zoodles, and also this lentil dinner bowl.
Ingredients
Lentils
- 1/2 cup black lentils
- 3 cups water
- 1 clove garlic
Vegetable Curry
- 1 sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 1 tsp. red curry paste
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Simmer lentils on medium heat, uncovered, 50 min or until liquid is absorbed.
- Preheat oven to 400. On a baking sheet toss with olive oil the sweet potato, red onion, broccoli, zucchini and roast for 25 min, stirring once.
- In a pan simmer 1/2 can coconut milk with 1 tsp. red curry paste and salt. Once warmed and combined, add the roasted veggies to the coconut mixture and simmer for a few minutes. Serve over the lentils with a sprinkling of fresh mint!
- *You can use the remaining coconut milk in a smoothie this weekend!
