Nourish the
Body • Mind • Spirit

In search of something comforting

Comments Off on In search of something comforting

In these days of sheltering in place and physical distancing, I am avoiding grocery shopping like the plague. And wondering if it’s time to retire this old idiom – in future will we be saying, “avoid fill-in-the-blank like Covid 19” … but I digress.

I am trying to stretch the time between shoppings (is that a word?) to three weeks – and while the fresh fruit selection in our house has diminished, at the start of Week 3, we still have apples and pears and a small bunch of grapes. I dislike all the plastic packaging but I have to admit it does keep the baby spinach, for our green smoothies, looking vibrant with a nice crunch. Admittedly the nutrient value might be subpar. There are also lots of onions and carrots but I will be turning to frozen veg now that the crisper is getting empty.

I just have to stop for a moment.

Writing about food seems so trivial, inconsequential. This week, in the aftermath of the devastating tragedy in Nova Scotia, what I really want is to hug my friends, especially those who hail from that province. And reach out to my friends who live there now. I send you all virtual hugs until I can deliver IRL.  So here in isolation – I went in search of something comforting.

I wanted to make “comfort food” – but the trick was that it had to be something that I could make with ingredients that I have on hand. I landed on a recipe for lentil curry. I had most of the required ingredients but the recipe called for brown lentils. I have a bag of dried red lentils, a bag of dried green lentils, a bag of Eston lentils. Instead of using Mr. Google, I sent a note to my friend Jennifer Girvin. Project Manager, Ontario Beans Growers and asked what she recommend that I use.

She responded:

We mostly grow red and green acres here (well, Saskatchewan and Alberta anyway…we have one lentil grower in Ontario — located in Elora). You would probably find brown lentils in the ethnic food section of a store. Your best substitute would be the green lentils.

All three bags in my cupboard proudly display Product of Canada. The green lentils got used in this recipe:

Gather ingredients before you begin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon each: cumin seeds and coriander seeds
  • 1 head of garlic, chopped (10–12 cloves)
  • 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (I used whole tomatoes and crushed by hand)
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 cup dried brown lentils (I used green – see note in blog verbiage)
  • 1–2 teaspoons cayenne powder, optional (I used garlic chili from jar)
  •  3 cups of water
  • 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
  • A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes (didn’t have any)
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro (no cilantro either!)

Instructions

  1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast until they start to brown, about 45 seconds. Add the garlic to the pot and let it brown, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt to the pot and cook, stirring the pot a few times, for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and, if using, the cayenne powder, and the water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Stir the pot a few times to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. If the curry starts to look dry, add an extra 1/2 – 1 cup of water.
  3. Once the lentils are soft and the curry is thick, add the coconut milk and cherry tomatoes and bring the pot back to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Notes

If you find that the curry is too liquidy, let it boil with the lid off for several minutes to let the water evaporate.

https://www.theendlessmeal.com/creamy-coconut-lentil-curry/

Serve over rice with roasted carrots and broccoli

 

 

 

 

I served with roasted carrots and broccoli (per recipe developer’s suggestion)

Please share any recipes that you have made with what you have on hand.

Be well!