Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and keep this lentil stew vegan. Or add a dollop of yogurt to top it off — try super creamy sheep’s yogurt fresh from the farm.
Thicker than soup, this lentil stew spiced with curry, ginger, cinnamon, cumin and mustard seeds was the perfect one dish entree for our Feeding Your Soul group on a cold winter’s day.
Serve over basmati rice or quinoa with toasted pumpkin seeds for a vegan-vegetarian delight!
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds and then quartered
7 cups vegetable stock
1 pound lentils
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
13 ounces organic coconut milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss sweet potatoes cubes in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and roast on a cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes or until soft but still firm and starting to caramelize on the edges. In a heavy stock pot, sauté onions, ginger, garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil on medium-high heat until onions are almost translucent. Mix in mustard seeds and spices. Add tomatoes, zucchini, stock and lentils. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until lentils are softened but not mushy. Add sweet potatoes and coconut milk to the stew and stir a few minutes over medium heat until incorporated. Top off with fresh chopped cilantro.
Adapted from Bon Appetit’s Vegetarian Lentil Stew recipe, Sept 1998.
barb scala 
Everything I love!!