Coconut and Red Lentil Curry – gluten and dairy-free
Last week (post watching Game Changers on Netflix) I made the call not to go vegan but to be conscious of getting more plant protein into my family meals. I’m not against eating animal products at all, but what hit home for me is that when I looked at my families diet, every meal was typically meat and veg or meat and salad, eggs and carbs. Safe to say this is actually a very healthy, well-balanced diet but what I wanted to focus more on is protein alternatives to animal products and getting more fruit and veg into myself and the kiddies.
Watch ‘why I don’t give my kids dessert’ and my food philosophy here….
Feeling all inspired I jumped onto my friend Em’s website www.emanderson.net She makes the most incredible healthy meals and knew I would find something for the family there. Here is what I found;
Vegan Coconut Red Lentil Curry.
I wasn’t ready to go vegan for a meal just yet so a swapped a few ingredients out. I honestly don’t know why I did, they loved it and would have easily eaten it without the added chicken. I guess it’s just me needing a little more confidence in that area, but I’m working on it! My kids have quite literally been brought up eating a huge variety of food so I should never have doubted them. Next time hey! Here is my version of Emma’s red lentil curry.
When you make it be sure to tag us at @rayne_ella_. Thanks Em for the inspo for this week’s recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
- 500g chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 knob of ginger, chopped
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1x 400g can of coconut cream
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 2 cups of raw red lentils
- 1 cup of zucchini
- 1-2 cups of broccoli. My kids love broccoli
- 1l vegetable stock
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 lime
- coriander for garnish
- cashews for garnish ( I threw a heap into the curry as well)
TO MAKE:
- Cook chicken thighs and put aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and fry garlic, ginger and onion on medium for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the onion is soft, add curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala. Stir for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add coconut cream and tomato paste then stir to combine.
- Add lentils and zucchini, and about 1/3 of the stock. Mix it all together then reduce to a simmer and cover.
- Stir every 4-5 mins and add more stock as the mixture starts to reduce.
- When the lentils are nearly cooked (about 15 minutes), add the peas, broccoli (add earlier if you like yours soft), spinach, lime juice, chicken and remaining stock. Stir for 3-5 minutes, or until the stock has reduced and spinach has wilted.
- Serve with rice (normal or cauliflower), and top with cashews and coriander.
For the original Vegan version head to emanderson.net
She had heaps of awesome recipes for you to try.
You may also love….
Healthy, gluten free banana bread…
Rayne’s easy seafood risotto…
Protein balls the kids can take to school…
