Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry

Curry's, stews, chilies, gumbos and other soupy dishes always make for great leftovers and you can take some dull ingredients and create a true symphony of flavors.  This recipe was inspired by Oh She Glows, you can see the original on her site.  We simplified just a bit, because we can.

Ingredients:

1 medium-large butternut squash

1 cup lentils (any kind, although they all cook slightly differently)

1 medium onion (any kind)

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger

5 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp curry powder

2 cups of greens

     1)      Peel and chop the butternut squash into 1” or so cubes.  Place the cubes into a baking pan or baking sheet and lightly coat with olive oil and lightly spice (we like to use crushed pepper, oregano, and paprika, but whatever you fancy). 

     2)      Preheat oven to 425 and bake the squash for approximately 25 minutes.  Upon removing the squash from the oven, it may not be totally cooked, but it will be finished in the large pot. 

     3)      Immediately after placing the squash in the oven, begin cooking the lentils in a small sauce pan.  We light to cook lentils with a 3:1 water to lentil ratio, bring them to a bubbling boil for a minute or two, then turn back down to medium heat and cook until they are tender, normally 20-minutes.

     4)      Once the lentils are nearly fully cooked, start prepping the final large pot for the stew.  Lightly coat the bottom of the large pot with cooking spray or olive oil and bring to medium heat.  Add in the chopped garlic first, and then onions and cook on medium until they are browned to your liking.

     5)      Dump the entire lentil sauce pan (liquid and all) into the large pan and stir to make sure no onions or garlic are sticking to the bottom.  Add in the cooked squash and get your spices ready.  We followed Angela’s recommendation and used 1 tablespoon of curry powder.  We did add a few pinches of paprika and oregano as well.

     6)      Cook the stew in the large pot for an additional few minutes. 

     7)      Select greens of your choice (we went with spinach on this particular day).  Add in one cup, stir and then turn off the heat.  Once you’re ready to serve, add in the other cup of greens and lightly stir again.  Enjoy!       

Rogan Josh Curry

This is a recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver’s version, but we’ve veganized it and put our own spin on it (we also drastically shortened the cook time).

Serves 4, prep time 90 minutes

Ingredients:

 4 inch piece fresh ginger (peeled and grated) 

10 cloves garlic, chopped

  2 tablespoons turmeric

  1 tablespoon paprika

 1 tablespoon cumin

 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

 4-8 Bay leaves

 16 Oz firm, or extra firm tofu (drained)

 4 portabella mushrooms (any mushroom works)  (sliced)

 5 medium sized red onions (half chopped, half cut in halves)

 5 medium sized tomatoes (half chopped, half sliced in half)

 3 cups raw lentils

 3-5 tablespoons Rogan Josh paste (store bought, or make your own)

 4 cups water

Directions: 

1) Drain tofu for a half hour.  (Cut tofu into large strips and place between cloth under a plate and heavy object.

2) Mix together the chopped garlic, ginger and onions and cook in a large pan on medium heat.  Cook for a few minutes until golden brown.

3) Cut the tofu into 1” or ½” cubes depending on how you like it.  In a separate pan, grill the tofu, rotating the pieces until brown on all sides (approximately 5 minutes).

4) Add the lentils and 4 cups of water to the pan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat slightly below the boiling point, cover the pan, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until lentils are just starting to get soft and crack.

5) Add the sliced mushrooms and tofu to the mixture, along with the bay leaves, turmeric, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, tomatoes, and Rogan Josh paste.  Once all the ingredients have been added and the new mixture begins to boil, cover the pan, turn down to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes.  Continually stir the mixture to ensure a good distribution of spices.  If at any point all the water boils off, add another cup or two.  You don’t want it to dry out and stick to the pan. 

6) Start tasting the curry to see how the flavor profile is coming together.  If you want more spice, you can start by adding more turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper.  If it needs a lot more, feel free to put more of the Rogan Josh paste in.  If it’s too spicy, you can add a plant based yogurt to bring the spicyness down. 

7) If the curry has not coagulated and still shows a significant amount of liquid, turn it up to high heat and boil off the liquid, continually stirring until you reach your desired consistency. 

8) Once you’ve reached the texture and taste you’re looking for, serve with your favorite grain, like brown rice or quinoa, and top with Cilantro, coconut shavings, extra chilis or peppers and naan.  Enjoy!    

Total prep/cook time: 90 minutes

Serves 4