Cauliflower & Lentil Curry Stew

This weather! Early in April, it was snowing. Now it seems like it's raining every day. I know, "April showers" but what about April temperatures? None of this high of 49 business, I want the 60's! I guess the silver lining to this dreary weather is I can up my soup game. Last year, I made a lot of soups because of all the snow. This year was more about stews and slow cooker recipes.

 

This recipe comes from the Oh, She Glows cookbook. When I'm thinking about my meal prep for the week, I like to take a look through my cookbooks to see what's new and what I haven't tried before. Now that I've accepted that maybe cauliflower isn't the worst vegetable in the world, I'm open to giving it a go.

 

What's more is this also takes a second look at lentils. The lentil stew from a couple weeks ago was a hit with me, myself and I (what about you?) so was all in for trying red lentils. Fun fact: red lentils are actually orange and they don't really cook up to be red either. Huh.

Garlic and onion are sauteed in oil with spices to get things cookin'. Nice and fragrant. Next, we add the broth and lentils to start softening them up. Once the broth reaches a low boil, in goes the cauliflower and sweet potato. I had intended to add carrots but I forgot! The soup is left to simmer until the vegetables are nice and tender. I like to see how the cauliflower is dyed yellow from the curry powder.

 

Lastly, we add some greens. You can use kale or spinach, I went with spinach. Chop up a couple handfuls and stir into the stew. You can turn the burner off for this part, the hot soup will wilt the leaves all on its own.

Serve hot and curl up with dreams of summer dresses and picnics.

 

Recipe

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped with stems removed
• 1-2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until slightly translucent.
2. Add the spices and cook until fragrant.
3. Next, add the vegetable broth and lentils. Stir to incorporate the spices. Bring the mixture to a low boil.
4. Once the soup is at a low boil, add the diced sweet potato and cauliflower. Return to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
5. Lastly, add the chopped spinach. Stir into the soup and allow to wilt. It's okay if the burner is off for this part.
6. Serve hot or save for reheat.