Teenage girl + vegetarianism = a lot of pasta and salads. I worry my kid is not eating a balanced diet, but the rest of the family is happy to gnaw on any animal-based protein that doesn’t move, and as Momma always said, “I’m not running a cafe here!”
Also, because she is a teenage girl, she is particular about which beans are acceptable to eat. Hummus is OK, but garbanzo beans are not (Don’t try to reason with her – you won’t win.); black beans are good, but refried beans are gross.
Enter the lentil. Lentils are great because they are small enough not to be “pasty” the way some beans can be. They are mild and, frankly, just adorable. Like little berets for hip grasshoppers! And thankfully we all love curry, especially if there’s a sweet edge to it.
This recipe was truly a weeknight, “throw a few things together and see how it turns out” experiment. And it was a huge success. She had something she could happily eat for a couple days, served with coconut rice or scooped on naan, and the rest of us had a delicious side dish to enjoy. Now if I could just get her to eat kale…
Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes 4 servings as a main dish
6 to 8 servings as a side
2 Tbsp. vegetable or coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp. curry powder
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 sweet potato, diced
1 ½ cup dried lentils, rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• In a 2-quart pot, add the oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and curry powder for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 cup vegetable broth and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the sweet potatoes and stir in the lentils and additional broth.
• Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
This article appears in October 2013.