Slow Cooker Red Curry Lentils

Recipe from:

http://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-red-lentil-curry

Ingredients:

4 cups regular brown lentils
2 red onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced/crushed ginger
4 tablespoons butter (optional)
1 can Maesri red curry paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
1 can tomato puree (29 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 cup coconut milk
cilantro for garnishing (optional)
rice for serving


Rinse the lentils and place them in a large crockpot. Add the diced onions, garlic, ginger, butter, curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, sugar, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

Pour just 1 can of tomato puree over the lentils. Re-fill the can with water twice and add to the crockpot. Stir to make sure that the lentils are covered with liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Check once or twice during cooking to add more water or tomato puree if the lentils are soaking up all the liquid. The amount of water or tomato puree you add depends on how soupy your want your lentils to be.
Taste and season with salt. Lentils will be soft when they are done cooking.

Stir in the coconut milk and sprinkle with cilantro just before serving. Serve over rice or naan bread.

Summer Thai Green Curry with Tofu

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu + soy sauce and sesame oil to season it
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1 medium zucchini
1 medium summer squash
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp thai green curry paste (check ingredients - some are not vegetarian)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 can light coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lime

Directions:

Press the tofu for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then cut into bite-sized chunks (I use a Tofu Xpress to do this).
Add to a frying pan and drizzle some toasted sesame oil and soy sauce over the tofu. Cook over medium-high heat, flipping occasionally, until it is browned on all sides.
While the tofu is cooking, in a separate, deep wok/pan, Add the oil, garlic and onion. Cook for a few minutes, then add the pepper, zucchini and squash. Cook veggies until tender, then add the green curry paste. Cook for a few more minutes, then add the coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes if you want some spice. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the tofu and lime juice. Serve with lime slices and jasmine rice.

Tempeh Lettuce Wraps

Recipe adapted from: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/thai-lettuce-wraps/

Ingredients for Filling:

2 8-oz. pkg. plain tempeh, broken into chunks

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 Tbs. minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup lime juice

2 shallots, chopped

1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sriracha

1 tsp. light brown sugar

Toppings:

Peanuts (ground into small pieces is best)

Raw green beans (chopped)

Carrot (shredded)

Cucumber (shredded)

Plus:

1 bunch of romaine lettuce

Sriracha, for serving,

Peanut sauce, for serving

Directions:

To make Filling: Pulse tempeh in food processor until coarsely crumbled. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add tempeh and broth, cover, and cook 
5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until liquid has evaporated. Stir in remaining filling ingredients.

Wash and dry the individual lettuce leaves. Fill the lettuce with filling, then top with toppings and serve dipping sauces on the side.

Thai Green Curry Lentil and Potato Stew

adapted from a recipe from the trader joes vegetarian cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Trader-Joes-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1612431097/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)

(Note: The original recipe called for 1/2 package of lentils, so I doubled it in order to use the whole package since I didn't have a plan for the rest and didn't want to waste them)

Ingredients:
2 small yellow onions
olive oil
1-2 tsp minced garlic (jarred)
1 package trader joe's cooked lentils
2 medium sized potatoes
2 jars trader joe's thai green curry simmer sauce
4 medium sized tomatoes

for serving:
Trader joe's frozen thai jasmine rice (comes in a box with 3 individual bags of rice)

Directions:
Chop onions. In a large pan, cook onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until onions start becoming translucent. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Microwave the potatoes until they are starting to get soft (this is necessary or else you will be simmering FOR EVER). Add potatoes, lentils, and simmer sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft enough to eat. While simmering, chop tomatoes (remove the seeds). Add tomatoes to the pan and simmer (covered) for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice.

Thai Green Curry Lentils

source: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=29449.0

ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
olive oil, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon green curry paste
1 small (thumbnail sized) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
(I used a small spoon full of ginger from a jar)
1 bunch kale, de-veined and cut


1. In a stock pot, combine vegetable broth and lentils with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Check the lentils frequently so they don't burn.

2. While the lentils cook, add olive oil to a large skillet and saute onions, garlic, and red bell pepper until onions are just translucent and pepper is soft. Add zucchini and saute for a few minutes.

3. At this point, the lentils should be finished cooking. Add coconut milk, green curry paste, grated ginger and sauteed vegetables to the lentils, stirring gently to incorporate vegetables and liquid. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Add kale to liquid and simmer for a few minutes until kale is cooked to your liking. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

The finished product should be a thick stew-like consistency; you can eat it with a spoon by itself or serve it over rice!

serving suggestions:

serve over some brown or jasmine rice. However it is thick enough from the lentils that it can be eaten on its own.

verdict:
The taste was very nice but it could definitely use some more curry flavor. Next time I would add more curry paste and perhaps more of the ginger and garlic and maybe more salt and pepper. The lentils turn pretty mushy which may be normal, but I wasn't quite expecting since I have no prior experience with red lentils.

This recipe makes A LOT - it suggests 4 servings but after I had some (served over a small amount of brown rice) I still had a very large tupperware full of it.


Nutrition Information:

For 1 out of 6 servings

(this is just an estimation - assuming 2 tablespoons of olive oil used)
calories 232
fat 10g
saturated fat 4g
polyunsaturated fat 1g
monounsaturated fat 3g
trans fat 0g
cholesterol 0
sodium 309mg
carbohydrates 28 g
sugar 6g
protein 11g
potassium 191
fiber 7
vitamin A 54%
vitamin C 104%
calcium 7%
iron 19%