Curried Red Lentil & Quinoa Bowls with Chutney

I think red lentils might just be the least appetizing food you can cook. Well, visually, at least. When you cook split lentils, they fall apart—kind of like split peas in split pea soup. I spent a lot of time trying to think of ways to make curried red lentils look attractive, but sometimes you just have to let curried red lentils be curried red lentils. You do you, lentils! You do you.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
• 1 ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp Madras hot curry powder
• 1 cup split red lentils rinsed and picked over
• 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime wedges and Cilantro-Mint Chutney for serving

Instructions

• Combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
• While the quinoa is cooking, start the curried lentils. Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and just beginning to turn golden brown. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and curry powder; cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the lentils and cook 1 minute more.
• Pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Partially cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10–12 minutes, until the lentils have fallen apart, then remove the lid and cook for about 5 minutes more to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fluff the quinoa with a fork and divide it into four bowls, then ladle the curried red lentils over the quinoa. Serve with lime wedges and Cilantro-Mint Chutney.

Nutrition