Red Lentil Curry Soup

Red Lentil Curry Soup

#DairyFree #Vegetarian #GlutenFree 

Curry...it made me a  nervous.  I had never made curry before.  I would think, it's going to be too spicy, it's not going to taste good, and really I don't even know where to start!  Then I stumbled across this recipe from the website vegangela.com. It was so easy and tasted great! She's has many great recipes, but I think this one is the best one I have tried so far.  I am not afraid of curry anymore and plan to try some variations of curried dishes soon; but this one is a keeper for sure!   

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup)
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• ½ tsp hot red pepper flakes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1  can coconut milk
• 1  can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups dry red lentils
• 2-3 handfuls of chopped kale or spinach
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Garnish: chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) and/or vegan sour cream

Instructions

1. In a stockpot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and stir-fry the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is translucent, a couple minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste (or ketchup), curry powder, and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
3. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, diced tomatoes and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are very tender. Season with salt and pepper.
4. {Make-Ahead: May be cooled, frozen in air-tight containers, and re-heated over medium-low heat.}
5. Before serving, stir in the kale/spinach and garnish with cilantro and/or vegan sour cream.

Why it's good for you.  

While there are many ingredients in this dish that make it healthy and nutritious I want to focus on the two that make up the name....Lentils and Curry

1. Lentils- They are high in fiber which helps stabilize blood sugar, promote good digestive health, and help lower cholesterol levels. Lentils are also high in folate and magnesium both of which are good for heart health.  They are high in iron and a good source of protein; however they are low in calories, and inexpensive to buy.  

2.  Curry-  The spice that provides the most significance in curry is turmeric.  Turmeric has been linked to reduction in cognitive decline and chances of Alzheimer's disease. Turmeric has also been shown to reduce inflammation and pain and has actually been shown to be as effective as ibuprofen.   The Cardamom in curry has been found to help reduce blood pressure and the coriander helps fight off bacterial infection, in particular, E coli and other intestinal infections.