Curried Red Lentils

I spent the weekend relaxing, taking it easy and generally just trying to catch back up on life. Funny thing though, somehow I feel even more tired! How does that happen? It’s like when you play that game with yourself “oh I’m just going to take a quick power nap or better “I’m going to rest my eyes”. Whatever. Power nap?!? Do those really exist? My power naps usually turn into an hour or two snoozefest in which I wind up feeling more groggy than before. That’s kind of how this weekend went. I rested up, ate well, worked out but still couldn’t peel myself out of bed this morning to hit the gym. I totally skipped out on all the errands I needed to run yesterday. Oh well, I suppose I’ll be playing even more catch up this week.

I did whip up these lentils last night for the season primere of Downton Abbey! Oh how I love that show. I’m totally addicted.

I had never made lentils before, and I heard their quite filling and delicious. Plus, I love a good curry. What better meal to curl up with and watch a two hour long season primere! With no commercials, it practically felt like a movie, but I was so caught up with the drama of white tie versus black tie at a dinner party that I could care less.

This recipe can easily be made vegan (see substitutions below). It was a hit with my girlfriends, they liked it with sriracha. I mean sriracha goes on everything, right?

For this recipe, you’ll need:

2 1/2 cups of dry red lentils

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 oz tomato paste

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)

Fresh cilantro and limes for garnish

2 cups of dry rice cooked to the instructions on packaging.

Make 8 servings

Can substitute olive oil for butter and coconut milk for cows milk to make this recipe vegan.

Start of by cooking the lentils according to the packaging. They cook very similar to rice. Also, start making the rice at this time too.

While the rice and lentils are cooking, prep the curry. In a large pan, sauté the butter and onions until fragrant and soft. About 2 minutes.

Next add the tomato paste, spices and minced garlic and ginger. Stir frequently. Sauté another 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

Once the lentils are finished, add the curry to the lentils. Stir together well and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Serve the lentils over rice and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. Add salt and pepper (or sriracha!) to taste.

These are great as leftovers too! Perfect for a quick lunch!

Enjoy!