red lentil curry dip with pita chips

I've been living on take out pizza lately. I haven't made a dent into my holiday baking yet, but I'm sure there's still time (right?). Luckily, I did manage to eek out some pretty fantastic whole wheat biscuits on the weekend. And tonight I resisted the ease of picking up the phone for delivery and took time out of my crazy work schedule to make peace with my neglected kitchen. I looked in cupboards and rooted through the back of the fridge and I managed to cook a wonderful Maritime-style fish chowder (I'll post the recipe later). It was good to take a break because it meant time to myself doing what I enjoy doing: chopping, stirring, smelling, tasting. My good, calm, reassured old self came flooding back with every turn of the spoon and it was like I had never left.

The same "kitchen as restorative" feeling came last Friday. I was attending the party of this lovely lady later in the evening, but I was freaking about about whether I could make the time to bring something, let alone even show up (although what excuse could I make since she lives just one floor below in the same building). So instead of panicking over the emails in my inbox, I headed to the kitchen where I chopped, blended and sauteed myself back into a better frame of mind. After the dip had been made and the spoon had been licked (because that is a cook's prerogative), I realized that everything under control. Taking the time out to cook helped to sort out my thoughts and gave me the time away from the computer to put things into perspective. And during a holiday when everything seems kind of crazy, it's nice to escape into cooking.

Now go on and grab that red lentil curry dip and pita chips over at Poppytalk. It's delicious and healthy and possibly just the thing to soothe your harried soul.

a little bit of sunshine: coconut ginger lentil soup

This lovely coloured soup works well for dreary rainy winter days. Just look at it! It will put a smile on your face and its heavenly curried coconut scent helps to add a bit of lift to your step. It's like sunshine in a bowl...or at least the next best thing.

Now, about the ginger. For this recipe, I used a few diced bits of candied ginger (not to be confused with the ginger candy I used in the banana bread recipe). Using candied ginger along with the coconut milk made the soup slightly sweet. If the sweetness thing isn't for you, scratch the candied ginger and just use the fresh grated kind (or the powdered kind if it's all you have). Both my husband and I really liked this soup, and the sweetness provided a nice counter-balance to the hotness of the curry and chilis. This one is a definite keeper.

coconut ginger lentil soup
1 T vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 t red chili flakes
1 t cumin seeds, freshly ground using a mortar & pestle
1 T grated ginger root
1 T curry paste (I used Patak's Balti)
1 c red lentils, rinsed
3 c water or vegetable stock
1 tiny can coconut milk
1 T candied ginger, diced
yogurt (optional)

In a large soup pot, heat up the oil and saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the cumin, chili flakes, ginger root and curry paste and saute for another minute. Stir in the lentils and add in the water or stock. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until lentils are somewhat soft. Add in the coconut milk and the candied ginger and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

curried apple & lentil dal

Yesterday the weather took a little turn towards autumn. Figures, since I'm just about over my cold. At least the foggy mornings and cooler temperatures make it so much easier to think about stews and soups and warm bowls of curry. Looking through my cupboard the other day, I had a mason jar filled with red lentils. Their colour is so warm and inviting and it seemed like the perfect thing to make for a quick dinner. I also had that bag of organic MacIntosh apples, so I decided to use a couple of those as well. Curry was on my mind and it's nice to have a bit of sweet along with the heat.

I made a dal, which in India refers to any lentil or legume, but it can also mean any soup or stew using a legume. Since red lentils are really quick to prepare, I knew that this dinner would be ready in under 30 minutes. I like my curry spicy, so I used a spicy garam masala paste (my favorite is made by Patak), but any curry paste or powder will do. Just remember to taste as you go along and use a little at a time because you don't want your dal to be too hot! We served this with brown rice, steamed broccoli and a spoonful of mango chutney. A spoonful of yogurt would be lovely on this too, especially if you find your curry a little too spicy.

curried apple & lentil dal
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1 green pepper, diced
2 small MacIntosh apples, diced
2 T garam masala curry paste
1 1/2 c red lentils
2 c vegetable broth

Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large pot and saute garlic, onion and ginger until fragrant. Toss in green pepper and apples and the curry paste, and stir everything until well combined. Add in lentils and broth, cover, and turn down heat to a simmer and cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add a little water, if necessary, to prevent the dal from becoming to dry. Serve on top of brown rice and top with some plain yogurt or mango chutney.

on the mend: red lentil soup with lemon

Last week I was illin', through and through. I had lost my voice and was pretty much a sad sack of sickness. On Thursday night I couldn't make it to a business dinner we had planned with some new clients, but when Cornelius returned empty handed from the meeting, I was pretty peeved. What kind of husband would forget to pick up a burrito or a can of soup for his sickly wife left at home. Uh, that would be mine. True he's my favorite person in the whole wide world, but that night, he held his head in shame.


In order to get back in good graces, I told him that he would have to make it up to me by making some homemade soup. I picked out a recipe that I had been eying for a little while and he eagerly took up the challenge. Despite the ease of this recipe, it was quite an undertaking for someone who didn't know where the lentils were kept or what pot to use. My husband, as sweet as he is, does not cook. At all. He can make toast and eggs and hot dogs, and once he made me a birthday cake, but he doesn't know his way around a kitchen. As Cornelius got down to it, he would call out questions and I'd answer where the cumin was kept and where to find the tube of tomato paste. I don't know if he really enjoyed the whole process, but he really did enjoy using the new y-peeler he had gotten me as a stocking stuffer at Christmas time. In fact, instead of dicing up the carrots, he just shredded carrot ribbons into the pot. It turned out to be a nice touch, too!


Regardless of his kitchen ineptitude, this soup turned out terrific. It had a nice bite from the lemon and it was full of flavour. And those carrot ribbons, brilliant! In fact, I'll credit this soup with getting me back on the mend. My cold is pretty much shaken, my husband is back in the good books and hey, it looks like spring is finally here on the west coast! I took a walk yesterday and the cherry blossoms are out and isn't that a wonderful thing?

Recipe adapted from Scott over at Sugar and Lard.

red lentil soup with lemon
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T tomato paste
2 t ground cumin
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 t cayenne powder
1/2 t mexican chili powder
4 c vegetable broth
1 c red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled into shreds
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large heavy pot and saute garlic and onions until wilty. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne and chili powder until fragrant. Pour in broth, red lentils and carrots. Simmer until lentils and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice and parsley and serve in deep bowls.

curry in a hurry: curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard

I made this dish last week when I was doing a lot of running around. I was out of the house most nights and did not spend a lot of time cooking, opting for days of adventure and fun instead of looking through cupboards for dinner. It was fine with me at the time, but now I'm paying for it in the worst way. I'm sick. My voice is gone and despite all the sunshine Vancouver has had in the last week, I couldn't go out and enjoy any of it!

So despite that this meal is hearty, nutritious and good for you, it still didn't save me from the flu — but don't let that be a deterrent in any way. I certainly don't hold a grudge and I'll be making this meal again as it was a simple dinner to prepare and it filled the kitchen with a wonderful aroma. When my husband walked in the door, he wanted to know what we'd be eating since it smelled so great. Lucky for us, this meal not only smelled amazing but it tasted better.


The wonderful thing about stews is that they are easy to mess with. Don't have chard? Try spinach or kale instead. I think some diced butternut squash or yams would lend a touch of sweetness to this dish that would really take this dish up a notch. Quick, easy and packing a wallop of flavour, it makes a great meal alongside a bowl of brown rice.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping T of a medium-spiced curry paste
1/2 t dried red chili flakes
5 1/2 c vegetable broth
2 c red lentils
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

In a large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry paste and dried chilies and stir until well blended. Add broth and chard and bring to a boil. Add lentils and turn down heat to a simmer, adding the chickpeas to the mix. Cover and stir occasionally until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and top with yogurt, if desired.