Curried Lentils and Roasted Vegetable Bowl

We’re always on the hunt for a good lunch bowl. For years now, we’ve been consistent meal preppers – every Sunday afternoon we put in an hour or two of work to ensure we have tasty, filling, and easy lunches for the week. It is SO worth it, but we’ve also found the importance of a good rotation: after a week of the same lunch I’m usually ready to switch it up. This bowl is one, however, that I feel I could eat for weeks and not get sick of. The curried lentils, inspired by Cafe Gratitude’s cookbook Love is Served, have a perfect balance of richness from the coconut milk and spice, and so far we have yet to find any roasted veg that don’t pair well with them.

Play around with different grains and vegetables in this and let us know what you like!

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, sliced and then cut into quarter-moons
• 3 crowns broccoli, cut into florets
• 5 cups kale, chopped
• 2 cups brown rice or other grain
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the lentils

• 2 1/2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. grated ginger
• 1 1/4 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)
• 1 14-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

Directions

Roast the vegetables

1. Toss the prepared sweet potatoes in a tbsp. or so of olive oil and spread in a single layer on two sheet pans. Repeat with the broccoli florets. Roast in a 400°F oven for 20-30 minutes until your desired level of roastiness. Toss in salt and pepper to taste.
2. Toss kale in olive oil and spread in a single layer on sheet pans. Roast at 400°F for 8-10 minutes. (Alternately, you could saute, steam, or leave the kale uncooked.)

Prepare the rice

1. Steam the rice or other grain on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or pressure cooker as instructed.

Make the curried lentils

1. In a large pot, heat a tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes until the onion is translucent and starting to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices. Stir and let cook for another minute or two.
2. Add the soy sauce and reduce for a minute. Then add the lentils, coconut milk, and 4 3/4 cups of water. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, keeping the pot partially covered, for about 10 minutes or until lentils are soft.
3. Assemble bowls starting with a heaping 1/2 cup of rice, generous scoops of each of the veggies, and 1 cup of lentils.

Nutrition Facts