A super simple, Indian spiced vegan recipe perfect for a weeknight meal. Roasted masala cauliflower with coconut lentils serves as a delicious side, or with rice and naan bread as an entree. Vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free. SO GOOD!
So friends..... I'm doing something a little different on the blog today. I'm sharing one of my go-to, never fail, make all the time recipes! Well sort of.... I at least make a variation of this recipe, depending on what veggies are in the fridge. Cauliflower though.... um, just the BEST don't ya think?
I am a HUGE Indian food luvah. I could just eat it at every meal. Seriously. So..... what do I do? I throw Indian spices on veggies and roast them and toss them together and eat them like it's a full meal. Yep. Sometimes I get fancy and make some herby, garlicky yogurt. EVERY time I get super fancy and eat it with some store bought naan bread (ssshhhhh.....). I mean... HOMEMADE naan bread! 🙂
Since Rhubarbaby has been born, we are like the kings and queens of easy, weeknight meals. Moms looking for easy dinners.... I GET YOU! I totally 100% get you. For the first few months, we were lucky enough to have lots of friends and family bring us homemade meals or buy us pizza. And some very special blogging friends of mine got us a gift card for a meal delivery service, which got us, like 8 different meals!
But guys..... those days are gone.
And now the days are getting shorter, the nights longer, and the ability to spend lots of time on one meal just isn't part of my life.
Enter the barely any prep, but makes a lot of food dinner! WOOOOT!
- 1 medium sized head of cauliflower cut into bit sized florets (I used orange cauliflower)
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup dry green lentils
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- Fresh cilantro
- naan bread cooked basmati rice, and/or garlic yogurt* for serving (optional)
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. (optional, for easier clean up).
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Toss the cauliflower with 3 Tbsp of the olive oil, garam masala, turmeric, and cumin. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss again until well combined. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and roast 15 minutes. Toss with tongs and roast another 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is tender, but still crunchy.
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Meanwhile, combine the lentils, 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, coconut oil, water, and coconut milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until lentils are soft but still a bit al dente. If liquid is still in the pot, strain the lentils.
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When both the cauliflower and the lentils are cooked and cooled slightly, toss together and top with fresh cilantro.
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Serve as is, or with naan bread, cooked basmati rice, and/or garlic yogurt.
*For the garlic yogurt: mix together 1/2 cup plain yogurt of your choice with 1 small minced garlic clove.
Really guys. I make some variation of this at least every few weeks. Usually the roasted veggies change depending on what's in season and what we have stocked in our fridge. Potatoes are amazing with this recipe!
OK busy peeps.... what are your favorite easy, weeknight meals? I'd love to hear them!
Trish
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Taylor Stinson
I seriously feel you on pulling together quick, weeknight meals. I have the energy most nights for like 30 min worth of cooking tops. Indian cuisine is definitely well-suited to quick meals - you don't need to use too many spices to make it delicious!
Patricia Bozeman
Totally! So tough to get dinner together with little ones. Thanks, Taylor!