Spiced lentil stew with sweet and sour cauliflower recipe! A delicious, healthy, and hearty vegetarian dinner that the whole family will love. Vegetarian, and easily adapted to a vegan and/0r gluten free diet.
Disclaimer: this post is sponsored by Blue Apron. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Rhubarbarians going!
Hey friends! Happy *almost* 2017! You know, now that the holidays are over, I am SOOOOO READY! Ready for a new year. A new start. New goals. New resolutions. A new..... mindset really.
I think quite a lot of us are.
So begins the healthy January recipes! A bit early, but hey, let's just do this.
Have you tried this vegetarian chili with orange and cinnamon?
So..... have you tried Blue Apron yet? It's a weekly meal subscription service that will not only make your life easier, but will also make you a better cook. HECK YES!
Blue Apron's mission is to make incredible home cooking accessible to everyone. You can sign up for a 2-person plan or a family plan, and everything you need to create dinners for the week is delivered right to your door. Along with photos and instructions for the recipes.
You guys, NO MORE FOOD WASTE! You get the exact amount of each ingredient that is needed for the recipes.
The hubbs and I decided to try the 2-person vegetarian plan for a week (Psst... click here and you can try your first 3 meals for free too!) We received everything that we needed to create veggie bibimbap, brown butter gnocchi with chestnuts and brussels sprouts, and everything for this absolutely delicious lentil stew.
All of the recipes basically knocked our socks off. They were recipes I never would have created on my own, which is saying a lot, because I can pretty get darn cooky creating recipes in my kitchen. I loved all of them!
OK, so the sweet and sour cauliflower that tops this dal is EVERYTHING! Seriously... sosososososo tasty. I pretty much want to add to everything now. The lentil stew itself has a nice spice, and the limey yogurt just brings the whole meal together. This is absolutely a recipe I will make again and again.
The only dairy in this stew is the yogurt sauce that you drizzle on top. You could easily use dairy free yogurt or even leave it out to make this vegan friendly. Also, go totally gluten free by omitting the piece of naan that is served with it. Score!
Recipe
Spiced lentil stew with sweet and sour cauliflower
Ingredients
- ½ cup golden lentils
- 1 piece naan bread
- 1 ¾ cups light coconut milk
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 whole lime
- 1 whole yellow onion
- 1 handful cilantro
- 3 tablespoon rice flour
- 1 1 inch piece ginger
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 teaspoon lentil spice blend*
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients and make the yogurt sauce:Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and small dice the onion. Peel and mince the ginger. Cut out and discard the cauliflower core; cut the head into bite-sized florets. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves and stems. Using a peeler, remove the green rind of the lime, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter the lime. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, lime zest and a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the lentils:In a small pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the lentils and as much of the spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant. Add the coconut milk (shaking the can just before opening) and ¾ cup of water. Heat to boiling on high; once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, 20 to 22 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Start the cauliflower:While the lentils cook, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the cauliflower; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly softened. Add ½ cup of water; cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until the water has cooked off. Add the juice of 2 lime wedges; cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl. Wipe out the pan.
- Coat and crisp the cauliflower:While the lentils continue to cook, add the flour to the bowl of cooked cauliflower; season with salt and pepper. Carefully toss to coat. In the same pan, heat a thin layer of oil on medium-high until hot. Once the oil is hot enough that a pinch of flour sizzles immediately when added to the pan, add the coated cauliflower (tapping off any excess flour) in a single, even layer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toast the naan:While the cauliflower cooks, carefully place the naan directly onto the oven rack. Toast 4 to 6 minutes, or until slightly crispy and warmed through. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, quarter the toasted naan.
- Finish the cauliflower and plate your dish:Add the chili sauce and the juice of the remaining lime wedges to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until coated; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the cooked lentils between 2 bowls; top with the cauliflower. Garnish with the cilantro. Serve with the yogurt sauce and toasted naan. Enjoy!
Notes
If you'd like to get your first 3 meals free from Blue Apron, check out their website and click the orange Redeem Offer button!
Cheers to the new year, friends!
Trish
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? GET FREE WEEKLY RECIPES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX! SIGN UP HERE!
PINNABLE IMAGES:
Gabriella
This lentil stew looks so colorful and tasty and healthy! Basically everything I look for in my meals 😉
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks Gabriella! Glad you like it!
amindfullmom
Sweet and sour cauliflower is so key in this! LOVING it!
Patricia Bozeman
Thank you so much!