Spiced lentil stew with sweet and sour cauliflower

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/or gluten free diet.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings very large servings

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

*cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, cayenne pepper, ground turmeric