Red Lentil Curry with Kale and Spaghetti Squash

One of my dear friends lives in Toronto. During their recent "Snow"-mageddan, he often posted the wonderful, warm meals he was making. One was a lentil curry. I had never made a curry, but it looked delish so I decided to scan a bunch of recipes and see what my options were - what appealed to me. 

I initially decided to head one direction with the seasonings, but while in process realized I was missing a key ingredient.  All I could do was switch tracks to more traditional seasonings.  That's the beauty of soups, stews and curries - they are forgiving so are open to lots of variations.  Never be afraid to make it your own. 

I also knew I wanted to include a nice selection of veggies, and I wanted to bring the carbs down, which brings the calories down.  Yes, I do think curry is fabulous served on rice.  But for a weekday meal - not company - I decided to serve it with spaghetti squash.  It is easy to cook - either bake or microwave. And while it does have a unique flavor, it is very mild.  

The entire meal was super easy. A bonus was my husband went out for lunch so had a meal more to his liking mid-day. That made it the perfect time to cook a dish I have been wanting to try that wouldn't be high on his list. I did make this very mild as he doesn't like things spicy. There was one recipe that was similar to what I made below, but with a Thai curry sauce. I would have loved to give that one a try, but I didn't have any Thai red curry paste. Next time. 

Enjoy!

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Red Lentil Curry with Kale and Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients - 

1                              Sweet Onion, diced
2-3 cl.                      Garlic, minced
2 - 3 T                      Fresh ginger minced

1                              Large carrot, peeled and shredded

1 tsp                        Avocado oil or coconut oil

2 C                          Grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (can leave whole) 

1 - 2 T                     Curry powder 

1 tsp                        Cumin

1 tsp                        Turmeric

1 C                          Uncooked red lentils

1-3/4 C                    Coconut milk (I used light and it worked fine)

2 C                          Broth (Use your favorite)

1 T                          Tomato paste
1                              Red, yellow or Orange bell pepper, cut in half crosswise, then sliced into strips
½ tsp                       Salt or more to taste

4 C                          Chopped fresh kale

1/2 C                       Chopped fresh cilantro

1                              Lemon (or lime)

1                             Med spaghetti squash - baked or microwaved, "spaghetti" scraped out and seasoned with a little butter, salt and pepper.

Optional - Plain Yogurt (I used Greek), rice instead of spaghetti squash, red pepper flakes(or chilis) to add some heat.

Instructions -

Wash and prepare vegetables. In a large stock pot or deep-sided skillet, sauté the onions, garlic and carrots in the oil. Add grape tomatoes, curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Mix well and cook a few minutes.  Add the red lentils, coconut milk, peppers and broth. Stir well to combine.

Simmer this, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are fully cooked and tender, stirring occasionally.  I cooked mine the full 20 minutes as I like my lentils fall-apart super soft.  Cook a shorter time if you like them firmer. Turn off burner.

Add the chopped kale, cover tightly and and let set until to wilt the kale. While the kale is wilting, check the spaghetti squash.  If it has cooled too much, warm it for a few seconds in the microwave. When kale is fully wilted, remove lid, add the cilantro and the juice of one lemon.  Gently mix. 

Serve with the spaghetti squash and curry side by side.  I topped the curry with a small amount of plain Greek yogurt and sprinkled a little additional cilantro on the squash. The yogurt added a really nice flavor note.