Curried Lentil Soup

On Thursday, I left my homiletics class, stepped out of the Divinity School, and encountered terrible traffic thanks to the snow that had begun to quickly fall and accumulate. Thanks to the Twitters, I knew that traffic was absolutely horrible and that I probably shouldn’t attempt to go home for a while. Trying to maximize my time, I camped out in the library to work on my Ethics assignment. Several hours later, I was finished, my stomach was grumbling, and traffic was still snarled up all over the city.

I made plans to meet Kelly, also stuck in her office, at Amerigo for their sparkling wine tasting. However, when we arrived after trudging through the snow, they were closed! So, we turned around and ended up having dinner and cocktails at Rumba. We picked up a couple of other Nashville twitterers and had a lovely night while the snow fell. It took Joe two hours to go the 4 miles back to our house. Some people abandoned their cars or turned back around after 5 hours of little movement. Even still, the snow was beautiful, covering up the city. Walking around made me feel, for the moment, like I was in New York City.

While we made the best of a bad situation, I would’ve rather been at home cooking up a batch of this soup. After seeing it on the blogs of other fabulous ladies that share similar tastes with me like Erin and Beth, I put it on my menu plan. Reading through the recipe, it intrigued me that you essentially make hummus without the tahini and mix it into the soup. The chickpeas add a nice flavor and give the soup a creamy, thick quality. Don’t skip the lemon since the citrus and acidity liven up the flavor.

Have you ever been snow-bound? What did you eat or crave?

Curried Lentil Soup
source: Bon Appetit
Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided

2 tablespoons (or more) curry powder

1 cup French green lentils

4 1/4 cups (or more) water, divided

1 15- to 16-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add half of chopped garlic; stir until vegetables are soft but not brown, about 4 minutes longer. Add 2 tablespoons curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining garlic in processor.

Add chickpea puree and butter to lentil soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder, if desired. Add water by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency.

Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas

I don’t think I have formally introduced my fur children, though I know I have made mention of them before. This:

is Duke Ellington. And this:

is Thelonious Monk.

I lost my bid to name them after Archbishops of Canterbury. I don’t know what I would do without my cats. They bring so much joy into my life and remind me of God’s sense of humor and God’s blessing on all of creation. They cheer me up when I’m feeling sad, and they always seem to curl up with me when they know I’m feeling lonely.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a pet growing up. Going to boarding school and living in the dorms at college were the first (and only) times I had been without an animal for an extended period of time. There is something special about animal companionship. In my mind, there was an unspoken rule that I would never marry someone who couldn’t at least tolerate the presence of animals. People’s love and affection is fickle and fades, but pet companionship is forever.

So, I am dedicating this post to my wonderful cats in honor of Branny’s Charity Souper Bowl. She requested that we blog a soup, and, for each entry, she will donate to the ASPCA.

What better way to honor pets and animals in general than to make a delicious vegan soup without any animal products? This soup was creamy but not heavy, and the addition of rice and chickpeas makes it a hearty and satisfying meal. Between the coconut milk and the curry flavor, this soup had me dreaming of much warmer locales, but then I would have to leave my cats!

Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas
source: Epicurious via Bakin’ and Eggs

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 medium red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded and peeled, fresh or canned

1 teaspoon mild curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

3/4 cup cooked white or brown rice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Preparation

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Candidacy and Curry

Look what came in the mail Friday:

I am now officially a Candidate for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Texas! This is equal parts exciting and terrifying. In January, I’ll take a few days worth of exams, and in April, I’ll have a few more interviews. Unless I fail something, I’ll graduate with my Masters of Divinity in May. Then, in all likelihood, I’ll be ordained to the transitional diaconate in June.

This has all just now started to hit home. When I first started my discernment process, it felt like the end-goal was to get them to let me go to seminary, preferably in the same location where Joe matched for residency. Now that I’m closing in on graduating, it’s like an actual reminder that the end-goal was ordination all along. I even bought my first clericals, which are surprisingly flattering given what I had heard about how hard it is for women to look fashionable in clericals.

And then there’s this curry (how’s THAT for a transition):

I’m on a bit of a vegetarian (except for the fish sauce) curry kick right now. Honestly, I think it has to do with the weather. It’s still warm, but I’m in a fall mood, so spicy curries are just the thing to scratch that itch without being too heavy. I wish I had looked at the original recipe, which called for cinnamon, because while I was eating this, I kept thinking, “This would’ve been really good with some cinnamon.” I thought maybe I was being delusional and was a little too heavily influenced by this Curried Red Lentil Soup, but then I looked up the original recipe which called for cinnamon and cloves. So I’m going to post that version, since it’s the one I wish I had made.

Also, can we agree that peeling and chopping up butternut squash is NOT fun? I was glad that I did that in the morning before I left for school, because if I had to face that task after coming home, I don’t think this curry would’ve been made. Ugh, if I didn’t like squash so much, it wouldn’t be worth it at all. Evelyn suggested baking it for a few minutes, and I also read that microwaving it for a little bit helps with that. I’ve got a lot of CSA squash taking up my kitchen island, so I’ll let you know if that works out next time.

What kitchen prep task do you absolutely hate?

Southeast Asian Squash Curry

source: Gourmet via Bakin’ and Eggs

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

1 1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (do not stir), divided (I used light coconut milk.)

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Thai Kitchen red curry paste

1/3 cup water

1 (2- to 3-inch) cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

5 ounces baby spinach (5 cups packed) (I used kale.)

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce, or to taste

1/4 cup salted roasted cashews or peanuts, chopped
Accompaniment:

lime wedges

jasmine brown rice

Preparation

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sauté squash with cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet and cook onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup coconut milk from top of can and cook, stirring, until fat starts to separate and look glossy, about 2 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add squash, water, cinnamon, cloves, and remaining coconut milk and simmer, covered, until squash is tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook, covered, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in fish sauce. Sprinkle with cashews or peanuts. Serve over brown rice.

West African Vegetable and Peanut Stew

It's snowing in Nashville right now. Really snowing. My classes were cancelled, and we're allegedly expecting 6-10" before this is all over. It's the perfect day to hibernate with some of this stew that I made last night. Truthfully, this is much more my kind of stew than a heavy beef version. The curry peanut flavor together with the lime and cilantro takes me somewhere warmer, and all of the vegetables fill me up with all kinds of health benefits. This does take some time to come together, but it makes quite a bit more than the 4-5 servings the recipe stated, so you can eat it for days. Judging by the weather, that might be a good thing at this point!

West African Vegetable and Peanut Stew
source: Food and Wine via The Tennessean

Ingredients
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups frozen cut okra
1 cup frozen green beans or 1/4 pound fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts (optional)
Lime wedges, for serving (optional)

Preparation
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeños and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Whisk in the broth and peanut butter, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the sweet potatoes and carrots, cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes. Add the okra and green beans, cover partially and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer the stew to bowls and serve hot. Pass the cilantro, peanuts and lime wedges at the table.

Crockpot Red Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash

Somebody recently stated that they don't "get" crockpots. What's not to get? With often minimal preparation, the crockpot makes dinner for you, yielding blended flavors and moist, tender meat. This crockpot meal is relatively prep-heavy, even if you skip browning the chicken like I did, so it's better for a weekend meal, or you could prep it the night before and keep it in the refrigerator. Either way, coming home to a delicious, healthy curry makes any day better.

Next time, I would follow Cara's steps instead of trying to make it faster. I definitely missed some flavor, though the texture was deliciously creamy due to the squash. As an alternative to the fat-laden curries that I like from Thai restaurants, this does the trick. I served it on top of jasmine rice that I cooked using the rest of the coconut milk.

Crockpot Red Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash
source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1lb butternut squash, peeled and chopped (or substitute another winter squash)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6oz each
1/2-1 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, and cumin
salt & pepper
2 tsp red curry paste
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp fish sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
fresh basil or cilantro, for garnish

Preparation

Place the onions, peppers, and squash in the bottom of the crockpot.

Cut the chicken into small pieces and toss with the cinnamon, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and saute the chicken for a few minutes on each side, until browned.

Place the chicken in the crockpot. Combine the curry paste, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, coconut milk, extract, and broth in a blender and process until smooth. Pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir cornstarch into 2 tbsp of water until no lumps remain and gently stir into the liquid in the crockpot. Increase heat to high and cook for another 20 minutes to thicken. Garnish with basil or cilantro.

Curried Chicken with Apples

This may not be the most attractive meal I've ever made. I'm aware it's a bit brown, but it really is quite good. I've realized I am really liking fruit in savory contexts, so when I saw this curry with apples, I thought it was a great fall/winter meal. My mom came over last night for dinner before the Vanderbilt basketball game and liked this as well. I threw in some raisins on a whim because I thought they would add a nice textural contrast. The sauce thickened up nicely and went well with the brown rice.

Curried Chicken with Apples
source: Casual Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken (The original recipe called for cubed or ground pork. You could also use cubed chicken.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I used one Fuji apple and one Granny Smith)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder, to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or one clove garlic, pressed or minced)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
1) Brown the cubed pork on all sides in oil, on high heat, in a large non-stick pan, about 4-5 minutes.
2) Turn heat down to medium-high. Add apples and chopped onions to the pork. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until starting to brown lightly. Add flour and dry spices, stir well and continue sauteing for another 1-2 minutes.
3) Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for 35 minutes. Serve with rice.

Serves 4.