Make Ahead
Curried Lentils with Quick-Pickled Veggies
- Prep time 15 minutes
- Cook time 20 minutes
- Makes 3-4 servings
Author Notes
This recipe lends itself to a week's worth of filling vegetarian lunches; I recommend making it on Sunday and partitioning the lentil/quinoa mix into portions, then keeping the pickled vegetables in a separate container at work. That way, you can heat up the lentil mix, then top it with a riot of color. Your coworkers will be jealous.
Tips: The lentil mix will keep easily for a week, but the pickle will start to wilt after about 2-3 days. If you intend to eat this Monday through Friday, I recommend making two smaller batches of pickle - one on Sunday night, one on Wednesday evening.
The quinoa should be pre-cooked, and quinoa is a grain that keeps well when cooked. I recommend cooking more than you need and using this protein-laden grain in a few dinners, or stirring it into oatmeal in the morning.
The goat cheese adds a lovely tangy, creamy flavor to this dish, but can easily be left out to make this vegan. I would recommend replacing the flavor with additional spices and a little coconut cream. —mevans
Ingredients
- Lentils and Quinoa
-
1 1/2 cups
cooked quinoa - white or red
-
4 cups
black lentils - cooked or canned (if canned, drain liquid)
-
3-4 ounces
soft, plain goat cheese (if using - if vegan, use 2 tbsp coconut cream)
-
1 tablespoon
coconut or olive oil
-
1 1/2 tablespoons
hot yellow curry powder or paste (or to preferred spice level)
-
salt to taste
- Quick-Pickled Vegetables
-
3-5
radishes, thinly sliced
-
2
medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise with peeler (to create paper-thin ribbons of carrot)
-
1/2
medium-sized bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
-
1/2
cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
-
1/3 cup
rice vinegar
-
1 tablespoon
brown sugar
-
1 tablespoon
chopped cilantro
-
black pepper to taste
Directions
- In heavy-bottomed pot, add oil and heat over med-low heat. Add lentils and spices, cover and warm, stirring occasionally.
- When lentils are starting to bubble, add quinoa and stir into lentil mix. Cover and cook on med-low for 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally.
- As lentil mix is cooking, combine sugar, vinegar, cilantro and pepper in a bowl. Whisk together until combined. Add vegetables, and stir until fully coated.
- Take lentil mix off heat and stir in goat cheese until melted and fully incorporated. Portion into Tupperware for the week, or serve warm. Top with pickle (if re-heating for lunches, add pickle after heating) and garnish with fresh cilantro, a dash of curry powder and crumbles of goat cheese.
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