Favorite Curried Red Lentil & Chickpea Stew with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato

This stew, heavy with red lentils, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and coconut milk, may seem like a bit of an "everything but the kitchen sink" type of recipe, and you wouldn't be wrong if you guessed that. One cold evening last winter, I pranced around the kitchen adding this and that to the Instant Pot, letting the ingredients lead the way. It's almost by accident that this stew is what it is, but ever since it's become a favorite at our table. 

I am a big fan of Indian Daal, but sometimes wish it had a bit more to it. Extra veggies, or something to chew on. That desire is what lead me to this soup in the first place, I think, which is why I know you'll love it: it's the same spicy, savory flavor of Indian Daal, but with a new age twist incorporating cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas. 

Cauliflower & sweet potatoes go with coconut curry like they were made for it. Their starchiness and subtle sweetness are the perfect backdrop for ginger, garlic, and brown mustard seeds. A splash of lime brightens everything. And chickpeas--far and away my favorite legume- make this soup feel more substantial than a regular lentil soup. 

Soak your lentils throughout the day (or even overnight) to make them easier to digest. This has the added benefit of making them cook faster too. After just a few minutes in an electric pressure cooker, the lentils are creamy and soft. 

P.S., Snow is falling slowly out our window right now. It's barely snowed here this year, despite it already being January, so it feels like a treat. We're going to need a cozy stew to warm us up this evening! This stew is just the thing to bring spoonfuls of cozy to your guests. 💛

For a legume-free recipe inspired by these same flavors, try my Butternut Squash Coconut Curry (it's Paleo-friendly and vegetarian/vegan). 

Favorite Curried Red Lentil & Chickpea Stew with Cauliflower & Sweet Potato

Published January 30, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 15 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cup dry red lentils
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil 
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-4 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 green chile pepper, minced (serrano or jalapeño— serrano is the more mild option)
• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes 
• 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, strained 
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt & ground black pepper, or to taste
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth 
• Garnish: lime wedges & minced cilantro 

Directions:

1. In the morning, place lentils in a soup pot and cover with water. Place a lid on the pot, and allow lentils to soak for 8-12 hours. Once ready to cook soup, pour lentils through a strainer, discarding the water. Set lentils aside for later use.
2. Turn Instant Pot to “Sauté” setting and heat coconut oil until it glistens. Add minced ginger, garlic, and diced onion to pot, and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add cauliflower, green chile, diced sweet potatoes, lentils, chickpeas, coconut milk, canned tomatoes, curry powder, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt & pepper to the pot and stir. Pour in enough broth to cover all the ingredients easily (there should be a about 1 inch of liquid over the top of the lentils), and then secure lid on Instant Pot. Turn to “Bean/Chili” setting, and set timer for 5 minutes with the vent in the sealed position.
4. When timer goes off, release pressure and stir stew. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with minced cilantro and a lime wedge.

Homestyle Sausage, Potato & Spinach Soup

On a cold and misty day, my mom and I meandered down a paved path in the bay area. My mom stopped on the side of the path and held a tree's leaves between her fingers. "Laurel trees," she explained, and when I still didn't quite get it she said, "Bay Leaves."

I've never given bay leaves their dues: they are easy to skip, as a whole pot of soup usually only calls for one or two leaves. They are subtle, so skipping them is never the end of the world. But delicate flavors have always ranked high in my mom's book: florals, herbals, and creams. 

In the winter she'd make soups with leeks and kielbasa, and stir in cream or (and) shredded provolone at the last minute before turning off the heat. She never skipped the bay leaves. 

This soup is an ode to that day, when I discovered how beautiful laurel trees are and remembered why bay leaves are so important. It is nothing fancy: onions, potatoes, sausage, and spinach in a creamy broth. But simplicity is key here, as you can throw it all in the pot (along with two bay leaves), and let it simmer while you change into slippers, pour a glass of wine, or nibble on a cheese plate. 

Winter officially "arrives" this week, which makes it the perfect time to make a simple cozy soup. Bites of spicy sausage and slurps of flavorful broth will warm you to the bone.

Homestyle Sausage, Potato & Spinach Soup

Published December 19, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• 4 sausages (about 1/2 pound); I used Teton Waters Ranch Hot Links (available at Costco) but you can experiment here. Try kielbasa or spicy Italian to mix it up!
• 2 cups new potatoes, quartered 
• 2 large carrots, diced small
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• Dash cayenne 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 4 cups baby spinach 

Directions:

Instant Pot Instructions:
1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of your Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Slice sausages into bite sized pieces, and add to pot, browning for 3-5 minutes. Then, add potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, broth, pepper, salt and dash of cayenne.
3. Turn Instant Pot to Soup setting, seal lid, and set timer for 10 minutes.
4. When the timer goes off, release pressure and open pot. Stir in spinach and cream. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the soup. Add additional salt & pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Stove Top Instructions:
1. Heat coconut oil in the bottom of a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Slice sausages into bite sized pieces, and add to pot, browning for 3-5 minutes. Then, add potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, broth, pepper, salt and dash of cayenne.
3. Bring soup to a simmer, and place lid on pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
4. Turn off heat and, stir in spinach and cream. The spinach will wilt from the heat of the soup. Add additional salt & pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Roasted Maple Chai-Spiced Cashews

Thirty minutes before friends were set to arrive, I heated maple syrup in a skillet until it was sticky. I was making this salad from Saveur Magazine. No more than five minutes later, the cashews were candied and slowly disappearing while they cooled. (Who? Me? Steeling cashews from the pan? Never! 😏)

The cashews from that salad reminded me of the honey sesame cashews Trader Joe's sells in it's trail mix section. But better, because maple syrup. All things maple syrup are better, right? 

Those cashews sat in my mind for the next week. My eyes had been opened to something new: homemade maple cashews, and the flavor possibilities were endless. Maple Cayenne Cashews. Maple Cinnamon Cashews. Maple Rosemary? It could work. 

But the flavor profile that really got me excited was Maple Chai (you know how I love all things chai-spice). 

While I did no gifting of these cashews, and we ate most of them while they were still warm, they would also make a pretty little gift. Can you picture a mason jar filled with Maple Chai-Spiced Cashews tied up with a festive bow and a little name tag? Cute! And so sweet, in more ways than one. 

Roasted Maple Chai-Spiced Cashews

Published November 30, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups roasted, unsalted whole cashews 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/16 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/16 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground anise
• 1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

1. Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine cardamom, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, anise, and cloves. Stir to combine.
3. Heat maple syrup in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes, stirring, until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add spice mix to syrup, stirring to distribute.
4. Now, add cashews to skillet. Stir using a spatula or wooden spoon until all cashews are coated. Scrape cashews with maple syrup onto lined baking sheet and spread out into a single layer, breaking up large clumps. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes.