Happy St. Patrick's Day & A Red Lentil Butternut Squash Curry

Orange and green: how's that for a St. Patrick's Day lunch? If you haven't met me, you might not know I'm Irish, but after one look: freckles, pale skin, and a last name that screams it, it's pretty clear that I've got some Irish blood. Though, I've never been to the place -- only dreamt of it and attempted to live my Irish fantasy through friends that have been there. One friend -- my dear friend (and bridesmaid) Sheila, studied abroad in Gallway, Ireland and had wonderful tales of friendly locals, packed pubs and curry to share. Seems strange, right? Curry? In Ireland? Sure, it's not Irish food, but Ireland has really become quite multi-cultural: with ethnic sections of major cities, much like the Little Italy's and Chinatowns in the U.S. So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day I give you a curry dish: red lentil and butternut squash curry to be exact.

I've been hearing a lot about red lentils lately. They're cheap, tasty, high in fiber and folate and when mixed with rice become a complete protein. I chose to skip the rice this time and go with some kale under my lentils, making for hearty "Erin Go Bragh" lunch.

I adapted this recipe from one found on epicurious for Coconut Red-Lentil Curry with Zucchini

Red Lentil & Butternut Squash Curry (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

serves 4 for dinner

1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 1/2 teaspoon curry
dash nutmeg
dash cayenne pepper
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup coconut milk (if you want it creamier, use more coconut milk, less water)
1 1/2 cups dried red lentil
2 cups butternut squash, diced into cubes
fresh cilantro to garnish
coconut milk yogurt to garnish

In a deep skillet, add the oil and onion and saute for at least five minutes until fragrant. Then add the ginger and garlic and saute for one minute. Then add all of the spices and saute for another minute. Next add the water, coconut milk and lentils and bring to a boil. Immediately, turn down to a simmer and cook for another five minutes. Then add the squash and cover and simmer for another fifteen minutes until the lentils and squash are tender. Serve and garnish with fresh cilantro and coconut milk yogurt.

Broccoli Soup

I remember in college that I would sometimes indulge in the Velveeta-yellow, broccoli and cheese soup that my cafeteria offered. It was good and filling and on a cold New England day it was downright perfection.

On a chilly day last week I had a craving for that soup, so when I saw two packages of frozen chopped broccoli on sale for $1 at the grocery store, I knew I had to attempt it. And I'm sure glad I did.

This soup, with no cheese, no dairy, no nutritional yeast flakes (often found in vegan dishes to mimic "cheesiness") is somehow creamy and almost cheesy. I attribute it to the rice flour roux, blending of the soup and long simmer time of the recipe. I ate it right out of the pot. Then I had it warm for dinner. And the next day I had it cold for breakfast. I've gotta make these cheap dishes more often.

"Creamy"Broccoli Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

serves 4

1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons rice flour
2 packages of 10 oz frozen, chopped broccoli slightly thawed
2 cups water plus one vegetarian bouillon cube (or vegetable stock)
freshly cracked salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon each)
1 teaspoon ground garlic (or 2 cloves of fresh garlic)

In a saucepan on medium heat, add the olive oil. Then add the onion and saute for at least five minutes. Next, add the rice flour to create a roux. With a whisk keep mixing the flour/olive oil/onion mixture until it gets light brown (about five minutes). Then one and a half boxes of the broccoli, salt, pepper and garlic and saute a bit more. Then add the water or stock. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down and continue to simmer. Next, I used my immersion blender and blended the soup until creamy, then I added the rest of the broccoli to make it more of a hearty soup. If you like it creamier, then blend all the broccoli. Simmer for another twenty minutes, adjust seasonings and serve.