RECIPE - Spinach & Mushroom Lentil Curry

This is a 'non paleo' meal, which could be made paleo with the removal of the lentils (part of the legume family - gut irritators) and addition of any vegetables you like!

The reason I have included it in its non-paleo form is to show that it is okay not to be 100% with any diet if the 'no no' foods do not have an adverse effect on your body or moral conscience. I eat legumes at times (I have made this curry with chickpeas too) and especially when trying to eat more vegan. This helps increase my protein intake, which I have found is very important for my energy levels when training a lot. Generally, my gut can cope with legumes, apart from a higher than average production of *cough*... 'gas'!

As always, I encourage you to listen to your body and develop and adapt where necessary, to do what's right for YOU!

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Shopping list (makes approx 8 meals):

• Lentils (your favourite - I used the small orange variety) x2 cups

• Mushrooms of your choice (I used eringi and shimeji) x3 packs

• Spinach x3 packs

• Chopped tomatoes x1 or 2 tins

• Coconut milk x1 tin (or almond milk if going for less fat/you don't like coconut flavour)

• Tomato paste/puree

• White onion x1

• Garlic cloves x4

• Ginger (thumb sized piece) x1

• Coriander x1 bunch

• Lemon x1

• Coconut/extra virgin olive oil, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, curry powder, turmeric powder, coriander seed powder, cumin seed powder, cayenne pepper powder, brown sugar (I use coconut sugar), salt, pepper. - these are all things I have in my cupboard permanently, so don't obviously shop for them every time, but you need all these items.

The bag of lentils was around 400yen (ordered from https://www.mayabazaar.net/eng) and I obviously didn't use it all, I used maybe a third. All the fresh items listed above cost me 1890yen from 'Niku no Hanamasa' in Temikesanno and will feed me (lunch and dinner) for most of the working-week (8 meals). That's around 250yen per tasty, nutrient dense, hearty, filling, vegan meal!

Method

• Wash your lentils (much like you would rice), looking out for any stones (I didn't find any in my pack), and leave them to soak in a bowl of water while you prep everything else - Some people like their lentils soft, so may pre-boil them, but I'm lazy and don't mind having a little more bite to mine.

• Add a couple of good 'lugs' of coconut oil to your large saucepan/wok and put it on a medium-high heat.

• Dice the onion and finely mince the garlic, ginger and stems of your coriander (save the leaves for fresh garnish), crush 2-4 kaffir lime leaves and add everything to your pan to sweat/brown slightly for 5-10 minutes, until they become fragrant.

• If you feel you need a little more oil, you can add some (to stop your spices from sticking) and then add: 2-4 bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of curry powder, turmeric, salt & pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin & coriander seed and 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Depending on how spicy you like it, add as much or as little cayenne pepper as you want. To be honest, I don't really measure anything, I do everything by sight. These measurements might be a bit off, but they're my best guess, but this isn't an exact science after all!

• Have your mushrooms chopped how you like and ready to go, as if the spices begin to stick, you will want to add these and maybe some more oil. Otherwise fry your spices for around 5mins until fragrant, then add your mushrooms and fry for a further 5-10mins, until they seem cooked/slightly browned at the edges.

• Drain and add your lentils and stir them in to get them coated in all the flavours.

• Add your can(s) of tomatoes, your nut milk and a little water. Make sure everything is covered in liquid. It can be a little more liquidy than you like, as the lentils will absorb some of it and expand and it will of course cook down over time too.

• Simmer the mixture for 20-60mins, depending on how soft you like your lentils. Test along the way for texture and seasoning and adjust as you like (more salt, sugar, pepper, curry powder, cumin, cayenne etc.). If you do add more spices, just make sure you give them at least 10-15mins to cook out and dissipate into the sauce. Salt, sugar and pepper obviously don't need cook out time. Add more liquids too if it starts to look a little dry/thick.

• When the lentils are cooked to your liking, the seasoning has all been balanced and you are ready to serve, wash and chop your spinach and stir it in. You only want to 'cook' the spinach long enough to wilt it, which only takes a few minutes. Best to cook it as little as possible, to hold on to its nutrients and vibrant green colour! Three packs of spinach might seem a lot, but it really isn't once it has wilted! Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to add the spinach in 'batches', adding more spinach as the first batch wilts enough to accommodate the next batch.

• Finish by squeezing in the juice of one/half a lemon, for a bit of zing!

Serving your curry:

As always, it is completely up to you how you serve this/what you serve it with. For my paleo lunches this week I am serving this with roasted cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato and carrots. If you want it in the more 'traditional' way and how I will eat it occasionally, just use some plain white rice. Finally, add your fresh chopped coriander leaves, just before eating! YUM!

When you are finished cooking / serving, it may look something like this:

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Doesn't it just MAKESENSE to add more delicious plant based food to your diet and help do your bit for the planet? It is also important to allow yourself occasional deviation from whatever 'diet' you might be following. It is the only way to make it sustainable in the long term... the most important thing is that you are making conscious decisions and YOU are the one preparing your meals, not some faceless corporation.

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