My Easy 'Go To' Anti-Inflammatory Lentil and Veggie Curry

July 2, 2018

My ’Go To’ Anti-Inflammatory Curry

Ok, so I realise the title doesn't make it sound super exciting, BUT this curry is not just any old curry… this is my official ‘go to’ meal for pretty much any day or night of the week when I need something healthy, nourishing, easy and most of all DELICIOUS.

Not even joking, I make this dish at least twice a week (I am sure my instagram followers can vouch for this! Haha)

I love using Turmeric, and since I was diagnosed with PCOS, I find myself putting it in EVERYTHING... especially this curry.

So what's so good about Turmeric??

Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and can even match the effectiveness of some synthetic drugs #CRAZY

As we PCOS gals know, inflammation is one of the main root causes of PCOS and can result in many of our unwanted PCOS symptoms such as acne.

So Curcumin, which is the main active compound in Tumeric, is a potent antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals to help fight ageing and many diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, arthritis, preeclampsia etc.

Turmeric also fights depression, which is good to know if you're going through a bit of rough patch. It also helps with detoxification, so it's fantastic for those who have just come off the pill and need to remove all those synthetic hormones from their system, but it's also amazing for the rest of you if you just need some help to balance your hormones and help remove harmful environmental toxins and excess androgens and estrogen.

YEP, IT'S A MIRACLE WORKER!

Anyway this recipe is perfect if you're experimenting with using turmeric, as it gives the curry a beautiful golden colour and also enhances the flavour.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you pretty much just need a couple of pantry staples and whatever veggies you have on hand to get cooking!

Ingredients

1 heaping tablespoon (20 mL) virgin coconut oil
4 cups of roughly chopped veggies (you can use whatever veggies you like but my fave veggies for this recipe are spinach, carrot, sweet potato, broccoli and frozen peas!
1/2 cup (100 g) uncooked red lentils (add more if you want it to be thicker!)
2 cups (125 mL) organic vegetable stock (add more if you want it to be more soupy)
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can organic diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can organic coconut milk
3 cloves of garlic
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon good curry powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon of turmeric powder
¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over low-medium heat.
Add the onion and garlic and fry until brown.
Add the chopped veggies (I leave the spinach and frozen peas until last) into the pot and stir until combined. Increase heat to medium.
Add in the rest of the ingredients - lentils, water, diced tomatoes, coconut milk, all the spices, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.
Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes, until the veggies and lentils are tender (the cook time will depend on the types of veggies you use, and their size)
Stir the curry frequently while cooking, and reduce the heat if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the pot.
If desired, serve over rice and garnish with cilantro and lime. (I actually like to make mine into a soup sometimes!)