Curried Red Lentil Stew with Pumpkin Seeds

curried red lentil stewThis hearty stew will warm up your insides with ultra, power-packed, disease-fighting nutrition that includes pumpkin seeds, red lentils, garlic, ginger, turmeric and cilantro.

There’s about a foot of fresh snow on the ground, and more is still falling–even in Boulder, Colorado, things are pretty shut down today. It’s an official ‘snow day’ here!  Seems like a good day to make a hot, piping bowl of red lentil stew, if you ask me. I love this stew! The curry and spice add a touch of heat and the lentils are deliciously filling.

Red lentils actually start out orange, and are much smaller than the more common green or brown lentils, which are larger and tend to get more mushy. I love the lighter taste of red lentils and how quickly they cook. Lentils contain lots of healthy fiber, making them slower to digest, which helps blood sugar stability. They are high in protein, hearty and satisfying. I added toasted pumpkin seeds for a little bit of crunchy, nutty texture, extra protein, and minerals. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of immune-boosting zinc, manganese, phosphorus, copper and iron. Pumpkin seeds also contain a wide variety of antioxidant phytonutrients, and trytophan, an important precursor to serotonin, the ‘happiness’ brain chemical. This time of the year, with the shorter days, and holiday stress descending upon us, a little help with our serotonin production is just what the doctor (or diet/health fanatic) ordered!

I added in fresh turmeric from the produce section instead of the powdered kind you find in the spice aisle, because the fresh root (which looks a bit like an orangish ginger root) is even more potent with its powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, brain-protective, heart disease-preventing power. There is virtually no body system that does not benefit from turmeric, so use it liberally!

Curried Red Lentil Stew

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils, rinsed thoroughly

2-3 stalks of celery, chopped

2-3 carrots, sliced

1/2 red onion, chopped

1-3 cloves garlic, minced

handful cilantro, chopped

1 medium sized tumeric root, minced

1 Tbsp (I didnt measure) fresh ginger root, minced

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 to 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp red pepper or cayenne, more or less to taste

sea salt and black pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan add lentils, and about double the water–adjust to how thick or thin you’d like it to be. Rinse a couple of times until water is not foamy or bubbly. Put over med-high heat and bring to boil. Meanwhile in a frying pan on med-high, add a tablespoon of olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, carrots, celery, and spices. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Be careful not to burn the spices.

In small frying pan, add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds with a small amount of olive oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring often–being careful they don’t burn. (I added a lid to the pan, as pumpkin seeds often puff up as they cook and can pop right out of the pan!)

Add to lentils and continue to cook, 20 minutes or so, until lentils are soft and and ingredients are fully cooked. Add chopped cilantro, and fresh lemon juice, and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!! Serves 2-4

 

A Votre Sante!

cat

Save the Colorado picCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, (working on MSN/PH) is an international health, wellness and longevity expert. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing, she has spent the last 30 years studying sustainable diets, health and nutrition all over the world. She also has 4 books including the worldwide best-seller,  “The Fat Burning Kitchen,” “The Top 101 Foods That Fight Aging”, and “The Superfoods Diabetes Reversal Diet”,  and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help create a healthier planet and healthier people.

                             Cat’s Global Green Kitchen

 

 

 

 

Easy Lentil Curry Salad

So I am doing this detox diet, and for some strange reason, I’ve been craving lentils. When you crave something that’s good for you, listen. It’s most likely your body telling you it needs a particular nutrient…

lentil salad

So I am doing this detox diet, and for some strange reason, I’ve been craving lentils. I know enough about my body (and you should too) to listen when I am craving a certain type of food. No that doesn’t mean when you crave candy, cake, mac and cheese, or anything else that isn’t healthy for your body.

But when you truly crave something that is good for you, then listen. It’s most likely your body telling you it needs a particular nutrient.

So what about lentils? Well, I try to eat a mostly Paleo style diet, and legumes are a ‘no-no’ on a Paleo diet. I’m not sure why, it seems that primitive folks would want to eat lentils if they had ’em. Maybe they didn’t cozy up around the camp fire to a big bowl of steaming lentil soup, but really, there are worse things, right?

Well, for starters, lentils are full of fiber. Guess that’s good for a detox diet, don’t ya think?

And, lentils help lower cholesterol, and stabilize blood-sugar. Lentils are also very high in magnesium, that calming mineral that the majority of us are short on. Got leg cramps? Get magnesium. Trouble sleeping and relaxing? Get magnesium. You get the idea…

On top of that, lentils also provide plenty of B vitamins and protein and are not heavy on the calories. Good thing for a detox diet, it sounds like. Plus they are tasty, go great in a salad or soup and fill you up. I’m all for that.

So here is the salad I whipped up while I was craving lentils and on my detox diet. I have to say it was delicious and satisfying. You can play around with the ingredients as you like, but this combo was pretty tasty! Just be sure to use organic veggies as much as possible.

Lentil-Veggie Salad

1 cup or so dry lentils, rinsed

1 bunch of radishes, chopped or sliced

6-8 asparagus stalks, chopped and lightly cooked

1 medium size cucumber

1 firm tomato chopped

1 firm avocado chopped

1 red onion chopped or 4-5 green onions sliced

1 clove or 2 of garlic

handful of fresh cilantro chopped

1 tsp or so of curry powder

red pepper flakes

sea salt and pepper

juice of one fresh lemon

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Rinse and cook lentils till tender. Rinse with cool water and drain. Add veggies, lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings. Stir and chill. Enjoy! Serves 2-4, and makes great leftovers too.

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean!

cat

 

 

Catherine Cat profile close up(Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. Get the latest Gluten Free, Superfoods Recipe book HERE–The Fat Burning Kitchen Superfoods Recipes. Cat also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

                   

 

                 Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

                                      Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.