Eat. Laugh. Run.: That Time I Accidentally Sprouted Lentils

I have a decent amount of time to think during the course of a normal day. Sometimes my thinking time comes during my morning runs, others it's during the course of my multi-hour commute. Last Tuesday, despite the near-perfect weather conditions and my pseudo-on-time escape from the office, it took me a solid 2 hours to get home. I was nothing short of livid. Thank you impromptu construction on 95-North in the middle of rush hour. It had already been a strenuous day to begin with and an epic commute was not the icing on the cake I needed. When I finally got home it was a toss up what I needed most: to urinate, eat, or guzzle a vat of wine. The very tiny silver lining in that nightmare was that it gave me the opportunity to assess what I would make for dinner the next day, after I'd spent the day working from home and was in at least mildly better spirits.

After last week's slightly epic feast, I found myself with a slew of lentils left over thanks to the lentil-based recipe grossly overestimating how many I should prepare. There are few things in life I hate more than wasting food, so I was determined to find a purpose for them other than sticking them in the freezer for safe keeping. With another wave of snow scheduled to hit my fair city on Wednesday, nothing sounded better than a homemade pot of soup.

I'm incredibly finicky with soup. If it's over 50 degrees outside, nothing sounds more off putting to me than soup. I have a very firm "no soup during summer" rule, which is slightly problematic at times like our annual August crab feast when I end up missing out on my Grandmother's crab soup more often than not. But during the colder months it's utterly divine and one of my favorite entrees. Back in the early days of my blog, I broke in one of my new Christmas kitchen toys (the immersion blender) creating this black bean soup, which quickly became a staple in my kitchen that winter. Unfortunately, I made that soup way too much that year and haven't been able to bring myself to eat it since (I'm also finicky about how frequently I can eat things without getting tired of them....it's a very delicate balance), so I needed to come up with something new.

With a large bowl full of lentils taunting me every time opened the refrigerator, I was determined to combine them with one of my favorite spices (curry) to create something magical. Thanks in part to the wonder that is Google, I was able to type in my hopes and dreams and in no time was wading through the interweb's best offerings for "kale lentil curry soup." It was a little overwhelming, but ultimately I found the basis for which I created today's plat du jour.

Kale Lentil and Curry Soup

Ingredients
Original recipe found here

2 Tbps extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 small carrots, diced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbps curry powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup sprouted lentils*
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups water or vegetable broth (or a combo)
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 package chopped kale
Dried cranberries for topping (optional)

*When I went to pull the lentils out of the fridge for use, I discovered they'd started to sprout. At first I was hysterical and feared that I'd have to throw them away after all, but then I turned to the trusty Google again and discovered otherwise. Apparently, sprouted lentils are even better for you and easier to digest than regularly prepared lentils. Who would've thought?! If you don't have the habit of leaving lentils lying around to sprout, you can also use uncooked lentils in this recipe and just add them when you add the tomatoes and potatoes.

Preparation

1. Heat a large stock pot with olive oil over medium heat.

The adult child in me is still pretty excited about the new cutting board Santa brought me this year. It's so nice finally having room for everything!

2. Add carrots, celery, and onions and saute for 4-5 minutes (this flavor combination always reminds me of making stuffing for Thanksgiving...and I'm not complaining).

3. Next, add tomato paste, garlic, curry, cumin, and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine before cooking for 3 minutes.

4. Lastly, add tomatoes, potatoes, broth and/or water, and salt and pepper.

5. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 35 mins total, stirring occasionally. After 15 minutes, add in the kale, and with 5 minutes remaining, add sprouted lentils.

6. Serve with your favorite fresh bread. Oddly, I was drawn to a rosemary and olive oil loaf at market. I typically wouldn't combine rosemary and curry, but it actually ended up being a delightful combination.