Sweet Potato Lentil Curry

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion diced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger microplaned
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1-3 tbsp Thai curry paste*
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 cup lentils** sorted and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth or water, adding salt to taste at the end of cooking
• 2 bags Stahlbush Island Farms frozen sweet potatoes, about 4 cups
• 15 oz canned coconut milk
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, use tamari to make this gluten-free
• 3 oz baby spinach (may use chard or kale ribbons),  about 3 cups
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• fresh cilantro and toasted sesame seeds for serving, if desired
• rice, quinoa, rice noodles, mashed potatoes or flat bread for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion until softened, 2-3minutes. Add in the ginger, garlic, curry paste and tahini, stirring to coat the onions and cooking for a minute.
• Stir in the broth and lentils. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender about 15 minutes. If using red split lentils, add the sweet potatoes now with the lentils, otherwise give the lentils a head start so your sweet potatoes don’t overcook.
• After the 15 minutes, stir in the sweet potatoes (if not using red lentils), coconut milk and soy sauce, simmering for another 20 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender.
• Stir in the spinach and lime juice. Serve over hot rice or rice noodles, if desired. Garnish with cilantro, toasted sesame seeds and lime wedges if desired.

Notes:

*If you’re sensitive to heat, start with one tablespoon of the Thai curry paste. Once the sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked, taste and add more curry paste as desired – whisk into a few tablespoons of hot water to break it up before adding it into the pot.

**Any variety of lentil works in this recipe. Red lentils cook in the same amount of time as the sweet potatoes and will create a thicker curry/stew because they fall apart. French lentils will hold their shape and create a brothier curry, but need 20 minutes more cooking than the sweet potatoes. Green or brown lentils also need the extra 20 minutes but will fall apart a bit more than the French lentils.