1Tbsp.cooking oil (I use grapeseed, coconut, or avocado oil)
1small or medium onion, diced
3garlic cloves, minced
2large carrots, finely diced
14oz. can light coconut milk*
3cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more as needed to thin the broth
2Tbsp.freshly grated ginger
2tsp.curry powder
1tsp. ground cumin
1/2tsp. sea salt
1/2tsp. black pepper
2cups dried red lentils
2cupsfresh spinach, chopped
Cayenne pepper to taste, optional
For the Coconut Cilantro Lime Rice**
11/2 cups brown rice
Water,according to package directions
1/2tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2-3Tbsp.lime juice
2-3Tbsp.chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
For the Dal
In a medium or large pot, saute diced onion and minced garlic in cooking oil over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, or until soft.
Add the diced carrots, liquid (coconut milk and vegetable broth), spices (ginger, curry powder, cumin, salt and pepper) and lentils.
Turn heat up to high and bring liquid to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat back to a slow simmer (about medium-low) and cook for 15-20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Stir every few minutes to make sure lentils don't stick, especially near the end of the cooking period. Add more broth if needed. Once lentils are soft, add fresh spinach and cayenne pepper, to taste, for some heat.
For the Coconut Cilantro Lime Rice**
Prepare rice according to package directions, adding coconut oil and salt at the beginning of the cooking process. Once rice is ready, stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Notes
*Instead of light coconut milk, you can use half a can of full-fat coconut milk, plus half a can of water (once the can is empty, just fill up half of it with water to measure it)**If making brown rice, start cooking the rice before the dal since it takes longer. Otherwise, start the dal first.