Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Sweet Potatoes & Red Lentils

Happy New Year!!

I can't quite believe it's already 2012, but hopefully you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to get this year started right ;)  If you didn't catch my 11 Best of '11, there are some goodies in there!

While there are quite a few things I have to tell you about, I chose something a bit healthier to start off with, in case you're still in a cookie coma!  This dip morphed into a delicious soup, so you could certainly go whichever route you're craving.  Is it 50 in december?  Perhaps you'll prefer some crisp veggies and dip.  If it actually feels like winter where you are, I'd opt for a nice bowl of this delicious soup!



Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Dip
adapted from Whole Foods
Yield:  4c

1-2T extra virgin olive oil
1 sm onion, chopped
1 lg garlic clove, chopped
2 sm sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1" knob of ginger, grated
1t cumin
1/2t curry powder
1/2t smoked paprika
1/2t garam masala
1/4t coriander
1/2t sea salt
few grinds black pepper
1 1/2c red lentils, picked over
3/4c light coconut milk
2 1/2c water
juice of 1 sm lemon

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally until softened, ~5-7min.   Add sweet potatoes and spices (ginger through pepper) and saute until fragrant. Stir in lentils, water and coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes (and lentils) are soft, ~20min.  If your liquid cooks off before the sweet potatoes are tender, add a little more  water (but not too much, or that will make for a thin dip).

Remove the pan from the heat and let cool a bit.  Add lemon juice to the mixture and puree using a blender or food processor.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or chopped herbs, if you remember ;)




Sweet Potato & Red Lentil Soup

leftover sweet potato and red lentil dip (recipe above)
remaining coconut milk from the can
water/broth, if desired

Add dip and coconut milk to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat.  Stir or whisk to combine and add any water to reach your desired consistency.  Serve warm, topped with chopped scallions or herbs, or some greek yogurt.


How did you ring in the new year?

19 comments:

Erica said...

Yum! I'm loving orange foods right now :) We have a load of butternut squash to use up. I bet I could use that in place of the sweet potatoes? Good stuff!

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

We made a huge feast for New Year's Eve and we're still working through the leftovers!

vanillasugarblog said...

wow and you even made it into a soup! you clever little girl you.
happy new year sweetie!

Emily @ A Cambridge Story said...

Cookie coma is a perfect way to put it! This soup sounds like the perfect detox meal :)

Kristen said...

what a great way to use leftover dip!! Looks so comforting.

Aimee said...

Yum! I love sweet potatoes and lentils! I'm definitely going to try this!

Elizabeth said...

I loved it as the dip but it does look quite excellent as a soup too. Mmmm.

Delicious Dishings said...

Sounds like a great dip to bring one out of a cookie coma. :)

We went to a potluck with some friends and ate all night!

Natalie said...

great use of leftovers! i need some healthy meals like this bc i totally just ate a cookie :)

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

what a great way to use lentils!!!

Sacha said...

I love sweet potatoes. I love lentils. I love them together. Both the dip and the soup are right up my alley!

Unknown said...

This is making me hungry! Looks lovely.Really cool post and love the title of it! I really like your blog and found you from a comment you left on another blog, would you like to follow each other?
Aimee
www.new-yorkdoll.blogspot.com
Xxx

Cotter Crunch said...

i think this definitely helps the cookie coma. Nourishing and blood sugar stabilizing. hehe.

Reeni said...

Love how you turned dip into a soup! Genius. Happy New Year!

Ranjani said...

Love how this dip plays double duty as soup! Smart party food for sure. Happy new year!

Megan @ Cooking Whims said...

These both sound like they belong on my weekly menu---yum!

Joanne said...

Well, now that it's ZERO degrees outside...I'll take the soup! ALthough...I really did love the dip. Maybe the soup, with a side of the hummus for pita dipping? I think yes.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the comment on my blog.

Kerstin said...

The dip was so tasty and I love how you morphed it into a soup! I'm sure the extra coconut milk goodness was delicious :)

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