Can you believe it’s October already?
That means it’s time to pull out the pumpkin recipes, carve a jack o’lantern and dust off your Halloween outfit! Sounds like a pretty good excuse to celebrate pumpkins to me 😉
While I cook with pumpkin and squash all year round, mainly because they’re readily available and locally grown, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with dedicating a month to this iconic vegetable.
So before I get to this new recipe for Pumpkin & Red Lentil Coconut Curry, here’s a quick recap of some of my favourite pumpkin recipes to date:
Pumpkin & Lentil Spinach Salad – one of the easiest, throw together salads that can be served warm or cold, for lunch or dinner.
Carrot, Pumpkin & Turmeric Soup with Spicy Black Bean Topping – this is one of the most popular recipes on here, and I can see why. It’s a lovely, thick pumpkin soup infused with warming ginger, and the black bean topping provides the perfect texture contrast and is a good source of plant based protein.
Pumpkin Pie Granola – if you eat oats, this is quite possibly the perfect October breakfast! I gave my crunchy maple banana granola a low sugar makeover using pumpkin as the main sweetener and loaded it up with pumpkin pie spices!
Last but not least are two completely sugar free recipes that use pumpkin as the sole sweetener:
Pumpkin Pancakes & Pumpkin Pie Brownies – these two recipes can take unsuspecting tastebuds by surprise. They’re not especially sweet as they don’t contain any added sugar or sweeteners besides pumpkin, so they’re best enjoyed when you’re tastebuds are accustomed to no sugar, like when on a 10 Day Sugar Cleanse.
This recipe for Pumpkin & Red Lentil Coconut Curry is one of my easy, go-to weeknight meals because you can whip it up in just 30 minutes, and it makes fabulous leftovers for lunch the next day.
It’s completely plant based, gluten/grain, dairy & sugar free, and just happens to be one of the recipes from the Plant Based Menu in my 10 Day Sugar Cleanse program.
Even though it only takes 30 minutes to make, it’s made completely from scratch with no curry paste or sauces added. It’s simply a clever combination of fresh vegetables, herbs and spices, and red lentils make it deliciously thick and creamy, and are a source of plant based protein.
You can make it as spicy or mild as you like with the amount of fresh chillies you add, and likewise, feel free to adapt the vegetables to whatever you have in season or to hand.
I hope you enjoy this fragrant pumpkin and red lentil coconut curry, and if you make it let me know!
Leave me a comment down below and be sure to tag any photos @swoon.food #swoonfood on social media so that I can come and admire them.
Enjoy!
PUMPKIN & RED LENTIL COCONUT CURRY
Serves: 2 to 4
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes
1 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup red lentils
1/2 small pumpkin
1 carrot
1 zucchini
1/2 head broccoli
1 handful mushrooms
1 red or green capsicum
1 handful cherry tomatoes
10cm piece fresh ginger
2 fresh red or green chillies (optional)
pink Himalayan salt & black pepper
400ml coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut, avocado or macadamia oil
To Garnish:
2 handfuls bean sprouts
1 large handful coriander
2 spring onions
Prep the vegetables by slicing the onion in half and then into thin strips. Peel and crush the garlic. Wash the broccoli and chop into florets. Peel and chop the carrot, pumpkin, zucchini, mushrooms and capsicum into bite size pieces. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Chop the chillies into thin slices. Wash the lentils under filtered water to remove any unwanted debris.
Heat the oil in a large fry pan or wok and when hot add the onions. Stir fry for a few minutes until they start to soften, then add the garlic, followed by the broccoli, carrot, zucchini, capsicum and chillies. Add 1/4 cup of water to create some steam and continue to stir fry for a few more minutes. Add the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
Next add the coconut milk and red lentils, grate in the ginger and season with salt and pepper. Allow the coconut milk to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally, ensuring the lentils are submerged. If the liquid barely covers the vegetables or looks too low, add another cup of filtered water. Cook around 20 minutes or until you can easily slice the carrot and pumpkin with a butter knife, and the lentils are soft.
Lastly rinse and drain the bean sprouts, coriander and spring onion. Finely chop the spring onion then add all three to the coconut curry just before serving.
Store any leftover red lentil coconut curry in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.
