While I intended to share part 2 on gardening tips, this cold snap compelled me to share a recipe of comfort food, red lentil coconut curry soup. This dish was inspired by what I had in my pantry and garden. I was excited to use my first onions from the garden that started bolting with this latest weather change. White they were small, they were potent. I also harvested some Tuscan and curly kale for the soup. And I boosted the protein in the dish with some gulf shrimp from the store.

Red lentils are a great soup base as it’s loaded with protein and fiber and does not require soaking as it cooks extremely fast. With a handful of ingredients, this quick soup is flavorful, filling and nutritious. Pro tip: this dish is easy to batch cook to freeze a couple of portions to jump start or refill your frozen meal supply. Check out the recipe below and be sure to share your thoughts. If you want other soup ideas for cold snaps, check out this alternative dish with lentils or greens gumbo.

Red Lentil Coconut Curry Soup

Serves 6-8

~307 calories/ serving (based on 8 servings)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups red lentils
• 4 cups (1 container) of vegetable broth (Trader Joe’s)
• 1 can of organic coconut milk
• 1 cup of water (optional for thinning soup)
• 1 lb. gulf shrimp (optional)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 4-5 cloves (1 head) of garlic
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. red curry powder
• 1 tbsp. coarse black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tbsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Dice onion and garlic and add to a medium large pot over medium heat. 

2. Rinse the lentils and add to the pot. Stir well and slowly add vegetable broth.

3. Add in all seasonings and bring to a boil. Once boiling top the pot and reduce the heat to medium low.

4.While that cooks, rinse and slice kale.  Cook for ten minutes, stir the pot well and add kale and coconut milk before stirring again. If too thick, add in water. 

5. Top the pot and while it cooks for another 10 minutes, peel and devein the gulf shrimp if needed. After 10 minutes, add them in an even layer to the pot and stir well. 

6. Turn off heat and top the pot to cook shrimp with residual heat. Pro tip: Shrimp take 3-5 minutes to cook and this method of cooking prevents overcooking which turns the shrimp tough and rubbery.

7. Enjoy