Indian Red Lentil Dal + Curry Roasted Cauliflower w/ Brown Rice
EatMoveRest Earth Day Retreat Re-Cap
More photos & info here!
Last weekend, Dusty and I hosted our very first EatMoveRest Retreat--and on Earth Day, nonetheless! We began the morning with a smoothie and superfood breakfast demo followed by some time getting to know each other. We gave a presentation on how to Eat, Move, and Rest better, and then broke for lunch. We enjoyed a raw foods, fruit and veggie buffet and went into some plant-based education after. We were worried about rain all week leading up, but Mother Nature cooperated and gave us a perfectly sunny day, so we were able to go outside and I lead us in through a yoga flow on the island. We concluded the day with some giveaways, so everyone went home with something! Dusty and I had a great time, and can't wait to bring more EatMoveRest events to all of you!
What's Cookin'?
Between our retreat attendees and online followers from YouTube and social media, we have been getting a bunch of requests for more cooked recipes. We tend to share a lot of raw food recipes because we eat mostly raw foods. That being said, our favorite type of food to eat when we go out is Indian cuisine. While it can be super easy to find delicious vegan options at ethnic restaurants like Indian, Thai, and Japanese, the dishes can still be laden with oils, refined carbohydrates, and too much salt. Needless to say, we took it upon ourselves to begin learning how to cook our favorite Indian restaurant dishes at home!
Dinner + A Movie
The other night, Dusty and I finally had dinner and a movie--without our devices! It had been a long time coming--lately we'd gotten into a bad habit of bringing our computers downstairs with us while we started a movie, and we would wind up getting roped into working and not spending time together. It was a good night to watch a movie with undivided attention, because it was an awesome one! We had just finished our favorite, home-cooked, Indian meal consisting of red lentil dal and curry roasted cauliflower with a side of brown rice, and sat down on the couch to scroll through AppleTV for a good, new movie. We came across a new release titled, Lion, starring Dev Patel, from the well-known, Slumdog Millionaire (also a great flick)! I can't recommend this movie enough! The combination of the recipe below and this movie will make for the perfect, eastern-inspired date night in, or fun for the whole family!
Give Your Meal a Pow, with Curry Powder!
Curry powder is the one-stop-shop for all things Indian cuisine. Many traditional recipes call for only a couple of staple ingredients (like lentils, rice, and cauliflower), and a heaping handful of various spices. If you don't have a fully-stocked spice cabinet, then curry powder can be a great way to achieve a similar, classic Indian-flavored dish. The type of organic curry powder that I use contains: coriander, turmeric, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, cayenne, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves--phew! So you can see what I mean...it can be a lot easier to use this perfectly-proportioned spice than to go out and get 10 different types of individual spices.
Curry powder is know for it's anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties--and especially turmeric. What's more, is that black pepper has been shown to boost the bioavailability of curcumin--the component of turmeric that can help to ward off cancer and other diseases and disorders of inflammation. Dusty and I always add freshly cracked black pepper to our Indian dishes, just to get the full benefit of the spices. For more info, watch this quick video on Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin, by Dr. Greger of NutritionFacts.org.
Indian Red Lentil Dal + Curry Roasted Cauliflower w/ Brown Rice
This classic, restaurant-style Indian dinner will fill your home with the warm scent of traditional, eastern spices, and fill your belly with delicious and nutritious, plant-based foods that won't leave you feeling sluggish and weighed down. Curry powder serves as the one-stop-shop that when dusted on anything, will provide the perfectly proportioned medley of spices to flavor up your dinner plate!
vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, low fat
serves: 2-4 // time: 45 min
ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
red lentil dal
1 cup split red lentils
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon curry powder
salt + pepper to taste
curry roasted cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
1 red onion
1 cup peas
curry powder to taste
salt + pepper to taste
method:
brown rice
Rinse brown rice in fine, mesh strainer and place in shallow pot or frying pan with two cups water. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Place lid on, slightly cracked, and allow to simmer. Cook about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. When liquid is almost completely absorbed, fluff with fork and scoop into dish and cover.
red lentil daal
Dice yellow onion and mince garlic cloves and set aside.
Rinse red lentils in fine, mesh strainer and place in shallow pot or frying pan with two cups water, and turn heat on high.
Add yellow onion, garlic, curry powder, salt, and pepper and stir to mix spices.
Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Place lid on top. Cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When ingredients are cooked, scoop half into a NutriBullet or small food processor and briefly blend until uniform consistency is achieved.
Pour back into pan and mix with remaining lentils. Scoop into dish and cover.
curry roasted cauliflower
Preheat oven to 425ºF.
Slice red onion and measure out 1 cup of frozen green peas and set aside.
Break head of cauliflower into bite-size florets and place on baking sheet lined with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper.
Drizzle cauliflower with a few handfuls of water to moisten, and sprinkle with a dusting of curry powder.
Place into oven for 10-12 minutes.
Take cauliflower out of oven, toss, and add red onions to baking sheet along with cauliflower. Bake for another 8-10 minutes.
Remove onions and cauliflower from oven, toss, and sprinkle peas on top. Place back into over one last time for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet.
Plate up your red lentil dal, roasted cauliflower, brown rice, and mix together if desired!
notes:
Garnish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lemon for authentic, restaurant-style taste!
Goes great with a side of whole wheat naan, or paratha, (traditional Indian bread similar to pita), for dipping and scooping.
As Seen On YouTube
Come hang out with Dusty and I in the kitchen and see what's cookin' as we whip up this delicious dinner! Be sure to Subscribe to the EatMoveRest channel, hit the bell symbol to turn on Notifications to stay up-to-date on new videos, Like the video by giving it a thumbs up, show some love and leave us a Comment, and Share with family and friends!
Curry In A Hurry
If you're a big fan of Indian cuisine like Dusty and I, check out this related, colorfully protein-packed recipe:
Also be sure to check out one of our favorite cookbooks, Vegan Richa, for more authentic Indian cuisine!
If you've never tried Indian food, these recipes will be the perfect crash course, and I promise you won't be disappointed! Until next time, EatMoveRest your best, and enjoy your seasonal fruits and veggies in abundance!
