Coconut Lentil Soup

Currently in holiday euphoria over here — locally made eggnog [liquid gold!] and a chewy molasses ginger cookie from Cougar Mountain Baking Company. This was my first, and definitely not last, time trying out these cookies. They’re quite possibly the best store bought cookie I’ve ever had [granted I don’t eat a lot of store bought cookies, sooo…]. They have real ingredients and a short shelf life. Which means I either need to freeze them or eat them soon. I’m sure you know the answer to that.

We had snow this morning. It blew sideways and everything. I watched it from the comfort of my cubicle [jealous, much?]. It didn’t stick of course. We’re only at 20ft above sea level or something. I’m not going to lie; I think it would be pretty rad to have an a white Christmas. That happens next to never here, and odds are such that it won’t this year. A girl can hope, right? Maybe I should ask Santa…

I made this soup/stew the other night because, well, it’s cold out. That, and I’m a sucker for all things coconut [hello current obsession with coconut milk]. Throw in some Indian-like spices, some kale, and lentils, and you have yourself a party. Or at least a really filling, healthy meal. If you’re going to go to the trouble to toast some coconut, babysit the heck out of it. It goes from coconut to BURNT in like .3 seconds if you’re not careful. Lucky for me, I’m borderline careful. I did receive an “It smells like french fries,” out of the deal. See? Borderline.

Inspiration: Sprouted Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups broth of choice [I used beef. Rebel.]
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, diced up the bottom third of the stalk
• sea salt
• 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1.25 cups coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 bunch of kale, leaves torn away from the stems
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut
• chopped cilantro, garnish

Preparation

In a large soup pot, add the lentils, broth, turmeric, and thyme. Bring everything to a boil before turning it down to a low simmer. Let it get cozy for 20ish minutes.

In a separate sauté pan, melt the coconut oil and let it coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, tossing to coat. Let it cook until just starting to brown, then add the lemongrass, a pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of red chile flakes. Really pay attention to your spice threshold. You can always add more later. After it all cooks together for a minute, at it to your simmering broth.

Add the coconut milk and kale to the mixture. Let it cook together and eventually wilt. It’ll take about five minutes. I hope you’ve been tasting the broth throughout the process. If not, make sure you do it now. Taste for more salt or spice. Add the lemon juice, stir, and taste again.

Top with the toasted coconut and cilantro when serving.