Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk with Brown Rice and Lentils

Serves 6

Recipe from Katieatthekitchendoor.com and Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Your house will smell amazing as this dish cooks.  The hubby loved it and said, “You can make this anytime!”  It’s so tasty and pretty too that I think it is company-worthy.  To make the prep go quicker, make the soup portion in advance and just reheat it when it’s time to serve.  This is a vegan meal, so serve it up on Meatless Monday.

2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

3 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 Tablespoon curry powder

2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger (from a 1 inch piece of ginger)

4 cups vegetable broth

¾ cup fresh orange juice

1 cup coconut milk

2 large shallots, peeled and minced

1½ cup cooked French lentils (You can also substitute canned black beans...just rinse and drain them.)

3 cups cooked brown rice

Yogurt, for serving

Fresh minced cilantro, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Melt 2 Tablespoons of the coconut oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the turmeric, curry powder, and ginger and sauté until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Add the roasted sweet potato and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2o minutes, then remove from heat and carefully transfer to a blender. Add the orange juice and coconut milk and blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set soup aside.

In a small frying pan, melt the remaining 1 Tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and sauté until crispy, another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Scoop a ½ cup of brown rice into each bowl. Pour soup over the rice, then top with lentils, yogurt, and cilantro.