Vegetable & Lentil Curry

2 Oct, 2017

As advocators of health and wellness, we don’t believe you have to label your diet with one strictly defined term. We love and support all of our vegan and vegetarian friends, but we know that one single way of living is not right for everyone. That’s why, this World Vegetarian Day we want to talk about plant-based diets; not plant-only, but mostly plants along with a bit of other stuff depending on your needs.

For anyone who has grown up eating dinners that consist of meat and two veg every day, if someone tells them they need to turn vegetarian to be healthy, how likely are they to listen? Not very. Everyone has a different starting point on their journey to better health, so whether you start by having a few days per week without meat, or whether you just try to incorporate more vegetarian meals into your diet in general, it’s a great start!

Now let’s talk about the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. According to the US Nutritional Update for Physicians in 2013, doctors came to the conclusion that, ‘major benefits for patients who decide to start a plant-based diet are the possibility of reducing the number of medications they take to treat a variety of chronic conditions, lower body weight, decreased risk of cancer, and a reduction in their risk of death from ischemic heart disease’. Since 2013, more and more doctors and scientists have reinforced these findings with countless studies stating that less processed foods and less animal products lead to improved health and a lower risk of disease.

If you feel like your meals may be limited without having meat, there are so many amazing recipe books and online resources that we can utilise to create restaurant-worthy dishes at home! Dining out is also becoming easier because chefs are catering to the growing vegan and vegetarian population, so most menus have at least a few options for all the plant-eaters out there.

A plant-based diet is not a fad or a quick fix - it’s about making lasting changes that make you feel good every day. A healthy, plant-based diet means eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, seeds, nuts, and whole grains and minimising your intake of animal products and refined or processed foods.

Follow the link for more information on World Vegetarian Day. To get you started, here’s our recipe for a yummy vegetable and lentil curry!
 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Melrose Organic Coconut Oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated

• 1 tsp of mustard seeds

• 1 tsp of ground cumin

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• Up to 1 tsp chili flakes (depending how spicy you like it)

• 1 tomato, chopped

• 3 carrots, sliced

• 1 zucchini, sliced

• 1 cup peas or green beans

• 1 can of brown lentils

• 1 can of coconut milk

• 2 cups water (more if necessary)

• 2 tbsp of Melrose Cashew Spread

• Up to one tsp of organic sea salt

• Handful of chopped coriander (optional)

• Enough cooked rice for two-three servings

Instructions:

• Using a medium pot, melt coconut oil on a low-medium heat. Add onions, garlic and spices and stir until onions are translucent. Only add half of the chili and according to your taste, add more to top when serving.

• Add tomatoes and cashew spread and stir until well combined and a thick, sauce texture begins to form.

• Add carrots and half of the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

• Add remaining coconut milk and lentils and allow to simmer. Check every couple of minutes and add water when necessary.

• After 5-10 minutes add remaining vegetables and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

• When cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

• Top with coriander and serve on a bed of rice.