Something warm right before the snow...

One of my Christmas gifts the year I decided to be a vegetarian was a cookbook from my husband.  How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (check it out here) by Mark Bittman truly is a bible of cooking...and it's very thick...and really heavy...and I loved it as the supportive gesture it was but found it incredibly intimidating.  So after paging through a few times it kept my other unused cookbooks company for a while until I recently dusted it off and actually (gasp) cooked from it! 

One of the brilliant things about this cookbook is Bittman offers up each of his recipes with variations.  He allows you to get familiar with the basics before challenging you to mix it up.  What I love is once you know the basics you will probably be able to come up with variations on your own and then you will really feel like you are cooking.

You can find dried lentils at any grocery store but if you have a local Indian grocery I suggest looking there first.  You should find a better selection of lentils and usually spices, like the curry powder used here, are sold in bulk at a cheaper price per unit.

I made this recipe last week and we loved it so much I remade it tonight.  I like to serve it with broccoli topped with sriracha (you will find out there are actually few meals that I don't serve with a side of broccoli and sriracha).  Easy, quick, delicious - what more can you ask for on a Monday night?  Especially right before it snows again...stay warm.

Lentils and Potatoes with Curry
From How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Although the recipe calls for brown lentils the first time I made this I used red lentils (masoor dal) and it had a wonderful flavor.  The second time I made this I used yellow lentils (toor dal) and it was definitely a more mild flavor and I didn't care for it as much as I couldn't taste the difference between the lentils and the potatoes which seemed weird to me.  Both times I served this over rice with a side of flat bread. 

1 cup dried brown lentils
3 1/2 cups water (Bittman also recommends using coconut milk or vegetable stock)
1 tbsp curry powder

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

salt and freshly ground black pepper

yogurt and minced fresh cilantro for garnish (if desired)

1.  Combine the lentils, liquid and curry powder in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2.  Turn heat to medium-low, cover pot partially and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils start to absorb the water a bit (about 15 minutes).
3.  Add the potatoes and cover the pan completely.  Cook, undisturbed, for about 10 minutes, then stir gently and check to make sure the lentils aren't too dry.  If so, add water.  Add salt as the lentils cook up and become tender.
4.  Cover and continue cooking until the lentils are soft and beginning to turn to mush and potatoes are tender at the center.  When its ready the mixture should be moist but not soupy.
5.  Top with plain yogurt and cilantro and serve plain or over rice.

Makes 4 servings.  Per Bittman this will easily freeze and one of the variations he recommends for this recipe is to add 2 tbls butter as the lentils are cooking for a creamier mixture.