Mind over matter, I say—you don’t need meat every night! Vegetarian two to three times a week is good for the health and the budget. Try the following recipe for something totally different but also tasty.
Black Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
I doubled the lentil recipe to have extra for lunch the next day.
The difference between black (beluga) lentils and the regular ones (red, orange, yellow, brown, green) is the cooking time and texture. When you cook the black lentils they hold their shape and fine texture and take longer to cook. All others will break down quickly and become more saucy. I have used both and for this recipe when I didn’t have the black lentils so I used the red lentils. Depending on how well you like the kale cooked, add it at the beginning with the lentils, or towards the end just before the lentils are soft.
You can make a salad as an extra side or I cooked up a spaghetti squash with basil pesto and coconut milk.
6 large sweet potatoes
2 tsp sunflower seed oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced (I always add more)
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup black (beluga) lentils
6 cups chopped kale, tough ribs and stems removed (I used the whole bunch)
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup chopped pumpkin seeds, walnuts or sunflower seeds
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a fork, poke several holes in the sweet potatoes. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake until fork tender about 45 minutes or longer depending on the size of the potatoes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salt; heat until onion has softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and heat for one minute.
Add thyme, cumin, coriander, turmeric and black pepper to pan; heat for 30 seconds. Add lentils and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Stir in the kale and heat for additional 10 minutes.
To serve, slice down centre of each potato and stuff with lentil mixture. Top with dollops of yogurt and pumpkin seeds.
*The sweet potatoes can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to three days. Simply reheat the potatoes in the oven.
