Curried lamb and lentils

Lunch bliss: happy girls eating curry and rice!

We did a very South African and hosted a lamb roast! This is our 5th one to date. It's becoming a tradition we really love--it brings our people together. It all started with our rehearsal dinner, with a homemade spit that my brother welded and delivered first to my parent's house and then over the mountains to our house.

Lamb roasting is quite the spectacle

We had quite a bit of leftover lamb that I used in this recipe. This curried lamb and lentil stew is a fall favorite--curry is so comforting on chilly evenings. I got this recipe from The Microbiome Diet book, so it incorporates foods high in prebiotic fiber like onions and garlic, the digestive aid ginger, lentils which are full of resistant starch, and the anti-inflammatory powerhouse, turmeric. The original recipe called for only powdered turmeric, but I always keep a few pieces in the freezer. It's so easy to peel and mince and small chunk and keep the rest fresh for the next use.

I work off the basic recipe below, but in general this one is very flexible and can be adapted based on what you have or your preferences. This time I used cooked lamb and added it towards the end, after the lentils were mostly all the way cooked. We love our veggies, so I usually double or even triple all the veggies. My family also likes rice, which balances the curry nicely so we serve this over white or brown rice and top with cilantro.

Makes at least 2 servings.

½ boneless stew lamb, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ heaping cup chopped onions ½ cup chopped carrots 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh turmeric ¼ teaspoon turmeric ¼ teaspoon cumin 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup diced tomatoes ½ cup dried lentils 1 large carrot, cut into coins ¼ cup coconut milk ¼ cup water

Cilantro for garnish

1. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat, and sauté lamb until brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add onions, carrots, garlic, and ginger. Mix and sauté on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add turmeric, cumin, curry, and salt, and stir. Add tomatoes, lentils, carrots, coconut milk, and water. Bring to boil, lower heat, and cook until lamb and lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.

It doesn't get any better than this!