Easy Curried Lentils & Spaghetti Squash

Things have been so hectic lately… my 4 month old has been up most of the past 5 or so nights and I’m so tired! He’s usually such a great sleeper, these sleep hiccups are tough but I know they usually don’t last long so I’m hopeful. My cooking slacks when I’m super tired so I’ve been making a few of my favorite easy dishes, this is one of them. My toddler likes this a lot and its easy for her to get on her fork so that makes her happy!

Easy Curried Lentils & Spaghetti Squash

This recipe is from Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day and it’s really good… not to mention easy to make!

Spicy Lentils and Spaghetti Squash
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder – I used Kashmiri Curry powder from World Spice Merchant
  • 1 onion, diced
  • ½ poblano pepper (or green pepper), diced
  • Heaping ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • Crushed red pepper flakes to taste – (I omitted this in the main dish so my toddler would eat it)
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 5 big cloves garlic
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
  • Tony’s creole seasoning to taste – I used my creole seasoning from World Spice Merchant
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup salsa 
  • 2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (I used the boil method – drop whole squash into boiling water and cook for 20-30 minutes or until skin is easily pierced with a fork)
  • 1 cup cooked lentils
  • Juice of 1 lemon – used a Meyer lemon from my CSA 
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • Siracha to taste
  1. Saute the spices, onion, garlic, ginger, veggies and creole seasoning for several minutes.
  2. Add water, salsa, squash and lentils.
  3. Cover and cook over medium hi heat for 15 minutes
  4. Finish with juice of 1 lemon, siracha, cilantro and season with salt/pepper to taste
  5. ENJOY! serves 2

Saute onion, garlic, ginger, veggies and creole seasoning

Add water, salsa, squash and lentils

I served it with roasted sweet potatoes, delish!

Red Lentil Thai Chili

I served this chili (and the Spicy Broccoli Cheeze Soup) at a party yesterday and it was a total hit, some people asked for leftovers to-go! It was even better today when I had it for lunch and dinner. It’s such a unique tasting chili, I really love the curry paste mixed with the sweet potatoes and lime.

This recipe is from one of my favorite vegan food blogs – Post Punk Kitchen. I doubled this recipe and skipped a few steps because I thought it would fit in my crock pot but it didn’t! My hubby had to run to the fire station to borrow a bigger pot.

Water or broth for sautéing
1 large yellow onion, diced medium
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes cut into ¾ inch chunks
1 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable broth
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 15 oz can low-fat coconut milk
28 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Limes for garnish (optional but VERY GOOD WITH IT!)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute onions and pepper for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute more.

Add chili powder, sweet potatoes, lentils, salt and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are tender, add the remaining ingredients and heat through.

Taste for salt and seasoning, top with cilantro and lime and serve!