Sweet Potato and Green Lentil Chowder

Consider my day made – my pitiful plea for more commenting in my last post resulted in some wonderful word and positive support. I’m putting on my best Cartman voice for this one: “I love you guys.”

Onto other things of which I am fond: I have already professed my love for the smooth and buttery sweet potato on this blog. Happily, I purchased a huge box of them not too long ago … and just the other day I noticed that we were down to a few lonely potatoes waiting to be eaten. I decided to pair these lucky taters with one of my other all time favorites: lentils. I love lentils – red, brown, green and all kinds in between. I had originally wanted to pair the sweet potatoes with red lentils and make a cheerful looking bowl full of orange-y beta carotene goodness, but lacking for red lentils I paired them instead with green lentils. The orange and the green, along with a sprinkle of vivid green cilantro picked straight from the winter garden, created a nice contrast of colors for this soothing bowl of good ol’ fashioned comfort food.

Sweet Potato and Green Lentil Chowder

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

5 cups (2 medium) sweet potatoes, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 tsp red curry powder (red curry for its kick!)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp salt

8 cups vegetable stock

2 cups green lentils

Salt & pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro to garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; add onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.

2. Add the curry, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and salt and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant.

3. Add the sweet potato and carrot saute 1-2 minutes to soften.

4. Stir in the vegetable stock and lentils; bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils and potatoes are tender.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

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