black lentil dal and indian spiced cauliflower, sweet potato and peas

its been a busy holiday this year. bigfoodie daddy is still on his vacation so i haven't had much time getting on here.
i bought some black lentils to try out the other day at trader joes...they are absolutley delicious. littlefoodie jr. loves them. so i made a quick indian inspired meal tonight for the three of us that was healthy and soothing and yummy! the dal is a take on a red dal that i recently saw at cookinglight and the cauliflower dish is a take on aloo gobi. i served them with some garlic naan and it was a perfect meal!

enjoy!

1 3/4 cups veggie broth
1 cup black lentils
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 tbl garlic
1 tsp black mustard seeds (or yellow)
pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp coriander
s&p
2 tbl tomato paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
juice of 1 lime

bring broth and lentils to boil. reduce to simmer about 15 min. seet aside when done.

saute onion, carrots, garlic, mustard seeds, and cayenne until onion is translucent. add spices and cook another minute.
add tomato paste and cook a couple minutes and stir constantly.
add the black lentils, and coconut milk. stir it all to combine and taste and season w/s&p.


indian flavored cauliflower with sweet potato and peas

1 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into bite size florets
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
salt
1 small onion, diced
2 tbl garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger and cumin
dash of cayenne
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
3/4 cup veggie broth
1 cup peas

toss cauliflower and sweet potatoes with canola oil, cumin, curry powder and some salt to taste.
roast at 450F for about 25-30 min. remove and set aside when done.

heat a couple tbls of butter (i used earths balance organic spread) and a tbl of canola oil in dutch oven. saute onions, garlic, ginger, cumin and cayenne until the onions are translucent and cooked.

when the cauliflower and sweet potatoes are done add them to the onion mixture in the pot. with the heat on med high add the broth and stir.

toss in the cilatro and peas and cook another couple minutes.

season to taste and enjoy with naan.