Meat. You may love it, you may despise it, but the truth is we could all use a little less meat in our lives. Whether you eat vegetarian, vegan or you eat all kinds of meat, this week we wanted to share a simple lentil and vegetable curry with you to help add variety to your meals with a non-meat meal.

If you’re used to cooking meat, it can be tricky to create non-meat meals. Meat provides a salty, umami flavour that needs to be added to a non-meat meal. You just can caramelize lentils like you can pork 😉

Curry is a great way to enjoy a delicious meat free meal. It contains a variety of spices to warm up and flavour the dish. Be mindful, as some people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s, Colitis or other digestive issues may be triggered by spicy or hot food. So be aware of your triggers.

The best way to become aware of your food triggers is to work through a strict elimination of all FODMAPs and then include additional digestive strategies to heal the gut and improve your symptoms. Then you can add foods back in through a re-introduction phase to figure out exactly what your personal tolerance is.

Without doing this with a step-by-step plan, it can be very confusing. If you need help with this, definitely take a look at the plan and support offered in the CLAIRITY Program.

If you are looking for a consistent supply of easy, delicious low FODMAP recipes along with modifications as you add FODMAPs back in, definitely learn more about the CLAIRITY Program!

Lentil and Vegetable Curry with Basmati Rice

Makes: 6-8 servings

Time: 5 minutes prep, 25 minutes cook

 

INGREDIENTS

2 cans lentils, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ cup fennel, finely diced

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted

2 chilies, minced (seeds removed if you want)

2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp cayenne, optional

1 tbsp ginger root, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 potatoes, diced

½ – 1 cup low FODMAP vegetable broth (or water)

2 red peppers, diced

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 Japanese eggplant, diced

1 cup spinach

Salt and Pepper

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Drain and rinse the lentils, set aside for later.

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add crushed garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. REMOVE GARLIC. Add the fennel to the pan, and cook for 4-5 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add all your spices and cook for 3-4 minutes, until it is fragrant. Add your carrots and potatoes to the pot with the vegetable broth. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Add the remaining vegetables except for the spinach. Allow to cook until the veggies are all tender. Add vegetable broth as needed to maintain desired consistency. Add your spinach and lentils. Stir until the spinach is wilted and the lentils are hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with basmati rice.

The first step if you’re looking to improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or another digestive disorder or disease, is to understand more about the Low FODMAP diet and if it can help. Download my free eBook to help you better understand this diet and get started implementing simple steps to get rid of symptoms like gas, bloating, pain, diarrhea or constipation related to IBS. Click here to get a copy emailed to you right away.

 

Recipe developed by Nicole Clouthier, Food Editor