VEGAN RED CURRY WITH BOK CHOY, SWEET POTATOES, SQUASH & LENTILS

This veggie-laden curry is a favorite go-to for a sweetly spiced and satisfying healthy bowl. I’ve made it with Thai red curry paste or with Thai panang curry paste depending on my mood. Both are hot, red, and wonderful. The sweetness of the squash, sweet potato, and coconut milk is balanced by the deep green of the bok choy leaves and the earthiness of protein-rich lentils. Turmeric and ginger, both super-healthy rhizomes full of anti-inflammatory agents, add color and tang. A few helpful notes: If you use fresh turmeric, wear gloves when grating, or you’ll have bright yellow fingers for the rest of the day! I used whole red lentils in the recipe, so they would hold their shape, but split red lentils, which cook more quickly (sold as masoor dal) can be substituted. For a lower fat rendition, you can opt for reduced-fat coconut milk but full-fat coconut milk or cream makes for a silkier finish.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small acorn squash, washed well and halved
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow or white onion, peel discarded, diced to make 1 cup
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste OR Thai panang curry paste (use a bit more, or less to suit your palate)
• 6 garlic cloves, peels discarded, minced
• 2-inch finger of fresh ginger, peeled and grated OR 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2-inch finger of fresh turmeric, peeled and grated OR 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, plus more if a soupier soup is desired
• 1, 13-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk OR coconut cream
• 4 heads baby bok choy OR 1 head regular bok choy leaves chopped and placed in one bowl; white stems chopped and placed in a second bowl
• 1 cup whole red lentils, picked over and rinsed OR 1 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)
• Salt to taste
• Fresh lime and minced cilantro for garnish

METHOD

Roast squash and sweet potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place acorn squash halves cut side down in small roasting pan or oven-proof dish with 1/2 cup of water. Cover with foil. Toss cubed sweet potato with 1 tablespoon olive oil; scatter on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place squash and sweet potato in oven for 30 to 40 minutes until pierce-able by a fork, but not mushy. While sweet potato and squash are roasting, begin the rest of the soup.

Simmer stock
In a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-low heat, add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and curry paste, whisking with a fork for 1 minute. Add diced onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add 1/4 cup water plus minced garlic, grated ginger, and turmeric, and cook 3 minutes more until garlic is soft but not browned. Add vegetable stock, chopped white stems of bok choy, and lentils. Increase heat to bring to a boil; immediately reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Complete soup
While soup is simmering, peel squash and discard seeds and skin. Cube squash. Add coconut milk (or cream), roasted chunks of sweet potato and squash, and chopped bok choy leaves to soup pot and simmer an additional 15 minutes until leaves are tender and all flavors are blended well. Season with salt to taste. Serve curry hot on its own, or with rice. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.