Recipe Contest - Baraboo School District - Vegan Curry Lentils

I'm entering a healthy recipe contest for Baraboo School District, and wanted to post the recipe here on my blog.

This is an easy to prepare meal, that I make at least once a week. It keeps well, and I will put leftovers into Tupperware and bring to school for lunch. This recipe is free of the 7 major inflammatory foods, which include 1. Added Sugar or artificial sweeteners 2. Corn 3. Gluten 4. Dairy 5. Eggs 6. Peanuts 7. Soy.

*I am not allergic to any of the above foods, but I find that my body responds very well to a lifestyle that does not include any of the 7 foods listed above.



Curried Lentils
This vegan lentil curry is absolutely amazing, it’s a simple and easy recipe, but it takes time, although it’s totally worth it. It’s also exotic, spicy, tasty, creamy and it has an intense coconut flavor. If you like curry, lentils and coconut, you need to try this recipe!

Ingredients

The ingredients. Missing is a can of coconut milk. 

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ onion
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 16 ounces tomato sauce 
• ⅔ cup coconut milk 
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons curry
• 1 Sweet Potato

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook lentils according to package. I used La Preferida brand, and cooked the entire package in 5 cups of water. Bring the lentils and water to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for around 30 minutes. Drain and set aside
2.  Chop the sweet potato into bite size pieces in olive oil, until the pieces are cooked through.
3. Cook the Basmati Rice according to the directions. I brought 1 1/2 cups of rice and 3 cups of water to a boil, and then simmered until it was done.
4. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and the onion (finely chopped) and cook them until golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, coconut milk and spices and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Add cooked lentils, stir and cook for at least 15 or 20 minutes over medium heat.
6. Cook basmati rice according to package directions. We cooked them for 12 minutes over medium high heat. Drain and set aside.
7. Serve the lentils over the basmati rice. You can add cilantro on top.

Getting the party started!

The lentils are cooked and set aside, and now I am starting the onion and garlic

This is where the magic happens - coconut milk!

Garam masala is a mixture of spices common in Indian cuisine. I couldn't find it in Baraboo, You could get it at Maharaja Grocery in Madison, but I ordered this brand from Amazon:

getting ready to add the lentils

The Finished Dish - Enjoy!

Daylight

Summer Farm

It has been a long winter. Spring is nearly here, and these cool days are great for all outdoor activities. Just smelling the air is worth going outside. There is rain in the forecast for five of the next seven days, and then it will be time for the big bloom.
I stocked up on a few of my favorite spring colors this week. I enjoy mixtures based on naples yellow light and prussian blue for some fresh spring greens this time of year. The painting shown above does not reflect that, it was painted in the summer, with plenty of lemon yellows thrown into the lit up corn stalks.

Peninsula Still Life

This still life is headed to a show at the Guenzel Gallery, at the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek. 22 painters received the same five objects to set up and paint, and the show is named Five Objects of Inspiration. I originally wanted to paint under natural light, but after several cloudy days in a row, I decided to do exactly the opposite. The still life was lit by a blue party light.

Spring Wind

Snow covered the fresh green grass two nights ago. The car door made a convenient wind break this morning, and my easel stood solid on top of this ridge.

Here is a overview of my spring workshop series. Last weekend, I gave my first workshop in what seemed like a long time. The workshop focused on painting the interior. We talked about values, and how to create the illusion of sunlight happening outside of a window, and pouring into the space. On the final day of the workshop, a storm rolled in while I was halfway through my demo painting. The sky was so dark, that the streetlights, which were a part of my composition, turned on. This dramatic change allowed for a teachable moment. Changing light is something that we deal with daily when painting from life and I was happy to work through the changes.

Broadway Street, Baraboo, Wisconsin

This is Baraboo Wisconsin, again. This was painted in early February, when there was still plenty of snow on the rooftops and streets.
I was invited to paint on a private home's deck, and took them up on the opportunity. I was pretty secluded, and on the second day the owner was not home, but knowing that I had an open opportunity, I set up and went to work. A car pulled into the driveway, and not knowing who it was made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable as the time the kids were shooting a gun over my head in the country, but even so. Everything turned out alright this time, as the visitor was the owners son, who was just checking the bird feeder.
These little midwestern towns are the places that I call home, and I love painting around here.

Late Winter Sun

I've been painting smaller pieces, such as this 11 x 14" canvas, with the goal of clearing my voice. I will work my way back up to painting some larger pieces, but for now it seems like making several paintings in a day is the way to progress.
In painting, it is easy to second guess every move, but I just allowed myself to paint this one quickly, and let the accuracy happen. When I look at my favorite painters work, I can feel some of this as well, so I am glad when it happens to me.
The sun shines once in a while during Mud Season, and I was glad it did on this day.

Summer in Baraboo

We had some nice temperatures this past weekend, never mind the wind. This is a 16 x 20" painting from late last summer. The green grass gives me a good feeling to look at. It isn't yellow ochre mud color grass, but real sunkissed yellow green grass.
The building is the back of a bar in Bararboo, I believe it's named Gem City. There is an apartment on the top of the bar, and the Baraboo river is directly to the right of where I was standing. I have been painting some larger canvases in Baraboo during the mud season, and I'm hoping to finish them soon, at least before the trees and flowers bloom.

Terrytown Barns

Sunlight is my favorite condition to paint in, I'm sure it is the same for many painters. The sunlight casts shadows, which create shapes to design the canvas with.
A barrista at the local coffee shop commented that March gives the feeling of a hangover to those who don't drink. I haven't had a drink in a while, and I sort of enjoy the overcast days for reasons other than painting.
To me, these dreary winter days feel neutralized. I do not get a big rush when painting them, it is more of a steady pace rather than a chase. These barns have also felt the steady pace of season after season beating them up.

Workshop at Blue Heron

I have posted my 2014 workshop schedule on a new tab, just above this post. The first workshop is coming up quickly, and is a workshop that is going to be held in the studio space above Blue Heron. I have been teaching a 6 week drawing class at UW-Baraboo, and am excited to get back into the swing of teaching. If you would like to hear more about the workshops, you can drop me a line at blksquirl85@yahoo.com

Baraboo

This is Baraboo Wisconsin, a town that sits between two bluffs. I've spent time in Baraboo painting over the past five or so years, and this is an interesting vantage point that overlooks the downtown, with the Devil's lake bluff in the background.

Polar trees

I noticed these trees when I was at a birthday party. A friend of mine set up some snowboard jumps and rails to grind on on a hill in the country. They grilled out and had a couple cases of beer. The party was a lot of fun, it's always nice to hike a hill when snowboarding. It was a clear afternoon, and these trees were on fire when the last light fell on them.