Spring has arrived, finally! It’s time to start shifting our meals to use the fantastic fresh produce coming in.

Serves 8

Ingredients
Salad
6 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes (Cherokee purple, Italian ice, Evergreen, Brandywine, Valencia, Green Zebra, Sungold, and Mister Stripey)
2 pounds cucumbers
1 large red onion
1 ounce fresh basil
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 cups red wine vinaigrette

Dice tomatoes, slice cucumbers, julienne red onion, and chiffonade basil then place into a medium bowl. Add feta, vinaigrette, and toss. Serve in a chilled bowl.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 minced garlic cloves
½ tsp herbs de Provence
2 tbs chopped basil
1 tbs chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except for extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until pureed. Add extra virgin olive oil slowly to emulsify.

During my trip to Belize this past February, I made a point of trying the native Belizean cuisine. I only strayed from that once and that was for an American-style burger. The rest of the time, I was enjoying dishes like this and coconut rice and stewed chicken and jerk snapper and on and on.

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

This dish’s flavors take me back to Belize, it’s easy-to-make and is pretty simple. The texture of the lentils was great and was bolstered by the curry flavors supporting them.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon each: cumin seeds and coriander seeds
1 head garlic, chopped (10-12 cloves)
28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup dried brown lentils
1-2 teaspoons cayenne powder
2 cups water, see notes
15 ounce can coconut milk
A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions
Heat the coconut oil in a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast until they start to brown, about 45 seconds. Add the garlic to the pot and let it brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt to the pot and cook, stirring the pot a few times, for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and, if using, the cayenne powder, and the water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Stir the pot a few times to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. If the curry starts to look dry, add an extra ½ – 1 cup of water.

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

Once the lentils are soft and the curry is thick, add the coconut milk and cherry tomatoes and bring the pot back to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Notes

I served this over basmati rice, you could serve over brown rice, quinoa, or another cooked grain. Or plain.

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

You can adjust or reduce the amount of water used in this recipe to thin it out for more gravy or thicker if you enjoy your curry with a little more substance. You can thin this to the point where it is more soup-like, I am certain it would be delicious that way as well.

Also, I didn’t have crushed tomatoes and I am truly working on using ingredients I have on hand. So, I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes and ran them through the blender. Don’t over blend as you want some texture to the tomatoes.

And lastly, though I am pretty certain I had cherry tomatoes in my refrigerator somewhere, I was unable and too tired, to hunt for them long so I skipped those.