last night when i served oven roasted chicken to my daughter for the third (or fourth, to be honest) night in a row, she was not very happy. the rest of us were having (amazing) fish, and i had gone out of my way to prepare her some chicken because she doesn't like fish (surprise!!)-all the same, she was missing red meat, which makes sense-as i've seriously cut back on it (red meat) recently. this morning, feeling rather guilty, i decided i HAD to prepare some good (grass fed) beef for her dinner tonight. i bought the beef, which is (oh so slowly) braising in the oven as we speak see recipe--but i also made one of my favorite vegetarian dishes as an alternative option--you know, just in case! i made a red lentil dal or stew, my way...it is so satisfying, simple , and good for you. we eat it with brown rice or steamed quinoa, and it really hits the spot every time. you'll need:

ingredients for 4-6 servings:

2 cupsps red (organic) lentils

1-2 cloves of garlic-minced

1 large (or 2 small) shallot(s)-minced

2 thick slivers of fresh ginger-1 tbs minced

1/2 green chili pepper (jalapeno)-seeded if you don't like spicy

2-3 ripe roma tomatoes (or 1/2-1 cup strained tomato sauce from a jar)

1-2 tsp organic refined coconut oil (or oil of choice)

1-2 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin sea salt to taste

1/2 cup coconut milk organic cilantro (a few sprigs)

preparation:

1. melt the coconut oil in a medium heavy pot. finely mince the chili pepper (omit seeds if you don't like spicy), ginger, garlic, and shallot. add to the pan with turmeric & ground cumin, then fry for 1-2 minutes.

2. add lentils, salt, and about 2 cups of water. allow the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat, then add the cubed tomatoes (or strained tomatoes from a glass jar) and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes. *you will need to add more water*---keep an eye on the pot, and keep the heat on medium/low-keep stirring and adding liquid as needed until you get a creamy consistency.

3. about 10-15 minutes before serving, add the coconut milk (totally optional) and stir well-allow it to simmer another 5-10 minutes until thickened. serve topped with chopped cilantro.

4. drizzle with this green cilantro sauce for an extra layer of flavor.

add additional coconut milk if you like it creamier 5-10 mins prior to serving

serve topped with cilantro with a side of brown rice or steamed quinoa

d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!