Coconut Milk and Lentil Stew (gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free, dairy-free)

I made this stew for dinner on Saturday night, after the fiance and I spent hours traipsing through Ikea, Bed Bath and Beyond, and any home goods store we could find while daydreaming about how we’ll be redesigning his apartment when I move in. We were both exhausted and ready for food, but I didn’t want to cook up any of the chicken we’d picked up at Costco earlier.

So I pulled out The Maker’s Diet to see what kind of immune boosting meal I could make in a hurry, and I found coconut soup. I had most of the ingredients on hand and immediately thought of additions I’d make to spice it up and make it a heartier meal – zucchini, red pepper, and lentils.

It was delicious, especially when it was piping hot off the stove. I could eat this all the time.The best part is that it’s easy to make as is or alter for big groups of people, even when there are food intolerances  involved.  Which means if you’re reading this and you’ve been to my apartment, yes you can assume that I’ll be whipping this up at a dinner party near you.

Coconut Milk and Lentil Stew
[serves 4]

1 quart chicken stock (this is equal to 1 box of organic chicken stock by Imagine, Trader Joe’s, or Kirkland)
2 cups coconut milk
1 zucchini, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups pink lentils
2 Tbsp red curry paste
2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 Tbsp lime juice

Combine all of the ingredients in a big pot and simmer until the lentils are cooked all the way through. Add more chicken stock or coconut milk as desired and as lentils soak up broth. Serve hot.

I topped mine with Chili Urfa from the Whole Spice Company. The fiance and I discovered them in Napa Valley last year on our engagement trip, and we fell in love. They ground all the spices themselves, and they have so many different varieties.

* To make this vegetarian / vegan – replace the chicken stock with vegetable broth and replace the fish sauce with coconut aminos.