This pumpkin obsession knows no limits and there’s only one way out: by cooking through it. Here it is integrated into a household favorite – dahl. What makes this dish extra special (aside from the pumpkin, of course) is its unique blend of spices, taken from the kitchen of Juicy Lotus Cafe and the pages of their Nourishing Friends cookbook. If you love veggie cuisine and don’t yet have this book, stop right now… And buy it.

Serves 2 adults and 1 baby, with leftovers

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 french shallots (or 1 onion), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
• 1 tablespoon (approx) Juicy Lotus inspired spice-mix (1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 pinch cinnamon & cayenne, and fresh cracked pepper to taste)
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 cups veggie stock
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk
• Salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation

• In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the fresh grated ginger as well as your juicy Lotus Spice mix and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the lentils and veggie stock, bring everything to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.
• Over low heat, stir in the pumpkin and coconut milk – cook another 5 minutes to heat everything through.
• Serve, garnish with cilantro & enjoy!

This hearty main goes well with brown basmati rice and a side of roasted or steamed veggies. It’s a nice weeknight meal because you can pull it together in about 30 minutes. In terms of nutrition, this is as good as it gets; it’s packed with protein, fiber, folate, iron and other mighty minerals like manganese and phosphorous.