It’s no secret to the people who know me that I’m a vegetarian. I’ve been a veggie for almost two years and I’ve enjoyed it (most of the time. Not when my roommate cooks bacon every morning, that’s for sure). No, I’m not a meat-eater hating, red paint throwing, tree hugging son of a you-know-what. I just cook without meat. Kay? Kay.

One of the more challenging aspects of being a vegetarian is making sure I eat enough protein. Most people eat beans, tofu, eggs..

…or lentils…

The dreadful lentil. For some reason, I used to hate the lentil until this recipe came along. The texture is gross, they have thick skin that gets caught in your teeth, and if they aren’t cooked well they’re straight up bland. Have you ever seen a pot of cooked lentils? It looks like warm sewage (and usually tastes like it, too). So with the start of the Baker’s Doesn’t, I decided it was time to conquer the little legume.

2 tbs butter or margarine (marg is so much cheaper)
2 good sized sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2in chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4in chunks
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, minced (or you can do what I do and buy a large jar of the already minced garlic and just grab a spoonful!)
1 tbs curry powder
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
16 ounce package of lentils
6 cups broth or water (whatever you’ve got)

In a large pot melt butter and start the onions, celery, garlic and sweet potatoes. Sauté for 10 minutes and when the onions look opaque, add all the spices. Mix in your liquid and stir! Once everything is up to a good boil, drop in your lentils. Everything should be cooked within 25 minutes.

Note for making excellent curry: I know there are a lot of spices. They’re not fun to spend money on (unless your a nerd like me) but one of the most helpful hints I can give you is to check the ‘ethnic foods’ isle at the grocery store. I bought all of the spices for this recipe for less than $7 because they, for some reason, have a much cheaper selection of spices in that isle. You’ll thank me later.

Top your bowl off with chopped green onions and plain yogurt, and you’ve got yourself quite a hearty (and healthy) vegetarian meal. I’ve been even more creative with the leftovers by frying some tofu and stirring it in. If I weren’t a vegetarian, you can bet your butt I’d grill some chicken and throw it on top. The possibilities are truly endless (and always delicious).

Thank you to The Daily Green for the inspiration!