Red Deer Foodie

The official last stop of our trip was at the Canmore Mountain Market – by far one of the cutest little markets ever!!  The market runs every Thursday of the summer from 10am – 7pm – so great!  Lots of merchants from the Wednesday Banff Farmer’s Market were there, but one awesome booth stood out:  Spice Sanctuary!  Run by Trusha, a lawyer-turned-spice-merchant, Spice Sanctuary sells the most amazing organic spices, herbs and spice blends.  I was immediately attracted to her little dinner-kits, which include the spices and instructions to make a delicious Indian meal!  So I bought a couple kits, including the Black Eye Bean Curry Bowl – Trusha included a great recipe, but of course I had to adapt it to do my own thing!! 

So using Trusha’s wonderful spices and her recipe scroll as the springboard for my own Indian delight, here’s the recipe for my Lentil Curry and Rice Bowl!

Lentil Curry & Rice Bowl

Ingredients:

1 can green lentils, rinsed

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped (1/2 inch cubes)

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup water

4 tsp Spice Sanctuary Spice Mix 4

salt to taste

2 cups basmati rice

1 cup fresh spinach, shredded

Method:

First up, get the rice on and cook according to instructions on package.  Then, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.  Cook until fragrant and crackling – watch it – don’t burn!!

Add the onion and carrot and cook till onion is translucent and carrots are starting to soften. Add the ginger and garlic and stir to combine.  Cook for a couple minutes.

Add the beans, tomatoes, water and spice mix.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

To serve, plate some rice and top with a layer of spinach, then a layer of curry.  The spices are so intense, yet so subtle – a really fresh tasting, earthy dish!!

Tags: Canmore Mountain Market, curry, lentils, Spice Sanctuary, vegetarian