This recipe has a wonderful (and short) list of ingredients that just drew me in. I had to try it, although I couldn’t imagine just how it would taste. I mean- sweet dates, creamy lentils, and savory onion…? Really? But I did try it, and it was good. It was a strange thing for me to eat a sweet dish as a side, but it was lovely nonetheless.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 pound lentils
- 1 cup pitted dates, chopped
- 2 teaspoons tamari
- 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
Directions
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat
- Add the onion and cook until it’s soft and beginning to brown
- Stir in the ginger and turmeric and cook for a minute
- Add 6 cups of water, lentils and dates and bring to a boil
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for half an hour
- Preheat the oven to 350
- When the lentils have simmered, stir in the tamari and transfer the mixture to a baking dish
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes
- Uncover, top the baked mixture with coconut and bake again, uncovered, until the coconut is golden, about 15 minutes longer
Since I was anticipating the sweetness of this side dish, I prepared it with savory grilled lamb chops that I had marinated in honey, tamari, garlic and vinegar. This made for a well-balanced plate. 😉
The inspiration for this dish came from Whole Foods Market. They put out some great recipes!