Tofu Tuesday - Sweet Potato Badi

It's Tofu Tuesday time and while my recipe this week does not contain any tofu - it is meatless and that's the whole idea, anyway, right? So here it is - delicious Sweet Potato Badi.*

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1/2 cup dried, unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup raw red lentils

1 tsp ground cumin

1 med. yellow, white, or new potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

2 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup frozen baby peas

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1-2 small, skinny chile peppers, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 pita breads, split, toasted, and buttered, Basmati Rice or Jasmine Rice

Directions:

1. In a small, dry skillet, toast the coconut over med. heat, shaking the skillet often, until uniformly light brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a small bowl and set aside.


2. In the same skillet {??? Don't use the same skillet if you were using a small one! You will need a large skillet to hold all your ingredients for this next part!}, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the lentils and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, until they begin to brown. Stir in the cumin. Add the potato, sweet potato, and 1 and 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and peas, and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender and the liquid is almost gone, about 10 minutes more. If the liquid evaporates too quickly, add a little more water. Remove from the heat


3. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the toasted coconut and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining coconut, yogurt, chiles, and salt, and whisk until smooth. Fold the yogurt mixture gently into the vegetables. Cover the skillet and let stand for a few minutes until warmed through. Transfer the badi to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut on top. Serve immediately with the pita bread or rice.

Note: This dish can be prepared ahead through step 2 up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To serve, reheat the mixture in a large skillet and remove from the heat before starting step 3.

Verdicts:

This was really yummy. I will for sure make it again. It says to serve with rice or pita bread, but I think it is great with both. I added my frozen peas right at the very end so they still remained very firm and fresh and they add a great little "pop" in your mouth as you eat. So good! The rest of my family had spaghetti for dinner but Jamie still came over to mooch some of mine and she really liked it. I gave Davey a taste, too, and he thought it was good (what's not to like, reall?). Maddie was already off playing in her toy room, so she missed out. It left lots of left-overs, though, so she can try some today.

*Recipe from Didi Emmons book, "Entertaining For a Veggie Planet". I'm really loving this book, btw!*

Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy