Recipe for Comfort: Lentil Love Bowls (And The Story Behind Them)

Feel free to skip ahead to the recipe at the end, or read the whole story and also get some ideas on substitutions.

I've been making this dish, in some variation, for years.   It was less of a recipe and more of an intuition (as most of my cooking always has been).  It came to be while I was living alone in student apartments during college.  I was on a tight food budget, still figuring out how to eat well as a vegetarian, and experimenting with cooking large quantities of single dishes, made of the nourishing ingredients I knew and loved (and could afford) so I could simply re-heat and go.  Lentils and oats were cheap and hearty, so I ate a lot of oatmeal and a lot of Lentil Love Bowls that year!  And something to note:  one of the reasons oats and lentils are so comforting, besides the fact that they leave you with a warm, full belly, is that they both contain great amounts of mood-boosting B vitamins, including Folate, which can reduce symptoms of depression.  (*Love bowls do not contain oats, only lentils).

I can't recall the first time I made it, but I do recall how it inspired endless mouthgasmic "ohhhhhs" and "mmmms," so I made it over and over and really could never tire of it.   In the biggest pot I had, I threw in some of this, some of that, lots of curry powder, lots of marjoram, and let it simmer on the stove.  Unbeknown to me, a friend of mine, David, who lived just across the hall, had been cooking a similar dish to the Love Bowl.  One day delicious smells were wafting over from his place, through my door, and I received an instant message (oh recall the days of AIM) from him stating he had made far too much food for one human being to consume in a week.  He invited me to help him devour it.  It was amazing!  Almost the exact dish, but his was made with the addition of tofu and a different curry powder.  It must have been divine providence - this recipe was meant to be, meant to be loved, meant to be shared.  I soon added tofu to my own version, and that's how the Love Bowl began!

The Lentil Love Bowl is so versatile, it's almost an 'un-recipe.'  Post-college, I came to know the full versatility of it when I moved into a house with three guys, and the Love Bowl became a daily dish (consumed literally every single day of the week).  One house-mate, Luke, would bring home boxes of slightly wilted veggies he had picked up for free behind New Seasons Market or at Food Not Bombs, and everything would go in the slow-cooker to be made into Love Bowls.  His favorite and most oft-added ingredients were kale and root-veggies.  At the same time, I was obsessed with the burrito as a food form, so day-old (or four-day-old) Love Bowls were spooned into tortillas, topped with jalapeños, wrapped up, and drenched with sriracha.  The creamy, savory goodness paired well with rice and millet, and when sopped up with hunks of crusty baguette, it became ultra-rustic.  If chips were ever in the house, we'd eat Love Bowls like a chunky dip with avocado, cilantro, and pepper jack cheese.  Smeared on toast or topped off with a couple eggs, scrambled, boiled, or fried, it made a great stick-to-the-ribs breakfast.  Thinned out with lots of broth, Love Bowls became a tasty soup.

More veggies variations that I've tried include: carrots, zucchini, potato, celery, mushrooms, beats, corn, spinach, squash, etc..  You can also add seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower - soak and cook them with the lentils.  If using flax, I recommend ground flax just sprinkled on top at the end.  Truly, the possibilities are endless!


Lentil Love Bowls, The Original

Ingredients (all can and should be approximated or substituted to your liking - that's how I do it):

• 2 1/2 cups of dried lentils, soaked overnight
• 1 can of coconut milk or coconut cream, but not coconut water
• 1 can of tomatoes, crushed or diced, including liquid
• 1 can of green chilies, diced
• 1 bell pepper, green, yellow, or red, diced
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
• 1/5 of a stick of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of curry powder, a blend with turmeric and cumin, not to be confused with Thai curry paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, or a couple cloves of fresh garlic
• A few squirts of Braggs Liquid Aminos, or 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 of a cucumber, diced - optional (for raw garnish, or even cooked in the pot...no really, give it a try!)

Directions:

1. Rinse, drain, and cook lentils in new water until soft.  I usually use twice as much liquid as lentils, and cook in the Crock Pot on high for a few hours.  But I used to cook my lentils on the stove, bringing the water to a boil and then simmering on medium heat.  Depending on your method of cooking and how fresh your lentils are, the cooking time will vary. 
2. If using root vegetables, seeds, or more beans for variation, add them at the very beginning and cook in the same liquid as your lentils. 
3. Ladle out any leftover liquid in great excess.  A little leftover is ok.
4. While lentils are cooking, sauté the onion and bell pepper, as well as garlic (if using fresh garlic) until slightly tender and beginning to brown.
5. Add the onion, bell pepper, and all remaining ingredients to the pot and let simmer for at least 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The-longer-the-better, as any curry is always tastier after it has had lots of time to infuse with its flavors.  I let my Crock-Pot sit simmering on low for several hours before I deem it ready.
6. Ladle into big bowls, spoon it up, and feel nourished.