Gluten-Free Lunches and Dinners: Lentils

When I first began this gluten-free adventure, I was completely at a loss for meal options.  Jeff was quick to promote the goodness of chickpeas and lentils, and filled my kitchen with them both, along with all sorts of Indian spices and seasonings.

Thanks to him, I now make curry like a pro! (Or something like that.)  In the first dish pictured, I colored a little outside of the lines and made a super yummy apple curry.

The seasonings include cumin, coriander, chili powder, turmeric, cardamon seeds, salt, and garlic. (I've used the occasional bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and mustard seed in other curries, but not this one) For the bulk of the curry, I stirred in onions, lentils, tomatoes, mushrooms, apples, and yogurt.  Honestly, it was the yogurt that brought it all together giving it the creamy texture that I love in my favorite Indian dish - chicken tikka masala.

Outside of the curry world, I attempted to make a chowder.  I incorporated mashed pototoes, corn, tomatoes, onions, carrots, rosemary, garlic, dill seeds, pepper, and coriander powder.  I added in a few splashes of milk at the end to help create a creamy texture.

As I have absolutely no experience making chowders from scratch (and common chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes are contaminated with gluten), it was a bit bland until I added in the coriander powder.  I was impressed by the creamy texture, though. Overall, a successful first attempt!

The last picture is a simple, fresh vegetarian option composed of lentils, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, and the classic salt and pepper.  A fallback for when I'm feeling less inspired.