Curry-spiced red lentils and oats with spinach, raisins, and walnuts

Spicy, savoury, with a touch of sweetness, this is a great way to add greens to your breakfast.

Ingredients

For the lentils and oats
1 1/3 cup water
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu (about 1″)
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup rolled, large flake oats
2T scallions, minced (reserve 2″ – 3″ green for garnish)
1/2T curry powder
1/4t dried, ground turmeric (or to taste — I add 1/2t)
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the spinach
1T water
1 cup packed spinach, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt
1T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt to taste

For the garnish
1T chopped walnuts
2T raisins (thompson or sultana are equally good)
3-4 grape tomatoes, quartered
Scallion green sliced on a angle (as noted above)

Optional: Switch out the oats for amaranth for something more nutrient dense (reduce the water to 1 cup if you do, and add the amaranth about 10 minutes in). You can save yourself time (and a pan) by adding the spinach and raisins to the oats for the last 5 minutes, but your presentation won’t be as nice. You can also add some flavour by toasting the oats and curry spices in the frying pan before adding them. Replace the walnuts with a tablespoon cashew butter (added to the oats at the end) for a creamier texture.

Method

Bring the water to a boil in a small pan with a lid. Add the red lentils and kombu. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the oats, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the kombu. Add the scallion, curry powder and turmeric. Stir to combine. Simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand to cool.