Warming Lentil Lettuce Wraps
Mmmm…warming curried lentils with creamy cauliflower rice and tangy mango chutney all rolled up into one dang good delicious wrap! This meal is also a win for everyone in the family (with a few kid-friendly tweaks)! This is actually three separate recipes rolled into one, so it takes some time to prepare but it makes a lot so you can use the leftovers for the following night. (The Mango Chutney actually tastes better the following day.)
Making this kid-friendly:
1. Make a side of normal rice. Cauliflower rice might make your little ones snarl and hiss. If if this is the case, it’s easy enough to make a side of plain rice made with coconut milk instead of water. If that’s still too much change for your little one, make the rice the usual way (with water).
2. When making the mango chutney, split the ingredients. Set the ingredients that your child likes into a separate bowl (i.e. mangoes and raisins), and the rest into another bowl. This way, when you make your wrap, you can add what you like (taco-style) with the onions and peppers, and your little one can have the mangoes, raisins, lime, and cilantro. If that’s still too much for them: make the chutney how it should be made and pop a cut up mango with raisins on your child’s plate (which still has huge nutritional benefits so no worries).
Warming Lentil Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
For the Warming Lentils
- 1½ cups French lentils
- 4 cups water
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut cream (or ½ tablespoon coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ can coconut milk (with 1 tablespoon of the cream reserved for the Warming Lentils) (with 1-2 tablespoons of the cream reserved for the Warming Lentils)
Mango Chutney
- 4 mangoes, peeled and diced small
- 1 cup raisins, soaked in warm water
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 limes, juiced
- salt to taste
Directions
Mango Chutney
- Put the raisins to soak in warm water for about 30 minutes to get soft.
- In a bowl, mix the mangoes, minced onions, jalapeno, cilantro, turmeric, and lime juice.
- Toast the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Add them to the chutney.
- (Get started with cooking the Lentils.)
- When the raisins are soft, mix everything together. Cover, and place into the refrigerator so the flavours have chance to meld while you continue cooking the lentils and cauliflower rice.
Warming Lentils
- Boil the lentils with the water and simmer for about 45 minutes until cooked.
- Heat a deep skillet on medium and add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Dry roast them in the skillet until they are lightly toasted.
- Add the coconut cream, spices, and the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger. Stir.
- Add the lentils. Stir all together and cook until everything is unified.
Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- In a processor, mince the cauliflower until it's like rice.
- In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk, cauliflower rice, and the salt.
- Cover and cook on medium-low until the "rice" is soft.