Creamy Coconut Lentil Stew
Welcome to Sage Haven, a weekly invitation to slow down, savor, and make plant-based eating simple. Here you’ll find nourishing, flavorful recipes, practical tips, and gentle encouragement to help you add more plants to your plate - without rules, judgment, or perfection.
Each Monday, you’ll find:
Highlighted Ingredients: to inspire and help educate you in the kitchen.
Simple, Healing Recipes: plant-based, flavorful, and designed to make you feel good.
Nourishment Notes: to remind you why these foods love you back.
Gentle Reminders: a little encouragement to eat with care and intention.
Coaching Tips: to keep you inspired for the week ahead (gentle mindset shifts, habit hacks, and encouragement to stay grounded).
Whether you’re plant-curious and easing into Meatless Mondays or a seasoned plant-based eater, this is your safe space. No labels. No judgment. Just delicious food and thoughtful guidance to help you enjoy more plants.
Why Meatless Monday?
Mondays are a chance to set the tone for the rest of your week: more calm, more energy, and more connection to the food you’re eating. This isn’t about going vegan or striving for perfection. It’s about exploring how plants can nourish your body in a way that feels simple, healing, and full of flavor. One Monday at a time.
Why We Count Nutrients, Not Calories
We don’t obsess over numbers, we focus on nourishment. Calories tell you how much energy food contains, but they tell you nothing about quality. You can hit a calorie target and still feel tired, hungry, and undernourished if your meals lack the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your body craves.
When you feed your body what it needs, something shifts and it begins to regulate itself. Hunger signals recalibrate. Cravings soften. Your taste buds begin to crave the foods that love you back. It just takes time, consistency, and a little gentleness. No restrictive rules required.
This Week’s Ingredient Spotlight: Lentils
If there’s one ingredient that embodies the idea of “simple, healing, flavorful,” it’s lentils. Tiny, unassuming, but mighty lentils are little pockets of plant-based power. They’ve been feeding civilizations for over 9,000 years, sustaining people through long winters, lean times, and celebrations alike.
What I love most about lentils is how they ask for so little and give so much. They don’t need to be fancy to be satisfying. Just simmer them gently with garlic, onions, and a few spices, and suddenly the whole kitchen smells like home.
This week, we’re making a creamy, grounding lentil stew.
Recipe: Creamy Coconut Lentil Stew
(Serves 4–5 | Batch prep-friendly | Vegan, gluten-free)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional for depth)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 (14 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth (more as needed)
2 cups chopped kale or spinach (optional for a green boost)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt & black pepper, to taste
Method:
In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add rinsed lentils, coconut milk, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft and stew is creamy.
Stir in greens until wilted. Squeeze in lemon juice and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, if desired.
Batch Prep Note: Stews keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and freeze nicely.
Nourishment Notes:
Plant Count: 8 different plant foods (red lentils, onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potato, spinach, tomatoes, and cilantro)
Fiber Boost: 14-16g of fiber per serving (thanks to lentils + veggies)
Protein Power: 18g plant-based protein per bowl (lentils + coconut milk pack protein + healthy fats)
Colors of the Rainbow: Orange, green, and red.
Note: when you eat plant-based, you can shift your focus away from numbers and toward nourishment.
Sage Tip: Repetition is Your Friend
We’re conditioned to believe variety equals health, but the truth is: most people thrive on simple, repeatable meals. This week, let this lentil stew be your anchor. Batch it, eat it for lunch or dinner a few times, and notice how much lighter your week feels without decision fatigue.
Gentle Reminder:
Your body already knows how to heal. Your only job is to feed it well and trust the process.
Before I Go, Let Me Ask You This…
What’s one ingredient you’ve always been curious about but never cooked with? Hit reply and tell me - I’d love to feature it in a future issue.
