This easy delicious Vegan Creamy Coconut Mushroom Lentils comes packed with flavour and is a perfect recipe for meat-free Mondays or any day of the week for that matter.

So Monday came around, got the kids off to school, had breakfast,  cleared up and started prepping to make my usual Easy Red Lentil Dhal, which is a perfect dish for batch cooking and heating up for quick lunches, or dinners. It’s perfectly yummy just on its own or paired with some rice and a whole heap of other sides.

But as I am grabbing ingredients for the dhal, I spotted the packet of dried Porcini mushrooms I had purchased to make some of this Mushroom Risotto and couldn’t help but ponder how yummy a mushroomy lentil dish would be instead.

As well as the mushrooms, I also had some leftover coconut milk from the Spiced Thai Chicken Curry, so figured that needed to be used too. Some of my best dishes come from this little throw together at the last minute creative moments in the kitchen when I am using up ingredients that need to be cooked.

Make sure you use the regular canned coconut milk, not light or cartoned, as you just won’t get that same creaminess without it, we only use a small amount in this recipe, and when divided up it is not a huge amount of syns. Any leftovers of coconut milk I pop into containers or even an ice cube tray and freeze for another day. You never know when you might need some coconut milk for a recipe. 

Want to know the best part of all? You can cook the Vegan Creamy Coconut Mushrooms Lentils stovetop or in an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker).

If you haven’t heard of an Instant Pot you are seriously missing out. It is the best kitchen gadget I have purchased. I love this thing so much, that I almost use it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

It is basically a 7in1 cooker, and it slow cooks, pressure cooks, sautes, has settings for soup, chilli, rice, porridge and even makes yoghurt (I haven’t tried that yet).

I recommend using brown or green lentils for this dish (rather than red lentils), as you want them to hold their shape and stay chunky with a bite to them in the Vegan Creamy Coconut Mushrooms Lentils. Then as well as the dried mushrooms, I also add in fresh mushrooms, for that rich mushroom flavour.

Do take the time to do the reducing down of the stock to really brown the mushrooms, skip on this stage and that flavour will totally be missing. The flavour from the dried mushrooms really takes it to a whole other level. It seriously will not be the same without them. Trust me!!!

HOW CAN I ADD A 1/3 SPEED FOODS TO THIS CREAMY COCONUT MUSHROOM LENTILS?

There are heaps of mushrooms as well as some onion and not forgetting the spinach already in this recipe, but you can always up the speed foods by what you choose to serve this with. Cauliflower Rice is a great idea for a rice replacement or if you like your mashed potatoes, this would be great with Cauliflower Mash. I actually enjoyed this just as it is in a bowl, hearty, filling and warming in this chilly fall weather.

Doing some batch cooking? This recipe is also perfect for freezing if you are lucky enough to have any leftovers of course. If you want some to freeze, it’s a great idea to double up on the ingredients, make a large pot and then you can put some in some freezer containers and freeze for another day.

To heat up, I fully defrost and heat in the microwave or over a low heat in a pan until heated through. Easy Peasy!!

What Kitchen Items do I need to make this Creamy Coconut Mushroom Lentils?

• Kitchen Scales
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Santoku Knife (perfect knife for chopping veg)
• Chopping Board
• Dutch oven or Instant Pot 

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Vegan Creamy Coconut Mushroom Lentils (Stove Top and Instant Pot)

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This easy delicious Vegan Creamy Coconut Mushrooms Lentils comes packed with flavour and is a perfect recipe for meat-free Mondays or any day of the week for that matter.

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Ingredients

• 0.5oz (14g) of dried porcini mushrooms
• 10.5oz (300g) of fresh mushrooms,​ halved and then quartered
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup (200g) of dried brown lentils (or can use green)
• 3 cups (720ml) of vegetable broth
• cooking oil spray
• pinch of dried thyme, oregano and parsley
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup (120ml)of coconut milk
• 3 big handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Instructions

Stove Top:

1. Add the dried porcini mushrooms to a bowl, add boiling hot water just to cover the mushrooms (you don't need much) and allow to soak for about 10 minutes. Drain, but reserve liquid. Roughly chop the porcini mushrooms and set aside.
2. Spray a large casserole pot or deep frying pan with cooking oil spray, add the onion and fry for a few mins until translucent.
3. Add in the garlic, fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini mushrooms, and using some of the stock, keep adding in a little at a time and reduce down on a medium high heat, until the mushroom mix has a lovely deep golden colour (you will use approx 120ml of the stock for this) This process will take a few minutes, but it's worth it.
4. Add the thyme, oregano and parsley, lentils and remaining stock, plus reserved liquid from porcini mushrooms, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 40-45 minutes, lentils should be tender.
5. Add in the coconut milk and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted down into the lentils and the dish is creamy.
6. Season as needed with salt and black pepper.
7. Serve and enjoy!!

Instant Pot:

1. Add the dried porcini mushrooms to a bowl, add boiling hot water just to cover the mushrooms (you don't need much) and allow to soak for about 10 minutes. Drain, but reserve liquid. Roughly chop the porcini mushrooms and set aside.
2. Set instant pot to saute (high) mode, spray with cooking oil spray and once Instant Pot displays hot, add in the onion and fry for a few minutes until translucent.
3. Add in the garlic, fresh mushrooms and chopped porcini mushrooms, and using some of the stock, keep adding in a little at a time and reduce down until the mushroom mix has a lovely deep golden colour (you will use approx 120ml of the stock for this) This process will take a few minutes, but it's worth it.
4. Add the thyme, oregano and parsley, lentils and remaining stock, plus reserved liquid from porcini mushrooms, add the lid and set instant pot to manual mode (high pressure) for 12 minutes. Ensure you close valve if it doesn't do it automatically like on some models.
5. Once it finishes cooking time, do a quick release of the pressure.
6. Set back to saute mode and add in the coconut milk and spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted down and the lentils are creamy.
7. Season as needed with salt and black pepper.
8. Serve and enjoy!!

Notes

This recipe is dairy free, gluten free, vegan, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly

• Extra Easy - 1.5 syns per serving
• SP - 1.5 syns per serving
• Green/Vegan - 1.5 syns per serving
• WW Smart Points - 1

*suitable for freezing

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 3.7gSaturated Fat: 2.1gSodium: 356mgCarbohydrates: 31.2gFiber: 15.2gSugar: 4gProtein: 14.9g

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