Beers and Babies: Lentil Curry

At the risk of sounding like an alcoholic, you don't realize how amazing alcohol is until you have a child.  And in a cruel twist of fate, having a child often hampers your ability to enjoy alcohol.

We're lucky to be friends with people who like both children and drinking.  Whether that means moms night out where we sip Sangria and commiserate, or people who don't mind us bringing Thatbaby to breweries.  Saturday night our friends fell into the latter category.

Workwife is always trying to get us to come over and hang out with their other friends.  All are parents with small children, a couple with kids just about Thatbaby's age.  But we've never made it over until this week.  We all met for Mr. Workwife's birthday at Stone Brewery.  The main location is in Escondido, and in the 9 years I've been in San Diego I've never made it to that location.  We've taken Thatbaby and met up with the Horse Whispers at the Oceanside location, which is just an outdoor tasting patio.  On Saturday we headed to the brewery's newest location in Point Loma.  It has a giant outdoor area which is great for both parents and children.  The three eldest children (Thatbaby and 2 others) enjoyed playing in the dirt, chasing each other, and playing with a toy truck, while the younger 2 were still at the mom and dad's lap stage.  We were able to watch our children, have some beer, and celebrate with the birthday boy in a great outdoor and relaxing setting.

Workwife and Mr. Workwife are going through a vegan portion of their life right now.  More for dietary reasons than anything else, it's still a pretty impressive and daunting task.  I've said before that I can handle vegetarianism, but I don't know what I'd do without cheese and dairy!  Which is not to say we don't eat our share of vegan meals.  We do.  There are plenty of meals in this house that include neither meat nor dairy - like this lentil curry.  Workwife and I were discussing the fact that many Asian dishes led themselves quite easily to vegan fare.  A curry filled with lentils and tomatoes is just as filling as a meat filled dish and probably healthier!

Lentil Curry

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, diced

2 Tbsp curry paste

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp minced ginger

1 can tomato puree

2 cups cooked lentils

1. Heat the canola oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until onions are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Combine the curry paste, curry powder, tumeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl.  Add to the onions and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomato puree and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the lentils and cook for another 5 minutes.