Curried Red Lentil Soup

A few months back, my good buddies at Martha Stewart Living shared the article Livening Up Lentils.  I knew lentils were a great addition to any diet, but had had mixed success finding tasty recipes.  I'll be posting a few more of my favorites from the section, but here was the clear winner in our tastings.  This serves four and the leftovers are great.
*2 tsp. safflower oil
*3 TBSP finely chopped peeled ginger (about a 2" piece)
*6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
*1 large shallot, finely chopped
*2 carrots, finely diced
*2 tsp. curry powder
*coarse salt
*3/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk, divided
*1 c. red lentils
*1/3 c. chopped dried cherries
*3 TBSP. finely chopped cilantro stems, plus 3 TBSP. cilantro leaves for garnish

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add ginger, garlic, shallot, and carrots, and cook stirring often, until softened (5-7 min).
Add 1 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 c. coconut milk, 4 c. water, and the lentils, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils and carrots are tender (8-10 min). Pour 2 cups soup through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving solids.  Puree strained liquid with remaining soup in a blender until smooth.  Reheat and stir in reserved solids.
Reserving some for garnish, stir cherries and cilantro stems into soup and ladle into bowls.  Swirl in remaining 1/4 c. coconut milk, and garnish with cherries and cilantro leaves.
*Notes: The first time I made this I forgot to add the cilantro stems to the soup and still loved the taste, so if you are not a huge fan of cilantro, just leave them out.  Also, the two adults at this house have differing opinions on the best texture.  He likes it as the recipe states (my suggestion there is to make sure the carrots are truly finely diced).  I actually like it best to skip the straining (maybe because I'm lazy and that is one more thing to wash) and only partly puree the soup, leaving most of the lentils intact.  Either way it works out great.
I love to enjoy it with garlic naan.
Here are the nutrition stats for those who care: 348 cal, 8g saturated fat, 4g unsaturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 46g carb, 390mg sodium, 15g protein, 12g fiber.