stew
Lentil Mushroom Kale Stew
01/14/10 Filed in: Soup
Brrrrr...... It is cold in Florida. And it has been for too long if you ask me! We normally dip into "winter" temperatures for a night, maybe two, but it has been two weeks of layers and jackets. Many of us in Florida have no heat. Why would we? So when the thermostat drops to the 30's, our houses become a balmy 50 F.
My car is now my heat refuge. It has seat warmers (heaven) and I can crank the heater to 80 F and go for a long drive until I am all thawed out. When I was a kid up north, my Mom used to turn the heater down to 65 at night, which I though was cruel and unusual treatment. Imagine waking up to a house in the 50's! Oh yeah, and a house with tile floors, on top of a concrete slab, in the 50's! Need I say more?
In weather like this I yearn for steaming bowls of soup or stew. Today I've made some lentil stew with mushrooms, kale and some apple smoked vegan sausage. Lentils are a great source of tryptophan, folate, dietary fiber, iron, maganese, protein, phosperous, copper, thiamin, and potassium. Not too shabby for this quick and easy legume. Lentils are also an inexpensive food source for those trying to manage a tight food budget.
This is hearty and satisfying for even your most dedicated meat eater. In fat, the brand Field Roast vegan sausage has such great texture that my husband often assumes I bought him some "regular" sausage. Heh Heh! Any sausage flavor can be used in this recipe. Personally, I am a huge fan of anything spicy.
So I started with a cup of chopped carrots, a cup of chopped celery, one onion chopped, and 5-6 cloves of garlic mashed and chopped. Saute this in a little olive oil unitl the onions are clear, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the casings and chop. Add your sausage to the mix and saute until the sausage starts to brown. Add one cup of lentils, either french or brown, to the pot and stir. Add one package of baby bella mushrooms cleaned and chopped. Saute until the water works its way from the mushrooms, about 7 minutes.
Add one bunch of kale that has been rinsed and chopped to the pot and mix in. I used purple kale, but any greens that you have will do the trick. Kale is a great source for vitamins K, A, and C, and, for me, it is all about adding nutrition to the dish.
Add four averaged sized tomatoes, chopped with juice. Add one quart vegetable broth, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and about 2 additonal cups of water to the pot. Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes and a two generous teaspoons dried thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30-40 minutes.
Ideally, stews should be cooked a day before eating to give the flavors time to age and strengthen. Enjoy!
Ingredient List:
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup french lentils, uncooked
1 bunch kale
1 package baby bella or button mushrooms, chopped
2 sausages, uncased and chopped or crumbled
4 tomatoes, chopped or 1 can chopped tomatoes
1 quart vegetable juice
2 cups water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 generous teaspoons dried thyme
pinch red pepper flakes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Living a life of personal balance, moderation, education, and connection.
My car is now my heat refuge. It has seat warmers (heaven) and I can crank the heater to 80 F and go for a long drive until I am all thawed out. When I was a kid up north, my Mom used to turn the heater down to 65 at night, which I though was cruel and unusual treatment. Imagine waking up to a house in the 50's! Oh yeah, and a house with tile floors, on top of a concrete slab, in the 50's! Need I say more?
In weather like this I yearn for steaming bowls of soup or stew. Today I've made some lentil stew with mushrooms, kale and some apple smoked vegan sausage. Lentils are a great source of tryptophan, folate, dietary fiber, iron, maganese, protein, phosperous, copper, thiamin, and potassium. Not too shabby for this quick and easy legume. Lentils are also an inexpensive food source for those trying to manage a tight food budget.
This is hearty and satisfying for even your most dedicated meat eater. In fat, the brand Field Roast vegan sausage has such great texture that my husband often assumes I bought him some "regular" sausage. Heh Heh! Any sausage flavor can be used in this recipe. Personally, I am a huge fan of anything spicy.
So I started with a cup of chopped carrots, a cup of chopped celery, one onion chopped, and 5-6 cloves of garlic mashed and chopped. Saute this in a little olive oil unitl the onions are clear, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the casings and chop. Add your sausage to the mix and saute until the sausage starts to brown. Add one cup of lentils, either french or brown, to the pot and stir. Add one package of baby bella mushrooms cleaned and chopped. Saute until the water works its way from the mushrooms, about 7 minutes.
Add one bunch of kale that has been rinsed and chopped to the pot and mix in. I used purple kale, but any greens that you have will do the trick. Kale is a great source for vitamins K, A, and C, and, for me, it is all about adding nutrition to the dish.
Add four averaged sized tomatoes, chopped with juice. Add one quart vegetable broth, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and about 2 additonal cups of water to the pot. Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes and a two generous teaspoons dried thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30-40 minutes.
Ideally, stews should be cooked a day before eating to give the flavors time to age and strengthen. Enjoy!
Ingredient List:
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup french lentils, uncooked
1 bunch kale
1 package baby bella or button mushrooms, chopped
2 sausages, uncased and chopped or crumbled
4 tomatoes, chopped or 1 can chopped tomatoes
1 quart vegetable juice
2 cups water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 generous teaspoons dried thyme
pinch red pepper flakes
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Living a life of personal balance, moderation, education, and connection.
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