Lentil Stew

It got a little chilly here last week,

and I wanted something warm to eat.

So, I made lentil stew.

It's SO good.

If you don't believe me, just ask Renee.

I took some over to her.

I made this for the first time a few years

ago when I was on a Daniel Fast

and couldn't eat meat or dairy.

It's a great recipe for vegetarians.

These are lentils.

They scared me at first.  

I had no idea what to do with them.

They're small and hard and not very pretty.

First, you have to rinse them.

There could be rocks in there!!

 Here are my other ingredients.

I also used garlic, but it's not pictured.

Start by chopping up the vegetables.  

I like them to be small because the lentils are small,

and I don't want large chunky potatoes

swimming around in there. 

You could put some celery in here too if you want,

but I don't really like celery, so I didn't.

I got my big stock pot out and put some olive oil in.

I put in about a tablespoon or so of garlic.

I'm not really sure.

If you have the real stuff, use 2 cloves.

Then add the carrots and potatoes.

Stir these around for a few minutes.

Then throw in the lentils.

I put in some dried onion because I didn't have a real one.

If you have a real one, you want to put it in 

with the potatoes and carrots.

Then I added a can of small diced tomatoes.

And some salt and pepper. 

And I put some cumin and essence in there too.

Then add chicken stock.

I finally used the last of my chicken stock I had in the freezer.

If you're going vegetarian, use vegetable stock instead.

I actually used half chicken and half vegetable.

You'll need about 8 cups of liquid.

So, I brought it to a boil and then turned it to low

and put a lid on it and left it alone.

This is after 30 minutes.

We're half way there now.

Another 30 minutes.

It's thick and the lentils and vegetables are tender.

This is a very cheap meal.

I think the whole thing cost less than $3.00

and this will feed about 10 people.

We went on a mission trip to Panama a few years ago,

and we ate lentils every day we were there.

Now I know why.  A small bag of lentils costs 

less than a dollar and it goes a long way.

I enjoyed mine with a piece of focaccia bread :)

* 

The recipe:

Lentil Stew

1 lb lentils

1  28 oz can diced tomatoes

4-5 medium potatoes

1 onion

2 large carrots

2 stalks celery

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp Essence

salt and pepper

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Rinse your lentils.  Chop your vegetables up small.

Heat a large stock pot on medium high heat and put a 

little olive oil in it.  Put your garlic and vegetables in 

and stir for a few minutes.  Add the lentils, tomatoes, and 

spices.  Add the stock and bring to a boil.

Then turn it on low for about an hour.

Check it every 15 minutes and give it a stir.

After about an hour, it should be thick and 

lentils and vegetables should be tender.