My Vegan Lentil Stew Recipe

After answering my "Year End" questions yesterday (see my previous blog post below), there is one thing that stood out loud and clear. I did a lot of things, learned a lot of things, and I was happy, etc, but when it came to 'What could I have done differently' - the same problem seem to creep up all the time:

I do not take the time to take care of my health.
I have a few bad eating habits, as healthy as I like to cook, chips are my downfall and well, I eat some every night - which is not good.
I put everything else and every body else first most of the time and I don't put my foot down about what I want and need to do to improve my health.

The result, on top of being peri-menopausal, is weight gain and other associated health issues that arise. So, deep breath, this is going to be my priority for the coming year, and since there is no better time than the present to get started, I'm sharing with you what I made myself for lunch today. It's healthy, balanced nutrition, filling and good for you.

Nathalie's Vegan Lentil Stew

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

2 Teaspoons of vegetable oil

1/2 cup of onions, chopped in chunks

1 cup of mushrooms, sliced

2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth (I like the all-natural Knorr veg broth)

1/4 cup of dried lentils (or about 1 1/2 cups of canned lentils)

2 large potatoes, cubed

1 cup of carrots, finely chopped/sliced

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 Bay leaf

1 fresh garlic clove, or about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 Tablespoon of dried parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium pot, add in the oil, and heat it up. Toss in the onions and mushrooms and let cook until the onions and mushrooms start to brown a bit.

Add in (gently) the 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, the lentils, the potatoes, the carrots, the celery, the bay leaf, the garlic, the parsley and a some salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil on high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about 25-30 min. Until the lentils, potatoes and carrots are cooked.

Taste the stew and adjust the salt & pepper to your liking.

* * * * * *

I didn't have any mushrooms in the house today, so I couldn't put any in, so I didn't stir-fry the onions first, I just dumped everything in the pot with the broth and skipped the oil. I prefer to sautee the onions and mushrooms first in a bit of oil as it adds a lot more flavor in my opinion. I'm a big fan of mushrooms and onions, so together they really add a lot of flavor and texture to the stew.

Try it and let me know what you think :)