Meaning far-out flavor! Plus, I wasn’t exactly sure what ethnic category this stew belonged in. I started out thinking I was going to make an Indian curry dish, and ended up somewhere in Africa. Either way, I knew I didn’t want a standard lentil stew. Regular lentil soup can conjure up images of potluck feeds and I received a bored look when I told BL I was making a new lentil soup for dinner. Lentils often gets a bad rap but to me they are a perfect. Ready to soak up any spices you pair them with, light but satisfying enough to fill you up… not out. This was definitely a one-way trip into flavor town.

I used green french lentils in this but you could use brown. I prefer the green ones and use them in most of my dishes. No matter what type you choose, you are eating one powerful legume! They are a good source of folate, fiber, protein and iron. Need I say more?

Ingredients:

1 white or yellow onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 cup green lentils
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup butternut squash soup (can sub 3/4 cup diced butternut squash or more broth)
1 can garbanzo beans (or 1 1/2 cups, cooked)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated or 2 tbsp. ginger paste (or substitue dried)
Vegetable broth -about 2-4 cups depending how thick you want your stew

Spices:
1/2 tsp. cardamon
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground fenugreek
1 tbsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add lentils, reduce heat to medium and cook until tender. In a separate large stockpot, add 3 tbsp. canola oil, garlic, ginger and onions. Stir until onion is translucent about 5-10 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and spice blend. Stir to combine and cook and additional 10 minutes until the carrots are soft. If the vegetables start to stick, add a bit of vegetable broth. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth and butternut squash soup. Stir together and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, peas, and beans. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 30-40 minutes.

Serves 8.  Per serving: 305 calories, 4g fat, 18g fiber, 18g protein

Yum! We had it over brown rice one night and with crusty bread the next day for lunch.

This is my take on chili and cornbread. Creamy polenta topped with a hearty stew is perfect winter comfort food.

Chili:
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large can hominy, drained
1 can kidney beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 qt. vegetable broth
3 garlic cloves, minced

Spices: 
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Polenta:
3 cups soy milk or other milk
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup cornmeal
3 tbsp. earth balance butter

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large soup pot. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and 1 tsp. salt and cook 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add spices and cook an additional minute. Add drained hominy, tomatoes, beans, broth and jalapenos. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for at least 20 minutes stirring frequently. Add cilantro just prior to serving.

Polenta: Heat broth and milk over medium high heat. When bubbles start to break on the surface, gently whisk in the cornmeal and stir together. Reduce the heat to low, and let cook for 15 minutes until thick, stirring often. Stir in butter the once polenta has finished cooking.

Serves 6. To serve: place 2/3 cup of polenta in a large bowl, top with 1 heaping cup of stew.

Soup seemed like the best idea to use up my thanksgiving leftovers. Thus came two soups: cream of butternut and whirled pea soup. I don’t know which one I prefer better, the creamy, nutty taste of the butternut or the spicy split pea. Try them both! Or try hosting a soup party. We did this once and it was a lot of fun and a perfect to get friends together before the holidays.  Have everyone bring over a soup or an appetizer and dig in.

Cream of Butternut Soup

1/2 cup cashews
1 cup warm water
1 butternut squash, cubed
5 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. sage, (fresh or dried), chopped
1 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 cups vegetable broth

Tempeh bacon for garnish, optional

Begin by placing the cashews and warm water into a blender. Puree until mixture becomes smooth, set aside. Heat a small amount of broth or 1 tbsp. oil and saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add carrots and squash and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, curry powder and sage to the pot. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. With an immersion blender or stand blender, puree soup until creamy. Return back to pot and whisk in cashew cream. Continue to stir over low heat 5-10 minutes until cashew cream is incorporated and thickens the soup. Ladle into bowls and top with crumbled tempeh bacon.

W.P. Whirled (Split) Peas Soup

Split Pea and Seitan Soup

1 package dried green split peas (I’ve also used yellow. Use what you have on hand)
1 package seitan or homemade seitan
2-3 4 0z. cans chopped green chilies
4 carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
4 cups vegetable broth or water

In a stock pot, heat 1 tbsp. oil or broth and cook garlic cloves and onion until translucent. Add carrots and celery, stir and let cook an additional 5-10 minutes. Add peas, water or broth, spices and simmer for 1- 1 1/2 hours until peas are cooked and soup has thickened. Stir, add chopped seitan and cook an additional 20-30 minutes until seitan is heated through.

* For a creamier soup like pictured here: before adding the seitan, puree the soup in batches in a blender. Return to the stove and add seitan. Cook an additional 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Hello October!

Everyone has their own version of what chili should be. I added sweet potato to my usual chili recipe and I was glad I did! Yum. It was so perfect; sweet and filling. With a loaf of wheat bread, this was the perfect night-before dinner for B’s half marathon. No wonder he did so well! Feel free to adjust the heat, it’s pretty tame. Enjoy.

DK’s Vegetable Chili

Ingredients:
1 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 large can or box diced tomatoes, drained
1 carton vegetable broth or homemade broth
1 sweet potato, cubed
2 zucchini, cubed
3 stalks celery, minced
4 carrots, diced
1 onion, minced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 cups bulgur wheat, cooked
1/2 cup textured vegetable protein, re hydrated, optional (you could also use tempeh if you wanted)
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt

Sweat the onion, garlic, and salt with a dash of oil or broth in a heavy-bottom sauce pan. Add the cayenne pepper, oregano, chili pepper, and cumin. Stir to combine. Add the celery, carrots, zucchini, and sweet potato. Combine with seasonings and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the bay leaf and vegetable broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring to the bottom so the seasonings don’t stick to the bottom. Turn the heat to medium/medium high and cook 10 minutes until sweet potatoes are just fork-tender. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the tomatoes, beans, bulgur, and tvp. Cover and allow to cook for 30-40 minutes.

Serve hot with your favorite corn bread or baked bread! Fall is here!