lentils

Healthy Comfort Food: Beef, Lentil and Spinach Stew

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

We all have those days – especially this time of year. We work late or we’re out late doing errands (hello last minute holiday shopping!). It’s dark out when we get home. We’re cold. We are craving the warmth, and sunshine of summer. And we’re also craving some comfort food – and a warm blanket – to get us through the night.

That’s where this soup comes in. It may have taken about two hours to cook (but less than 30 min prep time really), but it was well worth the time. I’m not a huge fan of beef, and B’s not a huge fan of lentil soup or spinach – but we both loved this stew! Hearty, healthy, filling and comforting – what more could you ask for on a wintry night? (Besides ice cream and a glass of red wine that is … yes, I love ice cream in the winter with red wine. Try it.) And as a bonus, the leftovers froze well – B enjoyed them even 2 weeks later out of the freezer!

beef, lentil and spinach stew - i crashed the web

Beef, Lentil and Spinach Stew

inspired by Aggie’s Kitchen (vegetarian recipe) and Food.com (uses ground beef, which I am definitely not a fan of, thus the substitution here)

Here’s what you need:

  • 2-3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 lb grass-fed, organic beef chuck – cut into 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1/2 c. dry red wine
  • 1 c. chopped celery
  • 1 c. leeks, finely diced
  • 1/2 c. thinly slice onion (I used about 1/2 whole red onion)
  • 3 large carrots, chopped
  • 3 c. beef broth
  • 3 c. water
  • 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomtoes
  • 1 c. dry lentils (I used the brown kind)
  • 4 c. fresh baby spinach

Here’s what you do:

  • Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides.
  • If skillet dries up, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add celery, leeks, onion and carrot and cook, stirring often. Cook vegetables until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add broth, water, tomatoes, lentils and wine to pot. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours or until lentils are softened.
  • Just before serving, add spinach and stir until wilted. Enjoy!
beef, lentil, and spinach stew - i crashed the web

Yum! Can’t you just see the comforting-ness?

Crock Pot Lentils and Kale

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Some nights for dinner I just want something healthy, easy, filling AND tasty – is that so much to ask for?

Most nights I can get 3 of the 4. Pasta with meatballs – tasty, easy, filling, but not super healthy (especially when served with a chunk of crusty bread and fresh mozzarella .. OMG I can taste that goodness now).  Homemade black bean burgers with sweet potato fries and braised kale – tasty, filling, healthy but not really super easy (well it’s easy .. just takes time to prepare). So last week when I was “cleaning” out my fridge and found some leftover kale from our CSA and an onion – and then of course found lentils and canned tomatoes in our pantry – a light bulb went off. I realized that combining all those ingredients would most definitely satisfy all of the above! Healthy? Obviously! Easy? Yes – I’d be using my crock pot. Filling? Of course – 1 cup of this dish has about 15 g. of protein (and more if you pair it with chicken). Tasty? Um, anything with lentils and kale in my opinion is tasty (I understand if you disagree).

Enjoy the following “recipe.” I literally just threw everything in my crock pot, googled “lentil crock pot cooking times” and hoped for the best. And it worked! Serve as is, or with chicken, which B had. He actually looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if he wanted anything with the lentils for dinner. “You mean, do I just want lentils and kale for dinner? Am I a rabbit?” – may or may not be exactly what he said. I also sprinkled Penzeys vindaloo seasoning on my leftovers which made for an awesome Indian-type dish. 

crock pot lentils and kale - i crashed the web

Crock Pot Lentils and Kale

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 cups lentils, rinsed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups chopped kale (don’t forget to remove the stems)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons cumin
  • 2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken, if you don’t mind if it’s not vegetarian)
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Here’s what you do:

  1. Rinse lentils. Add to crock pot with onion, garlic, canned tomatoes and kale.
  2. Add spices — ginger, onion powder, garlic powder and cumin. Mix all ingredients within crock pot. Pour broth and water over mixture.
  3. Cover and cook on Low for 5-6 hours.
  4. Enjoy! Serve alone, or as a side dish with chicken if your husband gasps at the thought of just eating lentils and kale alone.

Enjoy! As you can see, it’s not the prettiest dish, but it’s healthy, filling and SUPER EASY.

slow cooker lentils and kale - i crashed the web

PS – Here are some more of my favorite crock pot dishes. You MUST try the jambalaya!

Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Vegetable Stew

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

As I shared with you earlier, I gave up meat for Lent and thus have been experimenting with quite a few new and different recipes. Dinners, typically chicken, pork or sometimes steak, are now slightly different and require a little more though process. So far (yes, only oneish weeks in) it’s been going well and I’ve had tons of fun trying out all the new recipes I’ve found.

I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago making a board of all the recipes I want to make when B said to me, “Why don’t you actually look at some of those cookbooks you own?”  I realized he was right – I’m always finding recipes from blogs, Pinterest, etc. but hardly ever taking advantage of the zillion cookbooks I have! So I took out the first book that I could see – my Bon Appetit cookbook I got as a wedding gift from my brother’s wedding “date.”  I marked off a few recipes and decided that this week was perfect to make the Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Vegetable Stew.

I baked some cornbread, made the stew on Monday night and B and I enjoyed it on Tuesday. B’s rating? He’d “definitely eat it again” (which means it’s a winner).

Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Vegetable Stew

Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Vegetable Stew

(slightly adapted from Bon Appetit cookbook)

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • ¼ cup tomato sauce
  • 2 teaspoons coriander
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 ¼ cups canned vegetable broth
  • 2 ¼ cups water
  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 1 15 to 16 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
  • 12 baby carrots, cut into ¼ inch rounds
  • 1 cup frozen lima beans
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley  
  • 1 oz bag fresh spinach leaves

Here’s what you do:

  1. Heat oil in large pot over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft and golden (about 10 minutes)
  2. Add tomato sauce, coriander, caraway and cayenne; stir one minute.
  3. Stir in broth, water and lentils. Increase heat to high and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are almost tender, about 15-17 minutes.
  4. Add garbanzo beans, carrots, frozen lima beans and parsley. Cover and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
  5. (If you want, you can cool this and refrigerate this a day ahead. Bring it back to a simmer before continuing. This is what I did – just make sure to add the spinach before serving)
  6. Stir spinach info stew. Cover and cook just until spinach wilts, about 3 minutes.  
  7. Enjoy! Serve over rice (which I did not do; I don’t like rice) or with cornbread (which I did do because I love cornbread). 

After B and I enjoyed the stew for dinner, we had about 3 cups leftover which were great for lunches the next few days.

Garbanzo Bean, Lentil and Vegetable Stew

Spicy Kale with Lentils and Sweet Potato

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Looking for a filling and satisfying vegetarian dinner one night? Or a comforting vegetable side dish, perfect for this winter? Then this is for you! Again, B is a pretty serious meat eater, but he somehow agreed to try this (along with some chicken). I’m not sure how much he liked it, but I really enjoyed the dish. I got it from Eat Live Run and made a few modifications.

Spicy Kale with Lentils and Sweet Potato

 

Spicy Kale with Lentils and Sweet Potato (modified from Eat Live Run)

Here’s what you need:

  • 1/2 c diced onion
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 serrano peppers, chopped finely
  • 6 baby carrots (or 2 large carrots), diced
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • one bunch kale, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 c chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 c lentils (dry)
  • 1 tbsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp crushed red pepper

Here’s what you do: 

  1. Dice the onion, celery, serrano peppers and carrots. Chop up the sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium sized pot.
  3. Add the onion, celery, carrot, peppers and sweet potato and cook for about six minutes, until softened.
  4. While the onion, celery, peppers and potato cooks, dice the garlic and chop up the kale. When cooked, add the garlic and kale and continue cooking until kale wilts.
  5. Add the lentils, dried rosemary, cracked red pepper and broth (use vegetable broth if you want a vegetarian recipe). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.
  6. Enjoy!
chopped veggies look so pretty don't they?

chopped veggies look so pretty don’t they?

Spicy Kale with Lentils and Sweet Potato