stew

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?

Meatless Monday: Eggplant, Potato and Pepper Stew

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I finally reactivated my library card! This means trouble – I now have a ton of library books on my night stand, and even more on hold. In between all the best-sellers and fiction books, I also made room for a few cookbooks. The first one, Meat Free Monday, is by Paul McCartney and has a collection of meatless meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner – for a whole year.  I tagged a few recipes, including one for a meatless dinner stew.

I really really enjoyed the recipe – the book said it made 4 servings, but B and I had dinner, and I froze 5 cups for leftovers, even a few without potatoes for B, who is starting a low-carb diet this week.

vegetarian eggplant, potato and pepper stew labeled

Eggplant, Potato and Pepper Stew (slightly modified from the Meat Free Monday Cookbook) 

Yields 5-8 servings

Here’s what you need:

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, diced
  • 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
  • 1 eggplant, cut into large chunks
  • 1 zucchini, chopped into chunks
  • 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 tbs dried oregano
  • 2 14-oz cans stewed tomatoes
  • 1 1/3 c vegetable broth
  • 14-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 tbs greek olives, chopped
  • Feta and parsley for topping

Here’s what you do:

  1. Heat half of olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and celery, cook until tender but not colored. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
  2. Add the remaining oil, chopped peppers, zucchini, and eggplant to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add potatoes, oregano, canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to low
  4. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until veggies are tender.
  5. Add beans and olives, cook for another 5 minutes.
  6. Taste the stew! Add salt, pepper or other spices as needed. Serve with crumbled feta and chopped parsley.
    chopped veggies for vegetarian eggplant, potato and pepper stew

    Chop the veggies ahead of time … it’s easier

    celery, onion and garlic for chopped veggies for vegetarian eggplant, potato and pepper stew

    saute the celery, onion and garlic first

    vegetarian eggplant, potato and pepper stew simmering

    Let the stew simmer

    closeup of stew

    closeup of stew

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