This red lentil stew is perfect for early fall's chill and new cravings for warm yummy goodness.
Red lentils are a great source of fiber, folic acid, protein, and minerals. Combine these nutrition packed legumes with homemade chicken stock, brown rice, and fresh veggies and you have yourself a delicious powerhouse of nutrition (and comfort) in a bowl.
I want to highlight the benefits of using homemade stock for all of your soups and stews. Using homemade stock adds a wonderful depth of flavor to any recipe. The taste of a homemade stock is so superior to that of store-bought, once you go homemade, it will be hard to go back to the boxed variety. Homemade meat stock is an easy and inexpensive way to get some of the key essential nutrients your body needs for tissue regeneration and repair. The slow and steady cooking process (up to 24 hours) extracts minerals and amino acids from the bones - be that of chicken, beef, lamb, or fish - and vegetables, leaving them in a liquid form that is readily available and easy to absorb.
To learn more about the benefits of bone broth and stocks, visit one of my favorite online resources, Nourished Kitchen: http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/. This website is devoted to sharing more traditional ways of preparing food and provides an easy-to-follow recipe for those who are new to making stock: http://nourishedkitchen.com/roast-chicken-stock/
Of course, if you don't happen to have the time to make homemade stock or have any on hand in your freezer, an organic store bought broth or stock will do just fine.
Ingredients
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup short grain brown rice
2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 small head of cauliflower, sliced
1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
3 large kale leaves, julienned
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of grated ginger root
1 in. strip of kombu, hydrates
6 cups of homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Madras Curry Powder
1-2 teaspoons of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
2 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped (garnish)
4 tablespoon of grass fed butter, ghee, or olive oil
3 cups of filtered water
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Soak the brown rice and lentils in 2 1/2 cups of filtered water and raw apple cider vinegar overnight or for 8 hours. You can soak them separately or together. I soak them together.
Rehydrate the kombu in 1/2 cup of filtered water for 30 minutes before adding it to the stew.
In a cast iron ceramic or stainless steel pot, saute the butter with carrots over a medium to high flame for 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until almost translucent. Add the cauliflower, madras curry, turmeric, and chili powder, cooking until the edges of the vegetables begin to slightly brown. Add the celery, cabbage, and kale cooking for an addition 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Next add the rinsed lentils and rice, kombu, tomatoes, and 6 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down the flame, and simmer for 45 minutes.
When the stew is close to done, add the salt and black pepper ( I like a to add a lot of black pepper to this recipe) to taste and cook for an additional 10 minutes, adding more stock if needed.
If time allows, when the stew is finished cooking, let it stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro.
Serves 3-4.
Bon appetit!
