Mexican red lentil and brown rice stew recipe

Before I get to this stew, you may have noticed a new navigation bar in the header.  I added a complete recipe index organized by category, which I'm hoping will help everyone (including me) find recipes, and also a list of my quick/easy and crock pot recipes.  I've intended to make these changes for a few months now, but I finally had time to sit down to do it (and it was a good distraction to keep me from thinking about the fact that my dissertation defense is in 10 days - yikes!).  Let me know if you have any suggestions for other ways to improve the navigation of my site (I'm open to anything!).

Now to the recipe!  First off, I'm naturally drawn to any recipe that includes turmeric.  Despite the fact that it has permanently dyed many of my kitchen utensils yellow, I can't get enough of it.  I've always had an unusual obsession with mustard, and I'm finally realizing that it's the turmeric that I love so much.  I also love red lentils, and they always seem to make meals amazing.  So, Kalyn had my attention as soon as she posted this recipe, and I'm sad that it took me so long to make it.  It turns out that I didn't have enough lentils, so I threw in some cooked brown rice and I loved the combination.  Next time I'm doubling the recipe so that I can stock my freezer (if I don't eat it all).  I'm submitting this to My Legume Love Affair, which is hosted by Manju at Mirch Masala this month, and is organized by Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Mexican red lentil and brown rice stew (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen, who adapted it from Budget Bytes and Andrea Meyers)
(Printable version)

3/4 cup red lentils
3 1/2 cups water, divided
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked brown rice
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Combine lentils and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let it sit for 20 minutes.  While lentils are sitting, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute onion and celery until tender.  Then add garlic and cook another minute.  Stir in turmeric, cumin, and chili powder and cook one more minute.  Add tomatoes, brown rice, remaining 2 cups water, and lentils, and stir well.  Bring this to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are tender (20-30 min), stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper and add lime juice and cilantro.  Serves 4.

Crock pot curried red lentil, chickpea, and quinoa stew recipe

Another lentil recipe??  I know, I know, but this is so different from the soup with lentils that I just shared.  This, my friends (and I don't mean that in the John McCain way), is one of the two favorites from Sunday's soup night.  It combines several of my favorite foods: red lentils, chickpeas, and quinoa.  You really can't go wrong.  I adapted this for the crock pot because I was making four soups and only have 2 large pots (it's a good thing that I have 2 crock pots!).  It worked perfectly, and there wasn't much left at the end of the night.  I'm still working my way through the other leftovers, though.

This soup was hearty, and the tender lentils almost melted in my mouth.  But the chickpeas were there to provide some complexity in texture.  The spices were perfect - nothing overwhelmed the taste, and it had the perfect amount of spice for a crowd with varying tastes.  I think this is one of the few examples of a recipe that I won't change the next time I make it.  I'm submitting this to January's My Legume Love Affair, which is hosted by EC at Simple Indian Food.

Crock pot curried red lentil, chickpea, and quinoa stew (adapted from ZestyCook/Closet Cooking)
(Printable version)

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1" piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
4 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp hot chili sauce (I used Sriracha)
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa*
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.  Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until vegetables begin to get tender (about 8 min).  Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder, and saute for an additional minute.  Add this to a medium crock pot (I used a 3 1/2 quart, and it was almost too small) along with the lentils, tomatoes, water, chili sauce, and chickpeas.  Cook on high for an hour, and then cook on low for another 4 hours.  An hour before cooking is complete, add in quinoa.  At the end of the cooking time, stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.  Serves 6-8.

*You can substitute 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, and add it to the crock pot at the beginning.  Add an additional 2/3 cup water.

Crock pot split pea, lentil, and sausage soup recipe

Welcome to soup week.  I'll try not to overwhelm you with them, but I have a lot to share.  I made several fabulous soups last week, including this one and the chicken and rice stew.  Then I decided that I should invite friends over for Sunday Night Dinner, and ended up making 4 more soups.  10 people, 4 pots of soup... you do the math.  I'm going to be eating soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next week (no, I'm not exaggerating).  So first I have to share this amazing soup, and then I'll get to the two favorites from soup night.  And I'll try to throw some other things in there to keep you on your toes.

One of my favorite things about Kalyn's Kitchen is that she includes a lot of hearty, but very healthy, meals.  I have a ton of her soups and stews bookmarked, and this got my attention last week.  Unfortunately I thought I had far more split peas than I actually had, so I ended up using half green split peas and half brown lentils.  I liked the mix, though - the split peas virtually disintegrate, while the lentils maintain their shape and give the soup a little bit more texture.  The second I walked in my door, I was overwhelmed by delicious smells, and it tasted just as wonderful.  I love that this soup is very filling, which is exactly what I want on a cold winter day.

Crock pot split pea, lentil, and sausage soup (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)
(Printable version)

12 oz. chicken sausage links (I used a spinach and garlic version), diced
1 onion, chopped
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (omit if you're using spicy sausage)
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup green split peas
1 cup brown lentils
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the diced sausage in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausage to a large crock pot (I used a 5 1/2 quart).  Then add the onion to the skillet and saute until tender (you may need to add a little bit of oil if the sausage didn't have much fat).  Stir in the red pepper, cook for another minute, and then pour onions into the crock pot.  Add carrots, peas, lentils, stock, and water to the crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 6.

Curried lentil and Swiss chard stew recipe

In an attempt to avoid going crazy from consuming greens at every meal, I made a list of every recipe in my cookbooks that calls for some type of greens. It didn't take long for me to turn to the list and figure out what to do with my most recent bunch of Swiss chard.

Curried red lentil and Swiss chard stew (adapted from "Bon Appetit: Fast Easy Fresh" by Barbara Fairchild)

(Printable version)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 Tbsp curry powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups veggie stock

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender and golden. Then stir in curry powder and cayenne and cook for another minute. Add stock and chard leaves and bring to a boil. Toss in the lentils and chickpeas, cover, reduce heat, and let simmer until the lentils are tender (about 10 min), stirring a couple of times. Serves 4.

I made this on a whim, but ended up enjoying it far more than I ever thought I would. The flavors blended together nicely, and the curry and cayenne provided the perfect amount of spice. I liked the chickpeas in there - just when your mouth was getting used to the feel of lentils and chard, there was a new and surprising texture. I forgot how quickly red lentils cook, and I need to keep these around more often. This was definitely a winner! I'm submitting this to My Legume Love Affair, which is organized and hosted by Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Lentil salad with feta, kohlrabi, carrot, bell pepper, and onion recipe

Lentils are one of my favorite legumes because of their versatility and ability to blend with many flavors, as well as the fact that they cook quickly (relative to dried beans). I love variations on lentil salads, and in brainstorming about what to make for dinner, something got that idea in my head. The best part is that I was able to incorporate some of my CSA loot (kohlrabi and carrot) into the salad.

Lentil salad with feta, kohlrabi, carrot, bell pepper, and onion

(Printable version)

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, sorted and rinsed

1/2 large or 1 small kohlrabi, peeled and diced

1 purple (or other color) carrot, diced

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small Vidalia onion, diced

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tbsp olive oil

juice of large lemon

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Put lentils in a medium saucepan, add water so that it comes a few inches above lentils, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until lentils are tender (about 40 min). Drain lentils and let cool for about 20 min. Combine cooked lentils with remaining ingredients and stir well. Serves 5.

This might be my favorite version of lentil salad that I've made thus far. I really enjoyed the addition of kohlrabi and carrots. If you don't have kohlrabi, you could easily substitute jicama or cucumber for a similar crunchy texture. I meant to add tomatoes to this too, but am just remembering that at this very second. Perhaps tomorrow I'll stir in a few diced tomatoes before I enjoy this for lunch. I'm submitting this to My Legume Love Affair, which was conceived by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook and is hosted by Sunshinemom at Tongue Ticklers this month.

Roasted chickpeas

I frequently use the black, kidney, and pinto beans that I've cooked and stored in the freezer, but it's been a while since I grabbed a bag of chickpeas. It's always good to have a high protein snack around, so I decided to try out a recipe for roasted chickpeas that I saw on Could It Be... SEITAN?.

Roasted chickpeas (adapted from Could It Be... SEITAN?)

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari if you want to make it gluten-free)

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet, and roast at 400 for 20 min. Then stir the chickpeas and continue to cook for another 10 min. Serves 3.

These are incredibly addictive, and make a great snack after a long run. The only downside is that they're not as crunchy the next day. They're still delicious (and I still ate them like candy), but from now on I'll probably only make one serving at a time or wait until I'm having people over to make the full recipe. I'm submitting this to My Legume Love Affair Twelfth Helping, which was started by Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook and is hosted by Apu at Annarasa this month.

Andean pinto bean and butternut squash stew

After a few days of warmer weather, it got fairly cold again. On one hand I'm completely sick of winter and can't wait for summer, but I also enjoy soups and stews that are essential for staying warm. I figured I should make one to make the most of the less-than-desirable weather. I was excited to stumble upon this recipe because it combined two of my favorite things - beans and winter squash.

Andean pinto bean and butternut squash stew (adapted from The New York Times)

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1/2 Tbsp paprika

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup (about 1/2 can) diced tomatoes

4 cups water

4 cups cooked pinto beans (from about 1/2 lb dried beans, or 2 cans)

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp tabasco sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in large pot. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 min. Add paprika and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in tomatoes, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated (5-10 min). Add water and beans and bring to a boil. Stir in squash and bay leaf, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer until squash is tender (about 30 min). Add quinoa and continue to cook about 20 min, or until quinoa is done (there will no longer be a white dot in the middle of each grain). Stir in parsley and tabasco and season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 min. Serves 5.

This was delicious, and somewhat different than your typical bean soups/stews. I love pinto beans, but I usually forget about them and end up using black or kidney beans. I'm glad

I discovered this recipe that was perfect for them. Next time I'll add more quinoa because I really couldn't tell that it was there, but otherwise it was fabulous. I really liked the pairing of the beans and squash, and they gave the stew a smooth texture as they cooked and began to disintegrate.

I'm submitting this post to My Legume Love Affair. This blogging event was started by Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook, and is hosted by Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska this month (see complete list of hosts). I'm glad that I can include my reconnection with pinto beans in this great event!