Cauliflower & Lentil Curry Stew

This weather! Early in April, it was snowing. Now it seems like it's raining every day. I know, "April showers" but what about April temperatures? None of this high of 49 business, I want the 60's! I guess the silver lining to this dreary weather is I can up my soup game. Last year, I made a lot of soups because of all the snow. This year was more about stews and slow cooker recipes.

 

This recipe comes from the Oh, She Glows cookbook. When I'm thinking about my meal prep for the week, I like to take a look through my cookbooks to see what's new and what I haven't tried before. Now that I've accepted that maybe cauliflower isn't the worst vegetable in the world, I'm open to giving it a go.

 

What's more is this also takes a second look at lentils. The lentil stew from a couple weeks ago was a hit with me, myself and I (what about you?) so was all in for trying red lentils. Fun fact: red lentils are actually orange and they don't really cook up to be red either. Huh.

Garlic and onion are sauteed in oil with spices to get things cookin'. Nice and fragrant. Next, we add the broth and lentils to start softening them up. Once the broth reaches a low boil, in goes the cauliflower and sweet potato. I had intended to add carrots but I forgot! The soup is left to simmer until the vegetables are nice and tender. I like to see how the cauliflower is dyed yellow from the curry powder.

 

Lastly, we add some greens. You can use kale or spinach, I went with spinach. Chop up a couple handfuls and stir into the stew. You can turn the burner off for this part, the hot soup will wilt the leaves all on its own.

Serve hot and curl up with dreams of summer dresses and picnics.

 

Recipe

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped with stems removed
• 1-2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until slightly translucent.
2. Add the spices and cook until fragrant.
3. Next, add the vegetable broth and lentils. Stir to incorporate the spices. Bring the mixture to a low boil.
4. Once the soup is at a low boil, add the diced sweet potato and cauliflower. Return to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
5. Lastly, add the chopped spinach. Stir into the soup and allow to wilt. It's okay if the burner is off for this part.
6. Serve hot or save for reheat. 

Sweet Potato Crockpot Chili

Alright, kicking off these kitchen resolutions right. Making my meals for the week on Sunday has saved me a lot of time and money throughout the week not ordering take out or buying lunch. I'm okay eating the same thing every day for lunch but I prefer to have some variety at least between lunch and dinner which means making two batches of something over the weekend.

The crockpot makes this super easy because I can just set it up and while it cooks, I can make another meal--or watch a lot of Netflix. This recipe came from a simple search for crockpot recipes on Pinterest. So many things on Pinterest.

If I were to make it again, I would add some ground turkey (brown it first) but as it were, this is veggie friendly. There will be a lot of chopping at first, there was so much crying with the onion chopping, so many tears. It's really quite the safety hazard to be blinded while using a knife. Just sayin'.

The vegetables are combined in a crockpot with three cups of broth, can of beans (drained and rinsed), crushed tomatoes and quinoa. Stir everything together and add your spices. More chili powder for some heat.

Set the crockpot to high and cook for four hours or until the sweet potatoes are soft. I served this with avocado on top. Plus it inspired lunch envy at work, win!

Recipe

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 can of kidney (or black) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Avocado (for topping)

1. Once the vegetables are chopped and ready, combine with the beans, crushed tomatoes, quinoa and broth in the crockpot.
2. Stir in the spices.
3. Set the crockpot to high and cook for 4 hours or until the sweet potatoes are soft. 
4. Serve hot and top with avocado or cheese.

Vegan Peanut Stew

You know it's fall when...you finally succumb to the first cough of the season. Colds are no fun and chest colds are rough. But if it means an excuse to drink all my meals as soup and tea, then I guess there's a silver lining.

This stew comes from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I've dabbled in these vegan recipes from time to time and this stew sounded like it was the right amount of hearty and spicy for the darker days of fall. Plus, it has all kinds of veggies in it and after all the Halloween sweets I ate, it's time for a reset.

The vegetables are chopped and cooked first. I thought about adding carrots, you totally could, but in the end, stuck to the recipe. Onions, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and sweet potato--that's a lot of chopping.

While those start to cook and soften, add the diced tomatoes. Hopefully, your can opener won't break at the beginning of this process like mine did. Fortunately, you can still use the sharp part of the can opener to punch tiny cuts into the lid, it will just take ten times as long to open the stupid can. Struggles.

The diced tomatoes and juices will help to cook the vegetables while you mix up some broth. Peanut butter and 1 cup of broth are whisked together until no clumps survive. This mixture and another 3 cups of broth (conveniently making one carton) are added to the vegetables. Now we're in business!

Allow the stew to cook until the vegetables are tender. Add the chickpeas and spinach last so they will warm and soften. Clearly you should serve this hot but if you're feeling extra hungry, you can also add some rice.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go make some tea and curl up in a ball of warmth and sniffles.

Recipe

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes (with juices)
• Paprika (optional for additional heat)
• 1/3 cup of peanut butter
• 4 cups of vegetable broth (divided into 1 and 3)
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of spinach, roughly chopped

1. Mince the garlic and chop up your onion before adding to a large pot with the olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent. 
2. While the onion cooks, peel the sweet potato and chop up with the red bell pepper and jalapeno. Add to the pot with the onion and garlic.
3. Pour the canned tomatoes with juices into the pot. If you like a spicier soup, add paprika to your liking. Stir everything together and allow to cook over medium heat while you prepare the broth.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Once all of the peanut butter clumps are gone, add to the pot of vegetables. 
5. Next, add the remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth.
6. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook until the sweet potato is soft and easily skewered with a fork.
7. Last, add the torn spinach and drained chickpeas. Stir to combine and allow to simmer until the spinach is wilted.
8. Serve hot and potentially with rice.