Lentil Stew

Thanks to a history project, we tried lentil stew earlier this school year. My family loves it. However, I can't leave well enough alone, so I tend to tweak recipes until we get it "just right." We're still tweaking, though we're really close. (I might try to change the amounts of broth that I use.) I took a few lentil stew recipes, mixed them up a bit, and threw in a bit of other things. Once you get this started it's a good "walk away" recipe. I love that I don't have to worry about pre-cooking or soaking my lentils. Also, I tend to now add nutritional yeast and turmeric to just about anything, and the amount just varies based on how much I can get away with before I affect the flavor of the dish. Nutritional yeast is great for B vitamins, protein, folic acid, various amino acids... and it tastes great. Turmeric is just healthy beyond belief - it is an anti-inflammatory, it stops the growth of cancer cells, is great for heart health, might have some antimicrobial properties, and well, it's just wonderful. :) I'm not keen on the flavor so this is where the "add till I can almost taste it" experimentation comes in. Our most favorite doctor suggested that we start using it in our meals anytime we would add something like salt or pepper, so we put it in nearly everything as long as it isn't a sweet dish. (How I miss her!) However, be warned that it is ORANGE and will change the appearance of your dish if it is light in color. This are my two "must have" additions to my kitchen this year.

Lentil Stew

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups lentils, rinsed and sorted (I used black lentils)
6 cups liquid - 1 used 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups veggie broth, and 2 cups water (what I had on hand!)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I just toss - so no promises on how much I used)
1 teaspoon each: turmeric, garlic, basil, oregano
sprinkle or two of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (which I forgot... this might be my missing flavor)
6 ounces natural chicken kielbasa sausage (I used an Italian pepper flavor)
1 can (14 ounce) diced tomatoes

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil to hot (don't let it smoke - not healthy) and saute onion stirring occasionally till tender and brown, approx 6 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and bell pepper, and cook until softened. Add liquid, lentils, salt, pepper, turmeric, nutritional yeast, garlic, basil, and oregano. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are tender - approximately 30 minutes. (Cooking lentils with salt can make them tough, but I didn't notice a problem in this tonight when I added the salt early.) While the stew simmers brown the sausage in the remaining oil. Allow it to cool for several minutes and then slice into pieces that your kids will eat. :) Add sausage to the stew and stir in vinegar. Simmer till everything is hot and flavors are mixed. Serve with a nice big crusty bread and a salad.

This is a filling meal for us. I saw a few recipes that included potatoes, but I just don't think I could handle having something else heavy in this because it's a filling stew (to me.) This freezes very well and heats up great the next day.