Recipes |

slow cookers and snow days || Vegetable Lentil Stew

Mondays tend to be for weekend re-caps.  I wouldn’t be able to put out more than a paragraph on the one that just passed so I am just going to sum it up and move on.  I needed a chill weekend and I got one.

I spent most of the weekend reading.  I finished up a book I started on Christmas Day and hadn’t really had the chance to get back to, Redeemed the last of the House of Night Novels.  I got have been curious to read the Outlander series since it seems to be all the buzz right now.  Also, because Laurie told me I was going to love it and I totally believed her.  I got it for Christmas and wanted to start reading it right away.  I read the aforementioned book first though because I actually got it back in October shame on me and wanted to finally finish that series it was book 12 before I started another.  I actually made it out for lunch on Saturday with Scott and my brother.  Later headed over to my brother’s for dinner and UFC night aka reading for me and fights for them.  haha.

Sunday was a bit of more productive.  A bit.  We managed to remove all traces of Christmas even though I really, really hate doing that.  I have decided that Sundays that we are home will be known for the foreseeable cold front as Slow Cooker Sundays.  Especially, since we spent most of yesterday wondering if the snow would ever stop coming down.  I am still unsure of the answer to that.  Stupid winter storm warming.  Is it May yet? We are the sandy beaches and blue waters? In the meantime, I need to keep warm any way I can.  Slow cooking some stew seemed like a good way to pass a snow day since it does all the work.  So I can sit by the window with a hot beverage and read.  I thought I might pass along this delicious recipe.

Vegetable Lentil Stew


Ingredients:

16 oz dried lentils

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups of onion)
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 large cabbage, chopped small
  • 1 leek, white and green parts only, halved, washed carefully, and chopped)
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 6 cups of water
  • 1 large can (32 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
Directions:
First I rinsed and drained lentils.  Then I heated oil on medium heat.  Sautéd the onion until soft and then added garlic. Sautéd for another minute and transferred into the slow cooker.  I added the rest of the ingredients and stirred it all together.  I set my crock pot on high for 6 hours and it turned out perfect.  It could only of been better if I had been drinking wine while all this was occurring.  Damn this Whole 30 drought I am in. haha.
Let me know if you try this recipe out.  Do you have a favourite slow cooker recipe?