Friday, January 06, 2012

Lentil, Rice, and Sweet Potato Stew With Curry

[Sweet potato with plant growing
in background]

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
I took the car out of town yesterday so Andy had to eat downtown. He went to a restaurant famous (in Peoria) for vegetarian and vegan meals. They had lentils and sweet potatoes, but Andy learned they contained a "very small amount of oil." So, he chose raw veggies with salsa. I, however, dined with my Mom, who, after an endoscopy, chose Bob Evans. There, I found a spinach, apple, and cranberry salad. Skipped the dressing, but used the lemons from Mom's hot tea. I also got a potato with steamed broccoli. So, I came out ahead it seems.

Today, I decided to surprise Andy at lunch with a lentil and sweet potato stew, sans oil.

2 large sweet potatoes
1 cup dry Lundberg wild and brown rice mixture or any brown rice. Cook to package instructions, usually 45 minutes.
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
1 carton Wolfgang Puck or Pacific vegetable broth
3 cups chopped cauliflower
2 cups dry lentils
2 tsp mild curry powder (or you favorite curry to taste)
1 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper, to taste

I put two large sweet potatoes in the oven @ 400° and baked them for about an hour.

Soon after, I cooked a cup of Lundberg wild and brown rice mixture. You could also use brown rice. The nice thing about the Lundberg mixture is that it adds a hearty, colorful, and chewy array of grains.

After the potatoes and rice were underway for about 15 minutes, I sauteed a large onion and 3 garlic cloves in a super-sized non-stick pan. After they had browned in the pan, I deglazed with Wolfgang Puck organic vegetable broth. (Pacific brand also works well.) Or, you could use your own homemade version, of course.

I added 2 cups of dry lentils to the non-stick pan and then covered them completely with the rest of the carton of veggie broth.

After the lentils had cooked for about 10 minutes, I cut up about 3 cups of cauliflower, chopped small, and tossed it in. Then, I added salt, pepper, and turmeric.

With a cover on the pan, I let the lentils and cauliflower steam for 15 more minutes.

I added about 2 tsp of mild curry powder, but you can adjust this to taste.

Remove the hot potatoes from the oven and the skins peel off easily. I diced them and tossed them in the pan.

Then, added the cooked rice. 

I had Sharwood's Mild Curry. This was good for me, but Andy said I could have put in more than 2 tsp. Please adjust curry to taste. If curry isn't your thing, another seasoning could be Tabasco sauce.

Cook on medium heat until all is well blended.