Saturday, January 2, 2010

Red Lentil Stew



For the second day of the cleanse, I started with a fruit smoothie (see Jan 1 post for more info and see picture to left) for breakfast. For lunch, I had leftovers (reheated in the oven) of the simple stir fry that I had last night for supper (also see Jan 1 post for more info). Tonight for supper, I started with my regular salad (with added dandelion greens that I picked up from the grocery store today!). After the salad, I continued with a red lentil stew, which was delicious! In addition to seasoning my lunch and supper meals with sea salt, I also always add 1 tbsp of flax oil after the food has been dished up.


Here is the recipe for the red lentil stew (see picture below):

1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 medium yam, chopped, 2 - 3 cups of additional vegetables, chopped (I added leeks, carrots, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms), 4 cups water/vegetable stock, 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional), 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 2 green onions, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 1 cup black kale, chopped, 1 cup cooked quinoa (optional)


Place olive oil in soup pot, turn on low heat, add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and yams and saute for another 5 minutes. Add additional 2 - 3 cups of vegetables, 4 cups water/vegetable stock, 1 cup uncooked red lentils, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional), 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, cover pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stew for 20 - 30 minutes, until yams are tender. Remove from heat, add cilantro, green onions, and black kale (and 1 cup cooked quinoa if desired - to cook place 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water in a separate pot, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat), dish up and eat!
Although, I eliminate the nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, green/red/yellow peppers, eggplant) during the cleanse to further support the reduction of inflammation in my system, I do use some spices/herbs that are nightshades, including the small amount of red chili flakes found in the red lentil stew.



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