Hearty Vegetable Stew!

One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a vegetarian (for me) is findings recipes that actually have flavor and produce foods as hearty and satisfying as when they included meat. This is my FAVORITE stew recipe! My preference is to grind and toast the spices myself, but you can skip this step if you are limited in time or you don't have a mortar and pestle (which I would also recommend getting! They're amazing!). This is a modified version of the recipe found on https://cookieandkate.com/2015/vegan-lentil-soup-recipe/. Leftovers are the best! Hope you enjoy it! :)

~1 oz dried mushrooms (I've been using a variety mix)

1 large russet potato

1/4 c. olive oil

2 carrots, cut into slices

1 yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)

1 (28 oz) can whole peed tomatoes (chop the tomatoes into ~1 cm pieces then toss them back in with the juice)

2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander

9 cardamon pods (take out seeds and powder them, discard pods)

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp red pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon (yup!)

1/4 tsp ground ginger

4 c. vegetable broth

1 c. lentils

1 c. freshly chopped kale (I cut it into strips)

salt and pepper to taste

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1. Submerge dried mushrooms in a bowl with cool water and let them reabsorb the water.
2. Mix all the spices in a bowl. If you're going to toast your spices do it now, then set aside.
3. Cut potato into ~ 1 cm cubes and cook in a pan in some oil. When they're done cooking and develop a little crust add some butter to the pan and brown them. Set aside.
4. Heat up your oil in the cooking pot then add the carrots and onions. Stir constantly. Cook until translucent.
5. Add garlic and spices then stir another 30-60 seconds
6. Add can of tomatoes AND THE JUICE to the cooking pot. Stir another 60 seconds.
7. Add broth, lentils, and potatoes.
8. Simmer ~30 minutes. I test the lentils to see when they get chewy.
9. Remove pot from heat.
10. Drain mushrooms and gently squeeze out the excess water. Chops them up to your desired bite size. Add them to the pot and stir.
11. Add kale strips. Stir.

THIS PART IS IMPORTANT FOR HELPING TO MAKE THE STEW THICK!

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1. Scoop out ~1 1/4 c. of the stew, put it in your blender, blend the stew, then put it back in the pot.

2. I like to let it sit about 10 minutes before serving to allow the mushrooms to soak up the flavor and for the kale to wilt

3. Enjoy! :)

submitted by /u/AZGardenNoob
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