Lentils are a perfect meal. They are full of protein and flavor. Unlike many other vegan dishes, lentils are very satisfying on their own: no sauce or anything else needed. The dish I made today is full of nutrients because I used beet greens in it. Don’t ever discard beet greens. They are one of the healthiest greens out there, they contain even more healthy goodness than the beetroot itself: plenty of calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, folate among others. You can eat it raw or cooked like in this recipe.
As always I made a big batch for my husband and me and a small, salt-free portion for the baby (he is still under one). You are chopping stuff up anyway, why not cook for everyone at once! I even froze a small portion for those empty-fridge days. You can control the softness of the vegetables and the lentils by the amount of cooking time. If offering to the very small babies, add more water and cook for longer until the vegetables are very soft.
This stew is a wonderful meal to practice self-feeding skills right from 6 months. I used a 2-spoon-method with Soren: load one spoonful, offer it to the baby and while he is eating, prepare the second spoon. They learn so fast how to grab the spoon and direct it towards their mouths. It’s fascinating to watch.
INGREDIENTS:
Put as many various vegetables as you like. I used:
3 celery sticks
3 broccoli stems-optional (I never discard them. I remove the rough outer layer and use in many dishes)
4 carrots
1 yellow onion
a bunch of beet greens
1 cup of french lentils (darker in color and smaller)
1-1.5 cup of regular green lentils
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
turmeric
rosemary (I used dried)
Salt and pepper (for adults)
METHOD:
1. In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Add throughly washed lentils. Stir well. Pour water to cover lentils by an inch and a half. Season. Simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency.
4. Add more water if you like the stew to be soupy. Top with parsley or dill. I didn’t have any today but it still came out delicious.
- 3 celery sticks
- 3 broccoli stems-optional (I never discard them. I remove the rough outer layer and use in many dishes)
- 4 carrots
- 1 yellow onion
- a bunch of beet greens
- 1 cup of french lentils (darker in color and smaller)
- 1-1.5 cup of regular green lentils
- 3 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- ½ tsp of turmeric
- rosemary (I used dried)
- Salt and pepper (for adults)
- In a big pot, sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-8 minutes.
- Add chopped beet greens and broccoli stems. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add throughly washed lentils. Stir well. Pour water to cover lentils by an inch and a half. Season with salt, pepper, turmeric, rosemary. Simmer for 25 minutes or until desired consistency.
- Add more water if you like the stew to be soupy. Top with parsley or dill. I didn't have any today but it still came out delicious.
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