PP Lentil Chow for a Crowd
Chef: Caryn Dugan, STL Veg Girl
Makes: 12 Servings
Prep Time: 45 min
Cook Time: 6 hrs (Crock Pot) 15 min
Total Time: 7 hrs
INGREDIENTS
¼ c + 6 c vegetable broth
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 leek, cut lengthwise and then sliced into half moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, slice (any kind, I used Shiitake)
14 oz can diced tomatoes, + 14 oz pureed tomatoes ~ or ~ 28 oz diced tomatoes pouring half of the can in directly and pureeing the second half in a blender or with an immersion blender directly in the can
3 T chili powder
2 T thyme
2 T rosemary
½ T red pepper flakes
Scant of sea salt and ground black pepper
2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1” cubes (leave the skin on)
2 c brown lentils
14 oz kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ head cauliflower, cut into 1” pieces
10 oz baby kale, washed and roughly chopped
2 T balsamic vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Over medium-high heat, pour ¼ of the vegetable broth in a lg sauce pan. Add the carrots, celery, onion, leek, garlic, and mushrooms. Stir often and add in more broth or water as it evaporates. (This is called a “healthy saute” as your are not using oil). Once the onions becomes transparent and the mushrooms have released their juices, add in the tomato and spices, including the salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a slow boil.
Set your 6 qt crock pot to high for 6 hrs and transfer the mixture to the pot. Now, add in the sweet potatoes, lentils, kidney beans and cauliflower. Stir well and allow to cook. If after a couple of hours you see the liquid is being soaked up by the lentils, first give it a good stir and add in either more broth or water so that it just covers your ingredients. When the six hours is up, add in the baby kale, stir very well, again, and allow it to sit for about 10 min. Right before you serve, splash in the balsamic vinegar, mix well and dish it out.
Caryn Dugan is, "STL VegGirl", a prolific advocate of Whole Plant-Based Living hailing out of St. Louis, MO. In 2008, she lost her beloved dad to cancer and exactly ten weeks later, she too, was diagnosed and successfully treated for her own cancer. Caryn developed insatiable need to learn how the food we put in our body directly affects our health. During reading and researching, meeting with authors, instructors and medical experts in the field of nutrition science and health, Caryn adopted a plant-based whole food diet. The most asked question Caryn receives is, "How do I begin?". Her answer: "A Plant On Every Plate"! After years of traveling both locally and nationally to help others understand the irrefutable health benefits of a plant-based diet, Caryn opened the nation's first plant-based nutrition and culinary education center - the Center for Plant-based Living, where she holds plant-based cooking classes and programs. Share in Caryn’s healthful quest at STL Veg Girl, CPBL (Center for Plant Based Living), Facebook, Instagram, and the new PB Academy.