Today's Special: Lemony Lentil–Spinach Stew

by partysugar 12

I used to believe that a stew had to bubble on the stove all day and be full of tender, falling apart meat chunks. After I ate at the Moroccan restaurant Aziza, here in San Francisco, I realized that a stew can be made in under 40 minutes and be absolutely delicious without the meat. In our attempt to cover more vegetarian and vegan recipes here on YumSugar, I thought a hearty warm vegetable stew would be a perfect addition to the collection. Perhaps there are more people out there like myself whose definition of stew is narrowly limited to only include meat. WIthout the meat, a stew can cook much quicker. Worried that an all vegetable dish won't satisfy your hunger? Think again because this stew is so full of scrumptious vegetables that it's a knockout one pot dinner. And if you're with a man who must have his meat, throw pieces of chorizo into the pot with the potatoes. Get the recipe and read more

Lemony Lentil–Spinach Stew
From Vegetarian Times magazine

2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1/2 lb.)
6 oz. baby spinach leaves
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds.
2. Add broth and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook 15 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
3. Add spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest and cayenne pepper.
4. Cover, and simmer 2 minutes, or until spinach wilts. Stir in mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

PER SERVING: 276 CAL; 18 G PROT; 3 G TOTAL FAT ; 46 G CARB.; 456 MG SOD.; 20 G FIBER; 6 G SUGARS