RED LENTIL AND SPINACH STEW

Thanks to everyone who has contacted me looking for RUMINATION postings. I’ve had a bit of silence on here. I have been OK. I had to work at the “day job” four days in a row – Monday through Thursday. Most of you know that I am a registered nurse, but for those of you who don’t know, four days in a row of caring for acutely ill patients can be exhausting.

There is a link on my blog for “Geranium Farm” which is the very popular home to priest, author, Barbara Crafton who I had the opportunity to meet earlier this month. I was agog. Barbara Crafton has noted in her writings that sometimes you get so tired emotionally, physically, spiritually, that you really just want to sit and look at the wall. That’s how I have been this past week. Doing my work. Doing whatever else had to be done, and resting the best I could.

I’ve continued with my generally meatless Lent. I’ve realized we are nigh on Holy Week and facing another ‘door’ as it were, or another milestone. Before I started on this particular Lenten journey, I thought I would start preparing vegetarian things I knew and move to doing something new. I realized I had been surviving just fine on what I knew and I was NOT plowing any new ground. Playing it safe. So to keep my word to myself that I would try something new, I tried preparing a new vegetarian dish today.

Often, in order to grow spiritually, we need to do something new. It’s ok that it’s not good or perfect. Just new. Drive down a new street. Shop at a new store. Talk to someone you’ve never talked to before. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Things won’t be different unless you DO something different. Once you’ve done it, there’s no going back. Even if things don’t go the way you expect them to, even if your experience is horrible, it’s still experience in which to glean wisdom.


I serendipitously found this recipe in the Weight Watchers “DINING FOR TWO” cookbook published in 2004. It has been long out of print. I had never made this recipe before today.

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RED LENTIL AND SPINACH STEW

1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I used olive)
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 Tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ to ½ crushed red pepper
½ cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup frozen leaf spinach, thawed
¼ teaspoon salt
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, curry, cumin, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the lentils, broth, and water; bring to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and salt and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.



Per serving (scant 2 cups): 230 Cal, 3 grams fat, 20 gram saturated fat, 0 grams trans Fad, 0 mg Cholesterol, 1188 mg sodium, 39 grams carb, 13 grams fiber, 15 grams protein, 131 grams calcium. POINTS: 4


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I doubled the recipe. Even though it is from a “Dining For Two” cookbook – AND – I live alone – I have a cook once, eat all week philosophy. I am always in search of recipes that are good enough to each every day and do well as leftovers. I omitted the salt, there is already sodium in the vegetable broth.


What did I learn from this foray to a new dish?


I learned that there must be a difference between chopped spinach and leaf spinach; I will aim for the leaf spinach next time and see how that is, though the chopped seems to be fine. I did not realize this when I was purchasing frozen spinach at the store.


I learned one of the beauties of red-lentil dishes is that they can be prepared relatively quickly – even from dried lentils.


I made with Hot Curry (obtained from Penzeys)– which I really like but could be made with sweet or mild curry. To me, my experience is that it is very flavorful with the Hot Curry, though very light at the same time.

This could be easily garnished with a dollop of greek yogurt.


I would definitely make this again. I am glad I made it, I’ve now expanded my repertoire of vegetarian dishes. I do know that sometimes you try a new dish and there are a number of things that could be that you don’t make it again. Difficulty in preparation; peculiar hard to find ingredients; cooking time; taste; texture, etc. This one measures up. Moreover I think I would enjoy it in both summer and winter.


I got some experience. I got some wisdom.


SOLI DEO GLORIA