Lentil Quinoa Stew

Please don’t let this stew’s close resemblance to vomit deter you – because it’s very tasty. And easy to make. With little cleanup. Are you convinced yet?

I recently revisited one of my favourite cookbooks, La Dolce Vegan, to see if there were any recipes I shunned years ago that I might reconsider, now that my diet has changed so drastically. This recipe definitely fit the bill – in the olden days, I didn’t know what quinoa was and wouldn’t have touched it.

La Dolce Vegan is packed with comfort food and this stew is no exception – it’s hearty, warm and simple. It’s also mild and full of familiar flavours that won’t be too scary to a health food newbie. The original recipe had ¼ cup of cilantro (which I hate) and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (which I simply forgot to add). Feel free to throw those in too, if you’d like.

Lentil Quinoa Stew
From La Dolce Vegan

1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 celery stalk, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 ½ cups vegetable stock
½ cup dry red lentils
¼ cup quinoa
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, diced

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion in oil until translucent. Add the celery, carrots and garlic and sauté for five minutes. Add the stock, lentils, quinoa, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover with lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.

In a food processor or with a hand blender, blend half of the soup until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Return to pot, stir in tomatoes, reheat and serve.