Stewed Red Lentils & Tomatoes — The Dirt on Vegetables

Who else feels like they gained 350 pounds after all of these holiday festivities? Despite willing myself into exercising several times over the long weekend, the urge is real to reach for the stretchy pants that are reserved for days like these. While butter and alcohol are the foundation for a great Thanksgiving weekend, they are also the first step toward a frown and maybe a few teardrops falling on your bathroom scale.

This year, Thanksgiving and Chanukah collided and it was a blast. Thanksgivukkah was a once-in-a-lifetime event, so my family and I went all out. My Aunt Connie sculpted a "menurky", which is exactly what it sounds like... a menorah that is shaped like a turkey. We had a full menu for Thanksgivukkah that was carefully planned for weeks by my Aunt Ginny and the rest of the gang. We couldn't even fit everything on the menu and I didn't even mention the desserts! Oy vey... It was quite a feast, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it revolves around great food, beverage, and company. I needed to make a healthy & delicious recipe for dinner last night to pull me out of my gluttonous ways. I am never willing to sacrifice high-quality taste when I cook because my priority is to enjoy what I am eating! That's why I decided to make Stewed Red Lentils and Tomatoes for dinner. It is the perfect dish right now because it is healthy, hearty, full of flavor and easy to prepare. I originally found this recipe from one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and then again from one of my favorite recipe blogs, www.smittenkitchen.com. I have made this recipe many times and it never fails to impress me and my fellow diners.

Last week The Dirt on Vegetables was invited to participate in a cooking demo at Williams-Sonoma at the Natick Mall! Cooking in their kitchen was fun I was honored that the smell of my food wafting through the air brought in so many supportive and hungry customers. Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes was one of the recipes that I sampled and it was a huge hit! I promised that I would post this dish, so here it is… I use red lentils, but green lentils, french green lentils, or brown lentils would work as well. The recipe calls for 1 (28-ounce) can of whole tomatoes, but a can of tomato sauce can be substituted.

Stewed Red Lentils & Tomatoes

Author: Michele Wolfson

Stewed Red Lentils & Tomatoes Author: Michele Wolfson Adapted mostly from The Barefoot Contessa at Home & Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 teaspoons coconut oil
2 cups large-diced yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups large-diced sweet potatoes
3 cloves minced garlic
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes OR 1 (28-ounce) can of tomato sauce
1 cup red lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and the sweet potatoes and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.
Meanwhile, place the canned plum tomatoes, including the juice, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. If using tomato sauce, just pour the can into the pot. Rinse and pick over the lentils to make sure there are no stones in the package.
Add the tomatoes, lentils, broth, curry powder, thyme, salt and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check occasionally to be sure the liquid is still simmering. Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, season to taste and serve hot.