Sweet Potato Lentil Stew

You know the kind of meal that you enjoy so much that for hours after you eat it, you keep thinking of it? And then the next day, you can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch? And then because you enjoyed it so much the second time, you are giddy because there is still enough for yet another bowl the next day? For me, that was this stew. It even made me doubt myself as a good wife and mother, because I wanted to hide the last of it deep in the fridge just to make sure I was the one who got it.

The funny thing is I stumbled upon this by accident. I knew I wanted a cozy vegetarian meal for dinner. I was wanting soup, and at first I was thinking a lighter version of cream of mushroom. Then remembering I had some lentils, I began searching for mushroom lentil soup recipes. After not finding anything I wanted to make, I decided to check out my favorite blog, A Year in the Kitchen. Ashlee always has great vegetarian recipes as well as lots of soups and stews. Her Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup caught my eye, but I didn't have a butternut or the garam masala, or the time to cook it in a slow cooker. I thought about how butternut and sweet potato are often interchangable in recipes, and after doing a search, found many soups and stews with the combination of sweet potato and lentils.

This stove top version is similar to Ashlee's, only with additional veggies, and spiced with a bay leaf and curry powder instead of the garam masala. I'm not the biggest fan of curry powder usually, but I'm so glad I went to ahead with recipe. The curry wasn't overpowering and gave it a delicious flavor. I did make some minor changes by adjusting quanities, and left out the frozen greens beans it called for. I didn't have any fresh and I don't care for the frozen ones. I also added some tomato paste, which helped thicken it. The recipe suggested topping it with plain yogurt and cilantro at the end, neither of which I had. When I make this again (and you bet I will!) I will make sure to have the cilantro because I love what it adds to soups, but a dallop of lite sour cream worked wonderfully with this. Sage added some diced chicken breasts to his, but afterwards said he would've enjoyed it just as much without the meat.

slightly adapted from wholeliving, about 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 cup of julienne-cut carrots

2 medium celery ribs, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

4 cups water
1 1/4 cups dried brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Plain low-fat yogurt or lite sour cream, for serving

Chopped cilantro, if desired

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to cook, covered, until lentils and potato are just tender, about 20 minutes.

Add tomatoes with juice and tomato paste. Cook until warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with yogurt or sour cream, and sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.