Curried Beef and Lentil Stew

CURRIED BEEF AND LENTIL STEW

It's been a while. Things have been so hectic around the house and work has been keeping me busy. Weight Watchers is going great! I'm sooo close to goal! YAY!

Anyway, on to the recipe. This is another Cooking Light recipe. This was a great weeknight dinner. The flavor was great and it was super easy to put together.

CURRIED LAMB AND LENTIL STEW

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds lean boned leg of lamb (I used beef stew meat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups chopped collards or spinach (1/4 pound) (I omitted)
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Trim fat from lamb, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Set lamb aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add lamb; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add curry, cumin, and pepper; stir well to coat. Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add greens and carrot; simmer 10 minutes or until lamb is tender. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Note: The purchase weight of lamb is 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds to equal 1 pound, trimmed.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 309 (26% from fat), Fat: 8.8g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.9g), Protein: 33.7g, Carbohydrate: 25g, Fiber: 5.7g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Iron: 6.9mg, Sodium: 311mg, Calcium:
115mg

**NUTRITIONAL INFO IS FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE MY CHANGES**

Mujadarah - Lentils & Rice

MUJADARAH

This is one of my favorite Lebanese family recipes. Basically, it's rice, lentils, onions and spices. This is such an inexpensive dinner to put together, makes great leftovers and tastes so good! This goes great with pita bread (see recipe below), hummus and a nice side salad.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cup lentils, rinsed
2 cups instant rice
3 large onions, finely sliced
4 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper
1/2 cup oil (I use Canola)

DIRECTIONS:
In a deep frying pan, add oil and finely sliced onions. Cook over medium-high heat. Try not to stir too often, as this slows down the browning process. At first it may appear you have a ton of onions but, trust me, they cook down a lot. Fry onions until dark brown, but not burnt.

onions before ...

and after ...

Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine lentils, water and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until lentils are half way cooked.

Add rice and cumin. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, stirring often. Once the water is absorbed, remove from heat.

When the onions are dark brown, add to the rice/lentil mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spicy Lentils with Sausage

SPICY LENTILS WITH SAUSAGE

I found this recipe in the Detroit News a while back. Once I saw it, I knew I had to try it. It's so hearty and flavorful. Plus, with Lent rolling around, you can omit the sausage and have a tasty vegetarian dish. Definitely give it a try. It's the perfect weeknight meal.

I used the steamed lentils from Trader Joe's to save on time. I highly recommend these. They are sooo good!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup red and/or yellow peppers, finely chopped
1 14-ounce can peeled diced tomatoes
1 cup V-8
2 cups prepared lentils
1 small can of diced green chiles
Pinch of dried basil
Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound sausage (chicken or pork), browned and sliced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook the sausage as directed. Slice and set aside.

Prepare lentils, as directed.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions, garlic and peppers. Sauté until soft. Add the tomatoes and V-8. Stir well, cover and simmer for 20 mins.

Add cooked lentils, seasonings, chiles, cooked sausage and heat thoroughly.

Serve in shallow soup bowls. You can top with goat cheese or Parmesan cheese. YUM!!

Braised Lentils with Spinach

I found this recipe on Elly's blog and I highly recommend it. It's such a flavorful, easy way to prepare lentils!

I will definitely be making this again!

BRAISED LENTILS WITH SPINACH

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup brown lentils

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. olive oil

1 sprig thyme or a pinch of dried

1 small carrot, diced

1 small piece celery, diced

1/2 small onion, diced

4-5 mushrooms, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup fresh spinach, shredded or chopped

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Place lentils and bay leaf in a small pan and pour cold water in the pan so that it reaches about 3" above the lentils. Cook at a rolling boil until lentils are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over moderate heat and add olive oil and thyme. Saute the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms until tender.

Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lentils and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced enough to coat lentils--a couple minutes. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.