Made | Red Lentil Stew

I don't have to tell you it's cold. We had another snowstorm yesterday, and after seven+ years of living in Massachusetts, I still get butterflies the night before a big snowstorm. We were expecting Mike to have a snow day, and my boss had already signed off on us working from home, so it felt like a weekend night. I still had to wake up early the next day and work, but something about wearing my pajamas and drinking a homemade latte while I did it made it feel like my own kind of snow day. 

I woke up at 4 AM to use the bathroom and peeked out the window to absolutely no snow on the ground. I gasped, afraid the weather channel had gotten it wrong and that Mike would have to go in after all. A quick check on my phone reminded me that it wasn't set to start for an hour. When I woke up three hours later, the snow was coming down steadily. I made some tea and settled in for the day. 

Even with the increased daylight, I've been finding myself fighting for energy and motivation at the end of the day. Two nights this week I took an hour nap on the couch after work, which is unheard of. To shake things up, I decided to start some new projects and try a new recipe. 

I bought this little bag of red lentils at Trader Joe's last week with no idea how I'd prepare them. A quick Google of "red lentil recipes" found me a promising Indian-style lentil stew. Trust me, this one's a keeper.

Red Lentil Stew adapted from Real Simple

Gather your ingredients: 

Olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
8 scallions, chopped with white ends separated
2 tablespoons curry powder
4 carrots, chopped (I used about 20 baby carrots, chopped)
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 cup red lentils
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
naan bread and green part of scallions, for serving

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 2-3 minutes). Stir in curry powder, carrots, potato, lentils, broth, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and vegetables are tender (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Sprinkle the curry with the scallion greens and serve with naan (I used Trader Joe's garlic naan).

I meant to take a picture of the bowl, but you know how it is when you're hungry and the garlic naan is ready and you just want to eat dinner. The picture above shows this as it simmers. The liquid will cook down a lot, and you'll be left with a stew-type consistency. This is a hearty meal, and if you're normally a meat-eater, you won't miss it!