Home Care Recipes: Vegetarian Lentil Stew

Home Care in Shelter Island NY

Fall and winter weather are the perfect time to hunker down at home and enjoy some quality time with your friends and family. This means it is also the perfect time for meals that warm your
body and your spirit. This recipe is for a vegetarian lentil stew that packs a tremendous amount of nutrition in a delicious, satisfying bowl. Perfect for your seniors to make with you or with their home care provider, this recipe gives a large amount of protein from the lentils, as well as dietary fiber, vitamins, and the proven cold-shortening power of garlic and onions. Consider making up a double or even triple batch, allowing it to cool, and then storing it in freezer zipper bags or plastic containers in the freezer so that you always have a warm and comforting meal ready for a day when you just do not have the time or energy to cook a from-scratch dish.

What You Will Need

·        1 cup of chopped onions

·        2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

·        3 cups of water

·        1 clove of finely chopped garlic

·        2 cups of coarsely chopped potatoes

·        1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley

·        1 cup of dried, sorted and rinsed lentils

·        1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin

·        1/4 teaspoon of pepper

·        1/2 teaspoon of salt

·        1/4 teaspoon of ground mace

·        1 28 ounce can of whole drained tomatoes

·        8 ounces of fresh, cut in half mushrooms

·        A Dutch oven

What to Do

·        Put the Dutch oven over medium high heat

·        Add in the oil and allow to heat

·        Chop the onions slightly larger than a fine chop to provide texture. Make sure that they are all the same size so that they cook uniformly

·        Add the onions in the oil and cook until fragrant and slightly translucent. They should not be browned

·        Remove the skin from the garlic clove and place it on the counter

·        Use the broad side of the knife and the heel of your hand to smash the garlic clove, pushing down and away from you to create a thick paste

·        Follow behind the smashing with the knife to chop it finely. This helps the flavor of the garlic get all the way through the recipe and prevents large pieces of garlic from remaining

·        Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is cooked

·        Stir in the potatoes, lentils, and parsley

·        Allow the lentils to soak until tender

·        Add in the tomatoes and stir until warm

·        Stir in the remaining ingredients and allow to cook

·        Break up the tomatoes

·        Heat the stew to boiling

·        Once the stew has gone to boil, reduce the heat to simmer

·        Cover the stew completely

·        Allow to simmer for 40 minutes

·        Continue to stir occasionally

·        Once the potatoes are tender the stew is cooked

·        Allow to stay warm until ready to serve

·        Spoon the stew into serving bowls

Get in touch with the elder care agency in your area to find out more about hiring an in home health care services provider to help you enrich your parents’ lives through dedicated, personalized care.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional home care in Shelter Island, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.