Lentil Stew With Pumpkin or Sweet Potatoes

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This easy, subtly seasoned stew is an adaptation of a Moroccan recipe by Kitty Morse, from her lovely book “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa.” Whether you choose to use sweet potatoes or winter squash, you’ll be using vegetables with a great deal of vitamin A.

1/2 pound (1 heaped cup) lentils, rinsed and picked over

6 cups water, vegetable stock or chicken stock

1 medium onion, cut in half

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 bay leaf

Pinch of saffron

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

20 sprigs cilantro, tied into a bunch

Salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 medium or 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 pound winter squash (such as pumpkin or butternut squash) or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

3 tablespoons tomato paste

Freshly ground pepper

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine the lentils, water or stock, onion, garlic cloves and bay leaf in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Rub the saffron between your fingers and add to the pot, along with the turmeric and the cilantro. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Remove the onion and garlic cloves from the pot, and add the remaining ingredients except the parsley. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Discard the cilantro bundle, taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, stir in the parsley.

Kale and White Bean Soup

http://nourishedkitchen.com/kale-and-white-bean-soup/

2 cups white beans, soaked overnight

4-5 Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
4-5 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
5 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
3 Tablespoons Butter or Ghee from Grass-fed Cows
1 Bay Leaf
2 Quarts Homemade Chicken Stock (Yes, from the bones because that’s where all the minerals are!)
1 Bunch Kale (I prefer Blue Dino)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

You’ll need to soak the beans overnight–at least and you can soak them up to 48 hrs or so if you need to.   You should be in the habit of soaking all your grains and legumes as these plant foods contain antinutrients called phytates which inhibit mineral absorption.   By soaking the foods, you remove the antinutrients releasing the full nutritive power of the food as well as increasing its overall digestibility.
Drain the beans and cook them on low in water overnight in the crockpot.   Drain the beans and add all ingredients to your slow cooker except the kale which you’ll add at the last minute.   Cook on low all day long.
Return home from a hard day at work, add the kale to the pot and prepare a simple salad as an accompaniment to the meal.   Serve when the kale is cooked, but still bright green.
This dish–with its use of both beans and kale–would not be nearly as nourishing were it not for proper preparation.

Swiss Chard & Potato Frittata

http://nourishedkitchen.com/a-recipe-potato-swiss-chard-frittata/
Ingredients

3 tablespoons clarified butter (see sources)
2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
1 bunch Swiss chard, stem removed and chopped coarsely
4 small potatoes (about 1 lb), sliced thin
1 dozen eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream, not ultrapasteurized
unrefined sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
Equipment
cast iron skillet
Method
Melt three tablespoons clarified butter in a skillet over a medium flame.  Toss peeled and thinly sliced shallots into the skillet and fry in butter until fragrant.
Add coarsely chopped Swiss chard and thinly sliced potatoes into the skillet and continue to cook until the Swiss chard wilts and the potatoes are tender when pierced by a fork.
Beat one dozen pastured eggs with three tablespoons heavy cream until the mixture becomes uniform.  Season the eggs to your liking with salt and black pepper.
Reduce the flame to medium-low then pour the beaten eggs and cream into the skillet, over the vegetables.  Cook over medium-low until barely set, about six minutes or so.
Place the frittata in your oven, under the broiler for about six minutes until it is cooked through.
Serve warm.
YIELD: about eight servings.
TIME: about twenty minutes.
SUBSTITUTIONS: For the dairy-free, use pastured bacon fat or grass-fed tallow, instead of butter and omit cream entirely.