I love this recipe … and you can make lots of substitutions if you wish. This used to have lamb in it and I made it many times with chicken. But I don’t miss the meat though, so give this a try if you are contemplating trying fewer meals with meat, or even becoming vegetarian or vegan.

1 tablespoon olive oil (optional - use water or stock if you want to avoid the basically empty calories of 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 or vegetable broth
3/4 cup lentils
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups chopped collards or spinach (about 1/4 pound)
1 cup diced carrot
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (if canned, drained and rinsed well)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
cilantro sprigs (optional)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; saute 2 minutes. 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, garbanzo beans and carrot; simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

This spicy bean stew reheats well so it can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed for mealtime.
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8-10

1/3 cup water
1 large onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
3 cups peeled & chunked sweet potatoes
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks with juice
2 cups chunked green apples (unpeeled)
1 4 ounce can chopped green chilies
1⁄2 cup vegetable broth
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon

Place the water in a large pot. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, tomatoes, pineapple, apples, chilies and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and seasonings, mix well and continue to cook over low heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over brown rice or other whole grains.

Used with permission from John McDougall’s website. I can’t comment on this one yet myself … but I will once I get it made and tasted.

Okay, now I’ve made this, eaten it freshly made, frozen some and thawed it weeks later … amazing, every spoonful! You could serve it over rice or grains, and it is nice with Tandoori bread, but it is just as nice as is. Yummy!