I arrived at my door at 8:30 this evening to the warm aroma of Sweet and Spicy Lentil Chili. Another delicious recipe from Robin Robertson’s Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. I crossed two fingers when preparing this one and was pleased to find it a home-run hit, and super easy to make, just throw it all in the crockpot!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
• One 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup dark unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup apple juice

Saute the veggies with the oil in a pan over medium heat until soft and add the chili powder the last 30 seconds. Toss with the rest in the slower cooker and cook on Low for 8 hours.

Does it get any easier? If you’re really pressed for time you can forgo to pre-saute but I think it brings out the flavors.

The best part about this recipe, it’s totally vegan and gluten-free. I think it may be a little high on the glycemic index, so if you’re watching your blood-sugar, skip sweet and just go with the spicy. Maybe add a little curry powder or thyme instead.

Happy Cultivating!

There’s nothing like coming home to a warm cooked meal at the end of a long work-day. Here at the LB place, however, being the chef of the family means I’m left to prepare that meal myself. Most days it’s a pleasure, after all, I prefer my cooking to anything I can afford and I adore putting something delicious on the table for my loved one. Except for Tuesdays…. It’s a late start day which means it’s a late end day, making the kitchen the last place I want to be when I return from the grind. Enter slow-cooker. I wish to kiss the inventor of this incredible appliance. Therefore, I would like to officially announce Crock Pot Tuesdays! Yay!

Knowing that I am a set-it-and-forget-it gal, a wonderful colleague of mine gifted me with Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, by Robin Robertson. It’s filled with all kinds of amazing recipes, from stews and soups to breads and cake (who knew you could bake in a crock pot.) This morning I got ready the No Hurry Vegetable Curry on p. 124. It was so good. Normally I don’t go for seconds but this dish deserved an encore. The only bad thing about it was The Art Student wasn’t home to enjoy it with me. He’s off learning or something ridiculous like that.  ☺

Here’s the recipe as it’s printed in the book. I made some slight modifications but only minor ones and mostly because I didn’t have the exact ingredients.

No Hurry Vegetable Curry

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 large carrots, sliced on a diagonal
• 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 large yukon potatoes, peeled and diced
• 8 oz green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups chick peas, soaked over-night and drained or one 15.5 oz can, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups veggie stock
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• salt

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over meduim heat. Add the carrots and onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, coriander, and cayenne, stirring to coat.

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to your slow cooker. Add the potatoes, green beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock; cover, and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.

3. Just before serving, stir in the peas and coconut milk and season with salt. Taste to adjust the seasonings.

And voila! A curry sensation that fills your home with a delicious aroma that will welcome you at the door.

And to all you carnivores out there…give this one a try. I’m tellin’ ya, you won’t even miss the meat!