Hello everyone! I'm going to try something just a bit different today. I finally decided to try one of the actual recipe plugins here on WordPress, so instead of writing up a big long post I'm going to try to keep this intro short and sweet to just jump right into the recipe! Though don't get used to it, I blog to share recipes but also because I enjoy the catharsis of writing and/or having a space to share my thoughts. I reserve the right to be as verbose (or not) as I like. ;)
Besides wanting to see how the recipe format comes out, I really wanted to save this combination for my own good because I absolutely love how the seasoning came out in this variation of an autumn classic. I've shared beet soup before, but this was worth the write up.
Vegan Beet & Black Lentil Stew
There may be many versions of borscht out there, but it never hurts to have one more. Especially a completely vegan yet utterly delicious recipe!
The herb mixture was what did it for me, but you can easily swap out some of the other ingredients like Swiss chard instead of kale, or even the beet greens if you are lucky enough to have them. Green lentils or white beans would make a good sub for the black lentils if you can't find them locally.
- 1 small onion, peeled & chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, de-seeded & minced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 5-6 medium to large beets, chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon ground celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups black lentils, rinsed & drained
- 8 cups low or no-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 cups chopped kale or other dark leafy green
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- vegan sour cream to garnish (optional)
Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, jalapeno. and carrot. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture starts to soften. Adding a tablespoon or two of water as needed to keep from sticking.
Next add in the beets through the herbs. Mix together and cook for an additional minute or two before stirring in the lentils and vegetable stock. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked through.
Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking, remove the bay leaves and stir in the chopped kale and apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Scoop into a bowl and add a dollop of vegan sour cream or plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt. Enjoy!
I didn't write this down initially, so hopefully I didn't miss anything! With just this one post under my belt, I'm not sure if the recipe editor makes it much easier to type up, but at least it should make it more user friendly to print or pin. I can't say I'll go back and edit previous recipes, however I'll try it again going forward when I have new ones to share. Now we'll see how well it translates to my Hive blog...
Enjoy!
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