Lentil Artichoke Stew

As a Food for Life instructor, I get to teach people how to make a lot of delicious recipes, including this Lentil Artichoke Stew from the Cancer Project. This recipe is hearty and perfect for the cold winter ahead of us! If you want to learn how to make this stew in class, please sign up online for one of my classes.

This recipe is also found in The Cancer Survivor's Guide by Dr. Barnard and Jennifer Reilly, RD.

Lentil Artichoke Stew

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 cup dry (uncooked) red lentils (3 cups cooked)

1 bay leaf

2 cups water

Juice of 1 lemon

2 24-oz can chopped tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), undrained, or 6 cups freshly chopped tomatoes plus 1 cup tomato juice

1 1/2 cups quartered artichoke hearts (1 9-oz frozen package or 1 15-oz can, packed in water)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the broth in a large soup pot. Add the onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until translucent. 
2. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add the water, lentils, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
4. Lower the heat and add the tomatoes and their liquid, artichoke hearts, lemon juice, and optional red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, leftovers will keep for up to 3 days.

Note: If red lentils are unavailable, green lentils can be substituted. However, because green lentils will not cook properly in acidic foods, such as tomatoes and lemon juice, you will need to cook them in water or vegetable broth until tender prior to adding them to the stew.

Nutritional Info (per serving):

176 calories

1 g fat

0.1 g saturated fat

4.9% calories from fat

0 mg cholesterol

11.7 g protein

34.3 g carbohydrate

7.5 g sugar

10 g fiber

560 mg sodium

123 mg calcium

6.3 mg iron

28.6 mg vitamin C

238 mcg beta-carotene

1.8 mg vitamin E