Lentil Veggie Stew

     As so often happens in my cooking I get very inspired and influenced by foods when  I eat out.  My friend Ginna and I went to lunch at the Khyber Pass, an Afghanistan restaurant.  She had a vegetable sampler plate that she was willing to let me share. The smells and flavors were amazing.  So, inspired by the lentils that were served, I came home and made NOTHING like it.  I just am not familiar enough with the spices.  But trust me, I am now on a quest.  I often go to ethnic markets and buy random spices.  I love the smells and exotic flavors.  I bought ponch phoram a few months ago. I had used this particular spice on chicken. I am sure that you could make this stew without it. Or use the 5 spices that make up this Indian blend.

• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Nigella seeds
• Fenugreek seeds
• Mustard seeds

     This stew came about because I was going to be eating by myself and I am beginning to make a little headway with the weight loss.  So, I decided I'd eat a vegetarian low fat meal, something my son and husband are not fond of eating for dinner.  They never complain but I can tell they'd rather have meat of some sort. Voila, this stew was born. I have to explore this kind of cooking a little more to get some of the flavors right or closer but I used what I had on hand. This was very comforting and filling stew.  I make my family lentil soup during Lent but this was decidedly different. Okay, here goes...

Ingredients
1 tsp butter
1/2 diced onion
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 celery stalk diced
1 carrot diced
1/2 yellow pepper diced
1 large tomato (I used a heirloom beefsteak) diced
2 dried chili peppers cut
4 bay leaves (they were smallish)
1 tsp ponch phoram  (this I found was an Indian 5 spice not to be confused with Chinese 5 spice)
6 cups liquid I used 3 homemade veggie broth and 3 water)
2 cups of lentils

2+ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Optional
mixture of dry mint 1/2 tsp (dried from my garden but I bet you could use a tea bag) and dried oregano 1/2 tsp (also from my garden) I added a pinch of this to my bowl of lentils.

1. Put the first 3 ingredients in a pot. Just soften garlic and onion.
2. Add the rest of the veggies and stir until mixture is incorporated.
3. Add everything else except the lentils and bring liquid to a boil add lentils.
4. Boil for a few minutes and then cover and lower to a simmer. Simmer for about 15-20 min.
5. Serve with a little yogurt, chopped cilantro and small wedge of lime.