Vanilla-Spice Lentil Potato Stew!
So as i had my morning cereal (oat milk on grape nuts with flaxseed meal mixed in), i recalled how the flaxseed and oat milk binded together to make the cereal really thick, and for some reason it hit me! Why dont i make a lentil potato stew!
This recipe is from scratch with rough measurements because i was doing it as a test (it turned out really good too!)
Also, a note on the name, i was planning to use regular oat milk and use "indian" style spices. However i only had vanilla flavored oat milk. For some reason, i tried it anyway, and i think the vanilla really complements the spice. It is something i will try again in other spicy dishes. I dont know what it was but the sweetness of the vanilla along with the lentils and spices taste so right together.
Anyway, onto the recipe(ish).
1/2 cup of lentils
1 whole pre-baked potato
1.5 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (this is rough as i just poured some in).
Enough water to totally cover the lentils twice (again i just have made lentils so much that i know how much i need)
1/2-1 cup of vanilla oat milk (i probably used somewhere in between, but id start with a half and then just add more as needed)
Optional, olive oil
Spices (no measurements here)
Coriander
Cumin
Red Pepper (ground)
Curry
Turmeric
Garlic Powder (next time ill have real garlic)
Onion Powder (same as above)
Salt
I mixed these to taste and added as i went along.
Serves 1. Cook time 45 minutes (unless you have a pressure cooker or precooked lentils)
Instructions- Put lentils and water in a pot, start heating, add salt and some olive oil. Once you have them boiling add about 1/4-1/2 cup of oat milk. After the water/oat milk comes to a boil again, add the flaxseed. At this point i start adding spices as well tasting the broth as i go. Cut up the potato into chunks and now you can essentially let the stew cook for around 20 minutes, watching it in case you need to add more oat milk to it. This is a good time also to tailor the spices to your liking.
After the 20 minutes that is when i added the potato along with enough oat milk to cover the potato chunks and make it a bit more liquid. Also, added more spices to taste. Then you just have to check the lentils every once in a while until they are done. The broth should be very creamy and smooth and the spice shouldn't be overpowering (i think the vanilla helps mellow out the ground pepper).
http://s19.postimage.org/3ppav1v9f/V...entil_Stew.jpg
http://s19.postimage.org/ltsbfosxv/V...til_Stew_2.jpg
Re: Vanilla-Spice Lentil Potato Stew!
I think I will try this one night next week.
Couple of questions if thats ok?
First - what type of lentils did you use?
Second - are the ingredients for 1 or 2 people?
Three - does it have to be oat milk? I have 6 cartons of milk alternative in the kitchen and only one is vanilla (soy). And none are oat.
Thanks
Re: Vanilla-Spice Lentil Potato Stew!
Firestorm- Definitely,
I used regular brown lentils (though i suppose red lentils would work as well, the cook time would probably just be less). This was just for me.
I *think* you could get away with another kind of milk. I used (and like) oat because it is a bit thicker, and i like stews to be really thick in general. However, soy milk is definitely thicker than water, so it should work well enough. Personally, i think the vanilla was the main reason why i loved the "broth" of the stew, so as long as its vanilla it should work.
I would love to know how it turns out for you (maybe my tastebuds are just strange), both with the vanilla, and the soy instead of oat. Also if you figure out an adaptation or two, let me know especially if it makes it better!
Blueberries- I had a similar reaction when i realized (after pouring the oat milk) that it was vanilla. I was pleasantly surprised though when i took a taste test! It seems like too much vanilla could definitely be a problem, but id like to experiment as to how much vanilla extract to use, whether its a few drops or more like a teaspoon. Im gonna experiment with some other dishes that are spicy or have some kind of gravy consistency.
Re: Vanilla-Spice Lentil Potato Stew!
I just tried making this and it was really good, the soy milk worked ok but I will probably try oat or even hazelnut milk next time. I thought it tasted a bit weird when I started making it but by the time it was finished it was really tasty:
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...1/SDC11655.jpg
