I’m in beautiful Manual Antonio, Costa Rica sitting in my favorite cafe, enjoying the breeze and posting up this recipe for the students of the Epic Academey Yoga Teacher Training. What a delight it is to nourish them through their training along side the amazing Chef Pedro! And of course I can’t complain about being here while it was still snowing when I left home.
Today for lunch I made this lentil stew dish with lightly steamed cauliflower rice and salad of lettuce, red cabbage, purslane, fresh oregano and cultured, sprouted dehydrated almonds with a balsamic vinaigrette.
This is no ordinary stew recipe though. In this recipe the lentils are cultured and sprouted several days in advance of being cooked slowly over a low temperature for several hours. Before you stop reading cause you think this is really labor intensive I will tell you that your actual time commitment to this is about 20 mnutes total. You mostly just let time and nature do it’s thing.
To find out how and why you would want to culture soak and sprout lentils, as well as all legumes, seeds, nuts, grains go to: https://www.ilivevibrantly.com/back-basics-101-soak-nuts-seeds-legumes-grains/.
Health Benefits
Lentils offer a wide range of important nutrients especially folate, manganese, iron and phosphorus. They help:
- to reduce blood cholesterol since they contains high levels of soluble fiber.
- Heart health
- Digestive health
- Stabilize blood sugar
- Supply a good source of protein (this is where culturing and sprouting come in)
- Increase energy
- Weight loss
Once you get past the first couple steps you basically just walk away and intermittently check on things.
Lentil Stew – Live Vibrantly Style
3 Days Ahead:
2 cups lentils
6 cups filtered water
1/2 cup water kefir (if using as your culture) or 1 heaping tablespoon of salt
Clean and rinse lentils then add to a large glass bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients plus allow room for expansion.
Add the water kefir or salt depending on which you are using. Now add the water, gently mix everything, cover with a plate and I like to throw a tea towel over it as well for fruit flys love water kefir.
Now just let it soak for 24 hours then strain, rinse and put back in the bowl being sure that they are moist. Cover again and keep checking occasionally to make sure they are still moist until you see a little nub starting to come up; usually 1-2 days depending on your climate. Do not keep your bowl in direct sunlight. The ones in the picture I let go a little longer for a fuller sprout.
To make the stew:
sprouted lentils
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground tumeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups bone broth or veggie broth or water with a piece of seaweed
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil
Heat the coconut oil in a large stock pot on medium low. Add the onions and saute until slightly translucent. Add the lentils and gently stir just for a couple of minutes to infuse with the oil and onion. Add the seasonings, garlic and gently mix. Let simmer stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Crockpot method:
Add the ingredients from your stock pot to your crockpot. Add whichever liquid you are using to the crockpot. Set it on low for four hours.
Stockpot method:
Turn the temperature to low, add whatever liquid you are using and simmer on low for about 4 hours. They are done when they are soft but not a big pile of mush.
This is a great make ahead dish and will keep for a week in the fridge. I often make a big pot on the weekend and we reheat them for later in the week.
This makes a good size pot which will serve 4-6 for a meal or in my case a few meals for two. And if you choose you can use some of the sprouted lentils raw in a salad. Since they have been cultured they are already predigested and much easier for your body to break down. However you choose to enjoy them know that you are eating living food that will nourish and sustatin your life.
Live Vibrantly!
ps. Curious to know more about how to get the most nutrients from your food and make the best choices? Then I invite you to check out my book, “Live Vibrantly! 10 Steps to Maintain Youthfulness, Increase Energy and Restore Your Health”. Go here for more information and how to get your free bonuses
