*Guest post by Catherine Perez (@PlantbasedRD)*

Lentils are a typical dish I always ask for when I visit my mom. She literally makes the best kind. Hearty and so packed with flavor. I consider her a flavor master. Growing up with the way she’s flavored food has inspired me in more ways than one. That’s why you’ll typically see an array of spices in my dishes. Essentially, further homage to my mother and what she’s taught me about good flavored food. This hearty Spiced Lentil Stew is an easy and super flavorful dinner loaded with protein-packed lentils. It’s me paying more homage to my mom and what she’s taught me about food. It also happens to be easy to meal prep and freeze!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry red lentils, rinsed well
• 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed well
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground ginger or 1 inch fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp Loisa Sazón
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 small sweet potato, diced
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan, add in celery and onions and sauté until onions are softened.
2. Add in green bell pepper, sweet potato, garlic and ginger then saute for 1 minute.
3. Add in paprika, ginger, basil, cinnamon and sazón and saute an additional minute to allow the spices to become fragrant.
4. Add in lentils and crushed tomatoes. Stir together well then add in the vegetable broth.
5. Bring mixture to a boil and add bay leaf. Return the mixture to a simmer and cover with a lid.
6. Allow to cook for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender, cooked through and thickened.
7. Remove from heat and stir before serving.

A Few Helpful Notes

• A majority of the ingredients are coming from a host of different spices (including, of course, blends from Loisa!). I like to just measure these out in a bowl before I get started with this recipe. Literally, just have to dump in and you're good to go.
• If you'd like to cook this dish in the Instantpot, I would suggest setting the Instantpot to saute mode, and following the steps similarly until the point where you add the vegetable broth. Once you add the vegetable broth, lock the lid, seal properly and set the pressure cooker to manual for 15 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally. Stir then serve.
• The sugar is optional, but it helps to cut down on the acidity coming from the tomatoes.
• You can enjoy the lentils on their own or paired with brown rice.

Most important, enjoy enjoy!