Lentil Stew

1 cup Green or Brown Lentils
1 cup Black Lentils
1/2 cup Red Lentils
1/4 cup Pearled Barley
9 cups water
6 baby bella mushrooms
1/2 large onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cubes
2 tsp garlic salt
6 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp curry power
1 tbsp paprika powder

This recipe's is calculated for use with a crockpot, otherwise you'll need to add water back after some boils off on the stovetop. I generally throw this together after breakfast on the weekend in anticipation of an easy dinner. It makes 9 1-cup servings of stew that we eat with a thick artisan baguette or French loaf. Adding water will increase your number of servings and make it more soup-like.

Rinse all lentils and combine in crockpot with barley and 9 cups of water. Set crockpot to high temperature for 2-3 hours. Chop mushrooms and onion into desired size pieces, peel garlic cloves, and refrigerate for later use.

Come back in 2-3 hours. Saute mushrooms, onion, and minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 3 minutes. (You can also add small pieces of carrots or potatoes or whatever suits your tastes!) Add mixture to crockpot and stir. Turn down crockpot temperature down to low.

(Note: if you're pressed for time, you can also add the spices when adding saute mixture, but only add any salt after the lentils are already tender. Otherwise, I've heard the lentils can turn tough.)

Come back about an hour before dinner. Add 2 Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes, 2 teaspoons of garlic salt, 6 tablespoons of garam masala powder, and 1 tablespoon each of cumin, curry, and paprika powders.

And lastly, do note that this contains a lot of garlic! Please reduce at your own discretion!

Number of Servings: 9

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ELEVENISH.