Rainy Day Stew

Utensils: Cutting board & knife, saucepan, large pan with high sides or Dutch oven
Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook. Time: About one hour
Category: Vegan, GF

Ingredients

Vegetable broth
One cup chopped kale
1/2- one cup cooked chickpeas (I soak, sprout* & cook my own, but you can use canned)
one cup lentils (sprouted, optional*)
2 carrots, scrubbed & sliced into rings
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped or left whole
one leek, white parts, sliced into thin rings
tamari soy sauce to taste (Reg. soy sauce has wheat, tamari does not)
chopped parsley or other herbs of your choice

Directions

1. Wash kale well and chop coarsely. Place in a saucepan with enough broth or water to cover and cook while other items are being prepared.
2. While kale cooks for about 20 minutes (separately to cut down on the bitterness of the water), wash and cut the carrots, cloves, and leek and place in large pan with enough water or veg. broth to cover and simmer over medium heat. Add (cooked) chickpeas and (sprouted) lentils. If using, add rice and an additional cup of water or broth, tamari, and spices and allow to cook until beans are tender.
3. Drain the kale when tender, reserving water to cool and use on your plants, and add cooked kale to stew.
4. Serve warm with salad and crusty bread.

Yield: Enough for 4 as a main dish, 6 -8 as a side dish.

* I soak dried chickpeas overnight, drain, and allow to sprout in a colander over a bowl, watering 2-3 times each day for 2 days. Then I spread on a cookie sheet and freeze. I put them in a plastic bag and use as needed.  Lentils can be sprouted in the same way, but they are so small, they can just be added to the stew without freezing to break down the cell walls.