Easy Lentil Stew

Place all ingredients in pot and season with cumin
Cover with enough water, stir and allow to simmer

Viola! Easy and tasty lentil stew

OK, so has anybody noticed?

Who has realised a certain pattern emerging in my recipe posts?

Mmm?

So what's up?

I’ll tell you: this is the third time in ten days that I've posted a diet-friendly recipe.

The reason is I’ve rejoined a weight loss club. Or should I say: I joined a weight loss club in August last year, achieved my goal weight in six weeks and went onto a maintenance program.

My husband returned in mid-September and was home for almost six months. I never went back during this time, even though I only have to “weigh in” once a month to stay on as a member. You see, meetings are held in another town which entails a 96km/60mile round trip. So, with all the travelling my husband and I did while he was home, going for job interviews, going on holiday/vacation (for nine days in November) and once visiting our children en route to his mother’s wedding , there was no time for me to go to the meetings. However, the group leader of this weight loss group who knew my situation and that I’d be back again in the New Year, advised me to pay as a life member and my original registration would not become null and void.

Eventually Monday this week, I travelled to the meeting to weigh in and find out if there are any new ideas, recipes, competitions etc that are normally on offer. So now I am, once again, motivated to remain on my healthy eating plan. Apart from posting many tasty and guilt-free recipes, I’ll also be sharing, from time to time, tips I’ve gleaned at the meetings and from this weight loss club’s magazine.

Now for my recipe.

This is my own recipe, calculated to incorporate many delicious vegetables, simmered with green or brown lentils which versatile legume forms a large part of my protein intake. It is not so much a recipe as instructions on how to make this healthy, totally fat-free dish.

Easy Lentil Stew
(Serves 2)
Cooking time: 1hour 30 minutes

100g dried green or brown lentils
¼ aubergine, chopped
¼ butternut squash, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
½ onion, sliced
1 tomato, halved
¼ sweet potato (yam), chopped
4-5 baby potatoes, washed, with skins

1 teaspoon Cumin (jeera) powder
Salt and ground black pepper
Enough water to cover

Place lentils in a saucepan, add vegetables; add cumin powder

Cover with water

Bring to the boil, turn down; stir

Cover and simmer about 1 hour, stirring occasionally
When the lentils are almost soft, add salt and ground black pepper Continue simmering until lentils and all vegetables (like carrots, potatoes) are soft
Serve with brown wild rice and a green salad

Note: You can reduce the cooking time considerably by using tinned lentils