The Ultimate Plant Based Meal

Lentils & Greens has been a staple in our house for a few years now. It is my husband's go-to meal for lunches.

Lentils & Greens

The cookbook this recipe hails from is The Engine 2 Diet book which is a primary resource around here. It was our bible when we first ventured into the world of whole food plant based eating. We didn't know anything and this book provided us with all of the information to get started from stocking the pantry to what is best left out. I highly recommend getting this one just for the information if not the great recipes. They are simple but very tasty. And this recipe is just one of those that comes together so quickly and easily.

I just love this food! –Husband

If you're familiar with whole food plant based eating, you know the omission of salt and oil are purposeful. This recipe doesn't need either of those things (and that's from a woman that loves her salt!). I didn't think this recipe would appeal to me since, like I said, I love salt and anything greasy. I've also been very skeptical of all things plant based. I was one of those people that swore I'd never eat tofu and certainly not kale. Well, let me tell you, soooo much has changed and this dish is just one of those that changed my mind! The combination of onion, garlic, celery and carrots as the base really develop a great flavor to start things off and then the vegetable broth, tomatoes, and seasonings (no salt) create just a simple deliciousness. I highly recommend you try this one - it's easy; the ingredients are inexpensive; and it really is tasty served alone or over rice.

Lentils & Greens

Ingredients

I recommend gathering and preparing everything ahead of time so it can just come together quickly

• 1/4 onion diced

• 1 full stick celery diced

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 3 small carrots washed & diced

• 8 baby bella mushrooms sliced

• 1 can (15 oz) petit diced tomatoes *See Note

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth - *See Note

• 2 1/2 cups water

• 1 1/4 cups green lentils

• 1 bunch of kale rough chopped

Instructions

Grab a large soup pot and start filling!

1. Dice all of those vegetables except the kale (that can be done while the base is cooking).

2. Open your can of diced tomatoes. Set aside.

3. Measure your vegetable broth & water, and lentils. Set aside.

4. In the soup pot, add diced onion, celery, carrot and minced garlic with 1/2 cup water to keep veg from sticking. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.

5. Add diced tomatoes and stir to combine.

6. Add vegetable broth, water, and lentils and stir to combine.

7. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a low simmer for 45 minutes.

8. Remove lid and stir in the chopped kale. Continue cooking uncovered for 10 minutes.

Diced Tomato Note: Diced tomatoes come in so many varieties now: you can get petit diced or regular; with spices added or without; roasted or not. So, you get to choose how you want to enhance the dish. My favorite is the petit diced roasted with basil and garlic.

Vegetable Broth Note:

Better Than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Base

I use a vegetable base and add water to make a broth. So, if you choose to use this base at Step 5 stir in 1 Tbsp base with the diced tomatoes. Then at Step 6, just add 5 cups of water and lentils and stir to combine.

We have served this dish over brown rice, drained completely in a wrap, or just alone in a bowl like soup. I hope you enjoy making and eating it as much as we do. Let me know how it goes and if you've done anything different. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas!