Red Lentil Stew

A few years ago, my mother recommended I buy Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" for vegetarian meal ideas. I have to confess that although it's been on my bookshelf for years, I never really turned to it for any ideas until recently.

My husband and I decided to try making a red lentil soup recipe from the book because we had a bunch of red lentils that we had accidentally purchased a while back and didn't know what to do with them. We were skeptical, since the recipe looked super-healthy and terribly fiber-filled; but it said we would be able to make the meal in no time, so we went for it.

First, we simmered the lentils in a saucepan with water, a little butter and turmeric until the lentils were soft and fully cooked. While that was cooking, we sauteed onions in butter with mustard seeds and ground cumin until they became very translucent and soft. Once the onions were done, we poured them into the soup and added the juice of a couple of limes. In the same saute pan, I sauteed the stems of rainbow chard in a little butter until they were softened, then added the chard leaves and sauteed until they wilted.

Now the assembly. Microwaved Trader Joe's brown rice goes into the bottom of the bowl. Then, top the rice with the sauteed chard mixture, and pour the lentil soup over that to fill the bowl. Finally, top the soup with a dollop of greek yogurt and enjoy!