This week, I wanted to try a new slow carb that I picked up, French lentils. Since I had an abundance of mushrooms, I came up with this creamy French lentil stew, which turned out to be hearty and filling, and downright satisfying. It works well as a vegan main dish for it could be served as a side dish, even as a topping for quinoa, rice, or cauliflower rice, whatever your preference.
Vegan Carb-Up French Lentil and Mushroom Stew with Chard Recipe
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup French green lentils, soaked in 3 cups water and 1 tablespoon vinegar for 10 hours then rinsed
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ cup red onion or shallots, diced
- 1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
- ⅓ cup carrot, finely chopped
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free tamari soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1½ cups vegetable broth (*Or bone broth if not vegan.)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage (*Or any non-dairy milk, or even water.)
- 1½ cups chard leaves, stems removed, leaves sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped
- Fresh bread of our choice for serving (*Sourdough is my preference.)
Directions:
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the lentils to the water along with a fat pinch of salt. Simmer the lentils until they’re just-tender, around 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a medium soup pot, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add the red onion/shallots and carrots, sprinkle with salt, and stir. Cook the red onions until slightly softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and let them sit for a full minute. Stir the mushrooms up and season with pepper. Let the mushrooms sit in the pot for another full minute. Stir the mushrooms until they start glistening slightly. Season the mushrooms liberally with salt.
Add the garlic and thyme to the pot and stir. Once the garlic is fragrant, around 30-60 seconds, add the white wine vinegar and tamari soy sauce to the pot. Stir the mushrooms. Add the drained lentils, vegetable broth and plant milk to the pot. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil.
Ladle half of the mushroom mixture into your blender pitcher, ensuring that you include enough of the liquid. Blend on high until completely smooth. Scrape the creamy blended mushroom mixture back into the pot. Add the sliced chard and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil and check it for seasoning. The texture should be like a thick and creamy stew and the kale should be slightly wilted. Stir in fresh herbs, saving a few for garnish. Serve hot with bread or as a topping for your choice of rice.
Did you make this vegan carb-up creamy French lentil and mushroom stew with chard recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
