Moroccan Vegetable and Lentil Stew

Ingredients

• 1 large Carrot, roughly chopped
• 1/4 – 1/2 head of Cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 large Onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground Coriander
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1 tsp ground Tumeric
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dried lentils
• Juice of 1/4 lemon (2 tbsp)
• 4 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 handfull of fresh Spinach
• Salt to taste
• Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Soak lentils in a bowl of water for 1 hr prior to cooking.
2. Over medium-high heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil to a thick bottomed crock pot (dutch oven, cast iron pot) and saute onions and carrots, about 3 – 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for an additional 1 minute.
3. Add tomato paste, cauliflower, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook for 3 – 5 minutes until tomato paste has started browning on the bottom of the pot. This is flavor country.
4. Add the tomatoes and de-glaze, scraping all the tomato paste from the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable stock and bring just to a boil. Add dried lentils, reduce heat to low, and cook covered for 1/2 hr.  Add the cauliflower and cook for an additional 30 minutes (1 hour total cooking time) or until lentils reach desired consistency.
5. Add spinach, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Cook for 2 minutes until spinach is wilted. Add more stock if desired. You can also use a fork to mash some of the lentils to thicken up the stew.