I receive a lot of requests from all you awesome Beauts in the Beauty Detox Community, asking for soups & stews that can be whipped up in no time! And with good reason. Soups are filling, nutrient-dense, great for weight loss, beauty and energy! I am a huge soup lover myself, and enjoy them weekly, all year round.
My Spiced Tomato & Yellow Lentil Veggie Stew is another one-bowl-wonder! With 10 minutes of prep time, and 20 minutes to cook, you will have your belly full of beautifying goodness in 30 minutes flat!
Protective Antioxidants…Tomatoes
For those of you who may be turned off to raw tomatoes, you might just like them softened into a soup or stew. I meet people all the time (including my partner!) who despise raw tomatoes but love pasta sauce and cooked tomatoes. Maybe it’s a texture thing? Go figure! I personally love them any way I can get my little teeth into them!
What I love about these red guys is their lycopene. Their what? Yes, I know, I’m getting all wordy with you again but it’s always great to read what research has found in Mother Nature. Check this out:
A study was designed in which tomato and other dietary sources of lycopene were removed from the diets of postmenopausal women for a period of 4 weeks (in order to see what effect lycopene restriction would have on bone health). At the end of 4 weeks, women in the study started to show increased signs of oxidative stress in their bones and detrimental changes in their bone tissue.
So what was the conclusion? That removal of lycopene-containing foods (including tomatoes) from the diet was likely to put women at increased risk of osteoporosis—arguing the importance of tomatoes and other lycopene-containing foods in the diet.
Have you ever thought about antioxidant protection as being important for bone health? Well it’s time to, since tomato lycopene (and other tomato antioxidants), may have a special role to play in this area.
Tomatoes have also been linked to heart health. Fresh tomatoes have been shown to help lower total cholesterol (including LDL cholesterol and triglycerides). In addition, tomato extracts can help prevent unwanted clumping together (or aggregation), of platelet cells in the blood—which is an important factor in lowering risk of heart problems.
A South American study of 26 vegetables said this:
Tomatoes and green beans came out best in their anti-aggregation properties. Only recently are researchers beginning to identify some of the more unusual phytonutrients in tomatoes that help provide us with these heart-protective benefits.
The great news is, as our knowledge of unique tomato phytonutrients expands, we will learn more about the unique role tomatoes play in supporting heart health. Tomatoes will likely to rise further towards the top of the list as heart healthy foods—I know they are definitely on my updated beauty foods list—not only packed with the antioxidants but with vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium!
Fiber-Packed Lentil
If you’ve tried some of my other recipes, you will know why I love lentils so much. They are pretty quick and easy to prepare, and absorb flavors readily. Lentils have high nutritional value, and are available throughout the year (so no excuses when it comes to adding this beautifying food into your meals!).
Why are they so unique? One cup of lentils has a whopping 18 grams of easy to digest and assimilate plant protein. They are also the leader of the pack when it comes to their fiber content. They are rich in dietary fiber—both the soluble and insoluble types. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract that grabs bile and pushes it out of the body, whereas, insoluble fiber helps increase stool bulk and prevent constipation.
What are some other benefits to adding lentils into your diet? Not only being inexpensive, they are a high protein, have loads of minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients.
Just remember that legumes and beans are nature’s “oops”, and what I mean by that is- they contain both protein and starch, and therefore, can be more difficult to digest. I suggest soaking them overnight and rinsing them well before you consume them. Despite that, I have definitely started eating more lentils in my diet in the past few years since I’ve started studying Ayurveda, in Kitcheree and other recipes.
Lentils are sold whole or split into halves (brown and green varieties retain their shape after cooking better than others). They are available in prepackaged containers but I usually try to buy them in the bulk bins as they tend to be less expensive that way.
Even though canned lentils can be found in some grocery stores, I don’t encourage them (unless you’re in a bind), since they lose much of their nutritional value. Because they cook pretty easily – try to make them yourself whenever possible!
Enough talking. Let’s start prepping!
Prepare ingredients.
Add coconut oil to a large stock pot.
Add the celery.
Add the diced carrots.
Add the chili powder.
Add paprika and saute until softened.
Once softened add the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, red lentils and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook until vegetables are tender (about 10-15 minutes). Serve immediately or store for several days for delicious lunches!
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Being able to bite into something you’ve grown or picked yourself has a warming effect to your heart too. Remember, that red is the color of our root/first chakra, which helps boost and balance it’s vibrations, and balancing our whole well-being in the process.
Check out this super easy & tasty recipe below…
- 1 Tbs. coconut oil
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1-2 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (SEE NOTE)
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup red lentils, ideally soaked overnight, and rinsed (or purchase germinated lentils if available)
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Add coconut oil to a large stock pot and saute celery and carrots with the chili powder and paprika. Once softened add the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, red lentils and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook until vegetables are tender (about 10-15 minutes).
- Serve immediately or store for several days for delicious lunches!
Let me know what you think and don’t forget to add this recipe to your Dinner Recipes Pinterest Board!
All my love,
Kimberly
This is the one and only time we’ve put him in a stroller! And here is the pic to mark the momentous occasion. I still hold him everywhere- although he is getting so heavy! Every mom has her own style. I love that sleeping angel face!
So the lentils only get cooked for 10-15 minutes? Is that enough?
So simple but SO good. Love these recipes :)
So happy you gave this a try and you liked it. Lots of love to you Melisa! ;)
title says yellow lentils but recipe says red. wondering if it should be yellow or red or does it matter?
You can use either lentil (both are great!). Thanks for checking this recipe out and let us know what you think. Lots of love! ;)
I cook lentils all the time. I grew up on it. My mom was from Trinidad and Tobago and she cooked lentils all the time. It is a favorite of mine even today. And you can get it all year round. It is also good for you. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing your personal experience Carol. Your body will thank you for taking such great care of it. ;)
This is one of my absolute fav meals. I make a large pot and share it with my friends at work.
So simple and super tasty. I’ve passed this recipe around to all my friends and family. I get the smoked paprika from Trader Joes.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback Tiffany, I love to hear back from my Beauties. Keep up the great work and sending you lots of love! ;)