Rhineland-Style Smoked Sausage and Lentil Stew

This recipe is brought to you by Shay, our receptionist and office manager.  She is always coming up with unique, healthy, and delicious recipes for our office to try.  This is a German dish that is a rich, hearty, one-pot meal that is perfect during the cold weather.  Lovage is an herb that is not commonly seen or used these days, but you can use fresh sage instead.

Ingredients

2 ½ c beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 ham hock (from a meat market such as Robert’s Specialty Meats on Sunset Dr in Waukesha)

1 lb dried black lentils (beluga) or green or brown lentils, rinsed

2 carrots, diced

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 leeks (white and light green parts only), washed well, and sliced

1 celeriac (1-2 lbs), peeled and diced

¾ lb boiling potatoes, peeled and diced

leaves from 1 small bunch parsley

2 bushy sprigs fresh lovage, chopped (or 2 sprigs fresh sage, whole)

1 ½ lb smoked polish kielbasa, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a large casserole dish or dutch oven, bring broth to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, covered, with the tomato paste and ham hock, whisking to dissolve paste.  Reduce heat to low, add lentils, carrots, onions, leeks, celeriac, and potatoes.  Add water to bring to desired consistency.  Cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the ham hock and dice any meat that remains on the bone.  Add to pot.  Add parsley, lovage or sage, and sausages.  Cook until sausages are heated through, about 10 min.  Sprinkle with vinegar, taste, and season with salt and pepper.  Add more vinegar to taste.

Spicy Lentil Tacos

Here's a twist on the traditional ground beef tacos.  Health benefits include lowering cholesterol,  maintaining blood sugar levels, high in B vitamins, high in iron, high in protein, and maintaining a healthy heart.  The first time I made this, my fiance' Kirby fell in love with it.  We actually prefer it over ground beef tacos.  I've been known to mix in a can of organic black beans for more variety, fiber, and flavor.  You can also make a big plate of nachos with this recipe!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp butter (organic/local preferred) or extra virgin coconut oil
-1 cup diced onion
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 whole jalapeno, diced (optional)
-1 cup dried brown lentils
-1 package (2.25oz) taco seasoning, spicy if preferred (homemade taco seasoning recipe below)
-2 1/2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce or cabbage
-1 cup chopped tomatoes
-1 avocado, sliced
-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-salsa
-8 corn taco shells (hard or soft)

Taco seasoning recipe:
-2 Tbsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp cumin
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp chipotle powder
-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
-1/4 tsp dried mexican oregano
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1 1/2 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp white pepper
-1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Heat butter or oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook onion, garlic, jalapeno, and 1/2 tsp of salt until soft and tender, about 2-4 minutes.  Add lentils and taco seasoning.  Cook until spices are fragrant and the lentils start to get dry, about 2 minutes.  Add broth; bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Let simmer for 25-35 minutes.  Uncover and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until mixture thickens and lentils are tender (taste lentils to make sure they are cooked).  Spoon about 1/4 cup of the lentils into each taco shell and top with condiments of your choice (tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, avocado, lettuce/cabbage, taco sauce, etc.) and enjoy!