Zesty Lentil-Spinach Stew
Updated: Oct 24
A one-pot dinner that is fresh, healthy and easy to make. It’s also a complete meal by Ayurvedic standards, with all six tastes included.—sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional) 3 cups water or fresh broth
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed 1⁄2 pound carrots, cut into 1⁄2-inch dice 6 oz. baby spinach leaves 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1⁄2 tsp. lemon zest 1⁄4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh mint Sea salt, to taste
Preparation: Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add spices, and cook until fragrant. Add the garlic, stirring well, and cook another 30 seconds. Add broth and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add potatoes, and cook 15 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest and cayenne pepper. Cover, and simmer 2 minutes, or until spinach wilts. Stir in the mint. Season to taste with sea salt.
About the author: Carol Jamault is a Certified Health and Life Coach (CHC), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), and Yoga Instructor (RYT-200) with extensive training in Ayurveda and Herbalism. She focuses on supporting her clients with stress management tools and self-care routines through an integrative approach to wellness. She guides those in a quest for personal growth and better health, by providing curated information and teaching a therapeutic lifestyle that naturally allows to restore balance, improving wellness and fostering longevity. Carol has been studying alternative healing, ethnobotany, circadian medicine, Ayurveda and herbalism since 2001. She is the founder of Hridayam Bodywork & Apothecary and partners with corporations and wellness studios to provide therapeutic bodywork, private coaching, workshops, and lectures.