Lentil and Leek Almost Vegetarian Stew

Starting with this post, I made it my goal/challenge to include some calculated/estimated nutritional information with the recipe. I don't think there's enough science and math in this blog. I talk about experiments in the kitchen, but true experiments need to be better documented than what I have had previously. Hopefully I will be able to keep up. Let's call it a labor of love. Math takes time and effort. Cooking is the easy part.

This recipe came to fruition when I made a list of everything that I had in my fridge and pantry and started to mix and match ingredients to throw into a crock pot. I happened to find the leeks I had frozen a while ago in the back of my freezer.  Typically used in soups, most commonly potato and leek soup, for me leeks add something mysteriously sweet and full-bodied to the dish. I say mysterious because I slice it really thin and they end up nearly liquefying in the crock pot whenever I make stews or soups so it disappears leaving behind its essence. I would definitely say that leeks were the secret ingredient in this dish that gave the dish most of its flavor.

Lentil and Leek Almost Vegetarian Stew
2 cups per serving. Recipe makes about 3 servings.
Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped kale
• 5 oz baby bella mushrooms cut into quarters or eights depending on the size of the mushroom
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1.5 cup dry lentils
• 2 cups chicken broth (replace with vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian friendly)
• 7 oz baby carrots
• 1 cup/ 1.3 oz frozen leeks
• 1 cup water
• salt, pepper, thyme, basil, oregano to taste

Procedure

1. Put lentils in the crock pot first, then add the rest of the ingredients, ensuring that the lentils are covered with liquid.
2. Cook for 2 hours on low and then stir the pot. Then cook for 5 more hours on low.

Lentil and Leek Almost Vegetarian Stew Estimated Nutritional Information Per Serving (Serving size = 2 cups; 3 servings in 1 recipe)
Total Calories	455.55
Total Fat (g)	1.81
Cholesterol(mg)	0
Sodium (mg)	421.69
Potassium (mg)	1477.66
Total Carbs (g)	82.8
Fiber (g)	33.18
Sugar (g)	11.55
Protein (g)	30.65

Potato and Leek Soup

I was at the grocery store with my roommate and saw leeks. I had been looking for leeks for a while and was going to make this awesome vegetable soup but decided to make something new: potato and leek soup. This recipe is a hybrid of several recipes I found online. The amounts of onion, green onion, and chive are all estimated because I wanted to use up the left overs in my fridge. Mushrooms were added on a whim because they are delicious and they needed to be eaten soon. I might have gotten a little carried away with the onion, but the soup turned out really  delicious. Also, most of the recipes I looked at online required a food processor or immersion blender. I don't have either of those so I just used a potato masher and a hand mixer. Who needs all those fancy gadgets? If I were to tweak this recipe, I would add a little more leek or even out the leek to onion ratio and also add either garlic salt or garlic.

Thinly sliced leek and green onion, finely chopped onion, and finely chopped mushrooms 

Magically transformed potato and leek soup after mashing

Close-up of soup served in a bowl

Potato and Leek Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 leek, sliced thinly (green and light green parts only)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• half a medium onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chives, snipped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup green onion thinly sliced (green and light green parts only)
• 6 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 oz mushrooms finely chopped
• 4 oz of sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Cook leeks, mushrooms, onion, green onion, chives, salt, and pepper in the butter for about 5 minutes in a large pot.
2. Add chicken stock and potatoes.
3. Cook covered for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough to be mashed.
4. When potatoes are ready, add sour cream into the pot and mash the potatoes. Mash until you get the consistency you want.