4 chicken breasts cooked and diced (optional)
2 cups of dry lentils
1 T olive oil
1 onion
4 stalks of celery
4 cloves of garlic
2 14.5 oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes (I just used diced as I couldn't find this)
1 T taco seasoning (or combo of chili power, cumin, etc)
1 t smoked paprika
1/2 t turmeric
4 C vegetable broth
Cholula (or other hot sauce to taste)
1 lime
1/2 bunch cilantro
(Optional: Grill up some chicken breasts for added protein and heartiness for this stew. If adding chicken, grill up first and set aside to let cool.)
1. Add dry lentils to a pot. Cover with water and then drain. Repeat until the water is mostly clear. After final drain, add 4 cups of water and bring lentils to a boil over high heat. Once they boil, cover and turn the heat off. Let sit for 20 minutes.
2. While the lentils cook, dice onion and mince garlic. Saute these in a large stew pot with 1 T olive oil over medium low heat.
3. Rinse and dice celery. Add celery to the pot when the onions and garlic are soft and translucent. Saute until celery begins to soften.
4. Add diced tomatoes including all the juice from the can.
5. Add spices - Taco seasoning, smoked paprika and turmeric. Stir together and then add hot sauce to taste.
6. Drain lentils when the 20 minutes is up and add these to the pot along with the vegetable broth.
7. Simmer soup over medium low for 15 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, pull leaves off the cilantro stems and give a rough chop. Add to the stew and let continue to simmer.
9. Before serving, squeeze juice of one lime into the stew. And add chopped grilled chicken (optional).
10. Serve plain in a soup bowl or plated over rice. (We serve it in a soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips for dipping.)
Note: This stew freezes well so package leftovers and stick in the freezer for an even easier weeknight meal.
