Day 7: Cold Weather Recipes

It’s the final day of my blogathon, and I’m sharing a healthy slow cooker recipe for a lazy Sunday. I’m a newbie to the crockpot, but it was really easy. I just chopped up everything this morning, put the beans on the bottom, layered the veggies on top, then covered them with the liquids and fresh herbs. When it’s time to eat later, all I have to do is serve it up. Piece of cake.

Cold Weather Tip: A crockpot meal is THE cold weather go-to. Tossing it all in one pot makes preparation a cinch. You can make it in the morning when you’ve got energy and have it hot and ready later in the evening when you’re ready to feast and relax. Sweet potatoes and lentils make this a hearty veggie stew that’s catered to your winter cravings.

Don’t forget some hot sauce at the end for a garnish. It helps offset the sweetness of the carrot juice and sweet potatoes.

Slow Cooker Veggie Stew

Slow Cooker Veggie Stew topped with avocado, Sriracha hot sauce, and coconut flakes

For the stew:
2 cups dried lentils
3 large carrots
3 celery stalks
1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 large sweet potato
1 large can diced tomatoes (28 oz.)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock (low sodium)
1 1/2 cups carrot juice
1 handful fresh thyme
1 handful fresh oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

For garnish:
Diced avocado
Sriracha hot sauce
Dried coconut flakes

Rinse off the lentils with water and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Chop up the carrots, celery, and onions into big pieces and layer on top of the lentils. Chop the garlic small and sprinkle on top. Peel the skin off the sweet potato and cut it into cubes. Sprinkle fresh thyme and oregano leaves on top (removing the stems). Add the salt & pepper. Pour in the tomatoes, veggie stock, coconut milk, and carrot juice. Cover with the lid and cook on high for about 5 hours.

To serve, spoon the stew into big bowls and top with avocado, coconut flakes, and a drizzle of hot sauce.

Tip: If you can’t find carrot juice, you can use tomato juice instead. 

See also Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6 of this blogathon.

Veggie stew in the crockpot

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