curried lentil and yam chistoup...

Yes, you read that right and no, it's not a spelling error...this is a chistoup. It's kind of a mix between a chili, stew, and soup. The recipe is an adaptation of this recipe from Dinner with Julie. It's a rough adaptation - more like, inspired by. I think one of my favorite things about this dish is how low maintenance it is. Put everything in a pot, let it boil, turn it down, and do whatever you need to do (in my case, frantically take a shower and pray that our house gnomes don't turn up the heat and make my chistoup explode). I'm going to remake more tomorrow using carrots instead of yams, but I really recommend yams because..well you all know my love affair with yams...

Curried Lentil and Yam Chistoup
serves 1 as a main dish

• 1-2 TBS olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1/3 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tsp. powdered or grated ginger
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 2-3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium yam, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 cup dried lentils
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tsp. dried bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

• 1/4 cup feta
• 1/4 cup raisins

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and curry powder, stir over heat for about 1 minute. Pour in vegetable broth, lentils, all vegetables, and bay leaves. Add salt and pepper as desired. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, until all veggies and lentils are tender. 

There will be excess broth which you can leave in if you want it more soup-like, but I poured off the excess liquid and saved it (for tomorrow). Pour the whole she-bang into your serving dish of choice and mix in raisins (if using) - they add a nice sweet contrast against the spice from the curry powder and ginger. Sprinkle feta over the top and there you have it...chistoup!!!