Easy To Make Orange Lentil Stew

 

This is tasty and and so easy to prepare. I just had a batch for dinner.

Ingredients

2 small or more, or larger squashes
medium onion, larger if you're making a larger quantity
1/2 cup red lentils, before cooking
oil, water-- a bit more than double the amount of lentils, seasonings--your choice

Put it all in a pot, cover, first on high heat until boiling. Then lower to a simmer until all soft. Cool a bit and serve/eat. Yes, it's that easy. You can add the seasoning after it's cooked or at the end of cooking. You can also use some sweet potato for half the squash and/or add other vegetables, according to what you like and what's in your house. And if you're wondering, I don't use frozen vegetables. If that's all you have, then add them when the lentils are partially cooked. Frozen vegetables need less cooking.

I'd love to have your reactions in the comments, thanks.

Sauerkraut Beef Stew

 

We somehow found ourselves with a can of sauerkraut, and I'd been trying to figure out what to do with it. For some strange reason, I began to imagine it with beef. Just to make sure I wasn't totally crazy, I did some google searches to see if such recipes exist, not that I actually follow recipes...

The recipes I found, and there are many, weren't at all kosher. They also required "slow-cookers" which I don't have. But at last I got some reassurance that people do cook beef with canned sauerkraut. Then I asked in a facebook group that prides itself on "real world" recipes, not those awfully complicated ones. Some nice people answered. They gave recipes/cooking ideas that also use "slow-cookers" or "cover well and bake in the oven," which I didn't feel like doing. I generally simmer beef on the stove for a few hours.

Now, to be honest, we haven't eaten it yet, but it looks and smells delicious. 

Ingredients:

kilo plus of the least expensive frozen beef in the store, onion, celeriac, a few carrots, a couple of tomatoes, a can of sauerkraut, a bit of oil, coarse ground black pepper and a couple cups of water. 

Directions:

1. thaw beef
2. soak beef or awhile in water, and then throw out the water
3. put beef in pot with some oil, high heat
4. add the onions, and then turn the beef over so it browns a bit all around
5. add vegetables, sauerkraut, water and pepper, then cover
6. as soon as it starts to boil, turn down heat to slow simmer
7. simmer for at least two hours

That's it!

I plan on serving it with potatoes, cooked vegetables and salad.