Give your flavors a chance to get to know each other with this slow cooker stew

  Sometimes, we are on the go all day and into the early evening. I'm sure that describes everyone's life.

  On days like that, it's best to be prepared with a good recipe that can be prepared in the crockpot.    Back in the 70s and early 80s, when I was first starting out on my own, a crockpot was a part of every kitchen. Then microwaves came into vogue and crockpots got stowed in a cabinet. It seems that people are re-discovering slow cooking these days and the pots are making their way back into the kitchen. I've never been a fan of irradiating my food in the microwave. I rarely use the fast-cooking oven, though I have one. 

In the slow cooking crockpot, the flavors have a chance to meld together and enhance one another. In the microwave, they barely have the chance to touch before the dish is heated through and the dish is brought to the table.

  This recipe takes six hours to cook. On those days when you don't have time to stir a pot on the stove top, this is a perfect recipe. The flavors bring to mind an ancient Indian recipe, though I think it is a bit milder and probably appeals to a wider audience.

  The night before you know you are going to have one of those days, cut up your veggies and get everything ready. In the morning, it will take just a few minutes to set up the pot and leave it. When you're ready for dinner, the crockpot will have done the work for you and you can just sit down at the table, relax and enjoy a delicious meal.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew

5-6 cups of unsalted soup stock

1 cup of brown lentils

1 tablespoon of oilve oil

1 tablespoon of garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoon of jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2 cups of sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup of diced celery

1 cup of diced bell pepper (use a variety of colors if you have them)

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

! teaspoon of dried basil

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground fennel

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

Black pepper, to tate

1/4 teaspoon of molasses

1/4 cup of parsely, minced

Roast the garlic in the oil, then add all ingredients to a cold crockpot, cover and cook on low for 6 hours

Vegan