After my ambitious triple-blog-post week just after Arlo was born, I lost the motivation to write. I even had a few recipes and photos uploaded to my drafts folder, but I just couldn’t write the actual posts.
Knowing how fast this time goes by, I yearned to simply be present. I slowed down, which felt absolutely amazing. I worked when the inspiration was there and didn’t when it wasn’t. I soaked up our sweet baby boy. I savoured the confidence and ease of being a second-time mom (what a difference). A rollercoaster of hormones hit me early on, and I struggled with the blues on and off. I nursed and pumped and nursed some more. Eric and I mumbled incoherent words, back and forth, in the middle of the night (why is it so impossible to string words together at 3am?). I kissed Arlo’s head, cheeks, and feet a million and one times, and it has yet to feel like enough. I don’t think it ever will.
We witnessed Adriana transform into a little girl right before our very eyes. One night as I rocked her at bedtime—with her long legs falling off the side of the rocker, my arms burning under the weight of her body, and her bossy words instructing me what songs to sing and not to sing (“NO thank you, MOMMY!”)—it struck me that I was not cradling a baby anymore. I fought back tears. It had been a while since I rocked her, as my 3rd trimester bump had gotten in the way. Now she was basically a teenager disguised as a two-year-old.
Our basement renovation is almost wrapped up, so we’ve taken up dancing, the four of us, in the unfurnished rooms while listening to Christmas music. Adriana clutches her baby doll in her arms, just like I do with Arlo. We also play hide and seek. Often, the basement fun abruptly ends in tears as Adriana has a penchant for running into walls. Ouch. Boo-boos are kissed, and we explain, once again, why it’s a bit too soon for her to pick up her baby brother. So she hovers about an inch over his face, just trembling with excitement, sneaking in kisses. “He’s looking at you!” she yells with delight as he stares into her eyes.
I never want to forget these moments.
Even though I haven’t been writing as much, I’ve been cooking every chance that I get. A couple months ago, Pulse Canada contacted me about partnering with them to develop and share a recipe in celebration of the International Year of Pulses. If you can believe it, I’ve never created a sponsored recipe; most offers I’ve received didn’t feel like authentic reflections of me and the Oh She Glows brand. But pulses…well, I didn’t have to think twice. Peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas? You know I’m down with that. As I’ve shared on the blog before, Canada is one of the world’s leading producers of pulses (in fact, we’re the #1 producer of peas and lentils, which I think is super cool). There are a whopping 22,000 pulse farmers in Canada (high fives), and our pulses are consumed in over 150 countries. (“Our pulses”? Okay, now I’m talking like I grew them myself or something!) On a personal level, I eat pulses every single day, and I adore their flavour and versatility. Red Lentil Hummus, Chickpea Pancakes, No Bake Chickpea Cookie Dough Bars (a recipe I never got around to finalizing!), Lentil-Walnut Taco “meat”…the sky’s the limit with what you can create!
Aside from being super nutritious and easy on the wallet, pulses are friendly to the environment, too. Their carbon footprint is lower than almost any other food group.
Pulse Canada has created the “Pulse Pledge” encouraging people to commit to eating pulses once a week for 10 weeks and reduce their carbon footprint all at the same time. It’s totally free, and you can sign up with me here. (Spoiler alert: I’m killing it, lol.)
A big thanks to Pulse Canada for sponsoring this post. I’m delighted to finally share my newest pulse-based stew recipe with you below!
A couple housekeeping notes:
Be sure to check out my Instagram post on Friday for some super exciting Black Friday news (hint hint: big app sale, a free holiday cookie app bundle, and Android news!).
Lastly, I’m thrilled to let you know that Oh She Glows Every Day has made it to the final round in the Goodreads Choice Awards. Thank you so much to everyone who has voted and helped to get the book this far! Voting for the final round is open through November 27th; if you’re game to cast one more virtual ballot (or maybe your first!), I would appreciate the support more than I can say. :)
Butternut squash, red lentils, and sweet potato are wrapped in a lightly sweet and creamy coconut and tomato broth accented with spicy notes of turmeric, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and garlic. Apple cider vinegar provides a tangy brightness to bring everything together. This stew tastes better the next day once the flavours have had a chance to mingle; if you can make it the day before serving, I’d highly recommend it! This recipe was created for Pulse Canada, and was inspired by Deliciously Ella. * Make sure to dice the squash and potato very small (about the size of almonds), as this will expedite cooking. Also, if you are short on time, you can skip peeling the butternut squash as the skin is edible. (I don’t recommend skipping peeling the potato, though.) ** You can swap the red lentils for 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can chickpeas (drained and rinsed). *** You can swap the chard for 5 ounces of baby spinach or a bunch of kale (stemmed). I recommend chopping the greens into small bite-size pieces for easier eating.
Cozy Butternut, Sweet Potato, and Red Lentil Stew
Yield
11 cups (2.75 quarts)Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
For the stew:
Optional accompaniments:
Directions
Tip:
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
actually I made this and didn’t like it at all, or my guests, it says to cook it 30 minutes or until tender – it never got tender in 50 minutes, so served it anyway, then thought, ok, maybe I just need to cook it more, so cooked an hour the next morning and blah, still not good, I had to throw it out. sorry, just one girls experience.
Hi Julie, How strange! I’m so sorry to hear that. Was it the butternut squash that never got tender? It sounds like it might’ve been a bad/dry squash if that was the case.
Is there a reason why you don’t toast the spices first, like in traditional indian cooking? Isn’t that what releases all the flavours?
Hi Amber, You can certainly add them sooner if you prefer. My dish isn’t meant to be traditional, and I opted to simplify my recipe as much as possible.
This quote from Serious Eats may be helpful for you:
“When should I be adding spices to a dish?
You may notice (and be understandably frustrated) that there’s no real rule of thumb when it comes to how and when to use each type of mixture. But it can be a liberating realization: simply put, there is no rule of thumb. Many curries get their characteristic red color from a chili-based spice blend, but contain a completely different set of spices in the garam masala, which may be added at the beginning, middle, or end of cooking. Some individual spices may be ground and sprinkled on top just before serving, or it may be a blend. Spices added at the beginning tend to mellow in flavor, while permeating the gravy and coating the meat or vegetables. Those added at the end will retain a sharper pungency.”
Happy cooking!
Hi :-) This look and sound super delicious!
Is it possible to sub the coconut milk for another type of plantmilk? like soymilk, or almond?
I hope you’ll reply :D
Kind regards, Linea
Ps. thank you for all your amazing recipes!
Hey Linea, I haven’t tested any swaps for the coconut milk myself, but you could definitely try almond or soy milk. I think cashew milk might lend a nice creaminess, too. Just be sure to use unflavoured (no vanilla) and unsweetened milk. :) You could also try using half almond milk and half cashew cream (blend soaked cashews with water until smooth). If you try anything out, please report back and let us know how you like it!
Made this tonight. It was amazing!!! In love! Thank you!
This has been one of my favorite meals to make this fall/winter! It has great flavor and never disappoints. Tonight I was debating on even making it because I didn’t have all of the ingredients and I’m so glad I decided to stick with my plan because it turned out great! I didn’t have onion, garlic, sweet potato, or diced tomatoes! So instead I used butternut squash, carrots and used 3/4 cup lentils rather than 1/2 just to use up my bag. I kept all the other ingredient measurements the same – AMAZING!!!! Not only is this recipe delicious – it’s also versatile!! Thanks for another wonderful meal Angela!!
Angela, I just made this last night and oh my goodness! The flavors are heavenly! I absolutely love the combination of butternut squash and red lentils, but the coconut milk gives it this perfect, rich and creamy texture. Thanks for sharing this recipe! It’ll definitely make a reappearance in my household!
I’m making this for a passover celebration tomorrow. We were invited to someone else’s house for the celebration. How do you think this would travel? My thought is to make it up until the chard step, then ask to use the stove at their house and add the chard at the last minute. My concern is that the green would lose it’s color en route. Is this an unnecessary extra step, or do you think it would be worth it? I just want it to look as pretty as possible, since it’s a potluck.
Thanks.
Hey Julia, I think that’s a great idea. I find sometimes if the chard sits too long, it can get a strange chard-y flavour (or maybe that was just a weird batch I had last time, lol), so adding it fresh might be a nice option. Or you could use kale or baby spinach instead, and add it in advance. I hope this helps!
Oh My Gosh….this one is a winner, I’m cradling your new book, Oh She Glows Every Day….I love the ease of this recipe and the F L A V O R. I’m not joking, I’m bringing this to an Easter dinner invite, this weekend.
Your recipe sounds delicious. I am not able to eat tomatoes or tomato paste. Do you have any suggestions for substitutions or modification of the recipe?
Hey Janet, You can definitely can try leaving out the tomato. I would probably add a bit more broth in its place. Since the tomatoes lend acidity to the soup, you might also find that it needs a little “brightness” added back to it without them. If you find you want to tweak the flavour, you could try adding more vinegar until it pops; just add it slowly to taste and you should be fine! Or maybe you’ll enjoy the flavour without tweaking anything at all. :)
Love this recipe – just wondering, would there be an alternate to using coconut milk? Thank you!
Hi Alyssa, I haven’t tested any swaps for the coconut milk yet, but I think you could try almond milk or cashew milk (which might lend a nice creaminess, too). Just be sure to use unflavoured and unsweetened milk. Another thing you could try is using half almond milk and half cashew cream (blend soaked cashews with water until smooth). Please let us know if you try anything out!
I made this recipe this evening after a long – and crummy! – day because I was craving some comfort food. It is SO delicious. I ended up substituting the lentils for chickpeas and was missing some spices (I hadn’t planned on cooking at all – part of my crummy day) so I used some of your 10-spice mix I had in my cupboard and it turned out so well! I’m already obsessed. Thank you for such an incredible recipe that absolutely turned my day around! Will definitely be making it again.
xoxo
Oh, I’m so happy this recipe helped improve your day, Lindsay! I hope your Tuesday is going much better. :)
This was one of the best tasting lentil recipes I have ever had. Switched up the greens a bit and put it over quinoa ~ absolutely delicious and will be in rotation. DELISH!
I have to try this recipe as it looks and sounds absolutely delicious. Thank you!
I had a friend coming over who only eats vegan… (aghhh what to cook).
This recipe popped up. Gave it a go and blitz it. Really easy to make and she was raving!!
Paired it with an argentian red and it was devine. Im still full from it nearly 6 hours later.
I must for anyone who isn’t at the master chef stage yet. Best of all I had 6 portions left over after I went back for seconds….
Thanks heaps for publishing this recipe.
Aw, I’m really glad to hear your friend enjoyed it Katie!
Um…YES! It’s spring, but it’s been rainy and cold this past week. So I felt like making a dinner that would warm us up from the inside out. This was delicious. Perfect balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, and creamy. And such a great idea to serve it over rice. It makes the presentation look nice too. Thank you so much for this!
I’m glad you enjoyed the dish, Rachael! Hopefully it helped ward off that rainy chill. :)
Hello from Tahiti! Cooking it right now… it smells delicious, looking forward to eating it soon!!! I have no rice but I will try with quinoa. Thank you soooo much! :-)
I think quinoa would be great with this! Hope you enjoyed the dish, Laura. :)
Hello from Denver! I am cooking this now, smells good. two thoughts, questions: my first experiment in indian style cooking came from the DVD extras on “Bend It Like Beckham” where the Indian real life mother and aunt of the movie’s director are directing her through the steps in making an Aloo Gobi. (A memorable line from the movie – the Indian mother is moaning that her soccer-obscessed daughter will never find a husband because: “You can’t even make an aloo gobi!”). In this video, the Aunt is SCARY insistent that the Tumeric be cooked (added to the onions for the last minute) lest it impair a bitter taste. I didn’t do that here, since I was following steps and not looking ahead. Whaddayathink…bunk? 2. since I don’t have a hand blender, I am going to take several cups out of the soup and put them in a regular blender and add back. That works nicely in bean soups for the added thickening effect. I love your blog! Just stumbled on it last week via Cookie Kate’s Chana Masala recipe. This is my first go and I see lots of other interesting concoctions to explore. will come back to rate it after we eat it
Hey Peter, So happy you came across my blog! You can definitely try adding the turmeric earlier if you’d like. Let me know if you notice any difference!
excellent! will make it again and again.
Made this over the weekend. Wow…it’s absolutely delicious. Great kick from the spices (not too little/too much). Instead of chard, I used spinach and I couldn’t find any red lentils at my store so I used other lentils. The only thing I may do different next time is to add a little bit of pureed dates to give it a bit of sweetness and maybe some tofu. I take this, along with some rice, to work for a wholesome lunch.
So so so tasty. The whole family love it, even my fussy 3 year old.
I made this today and it was the first recipe I tried from here. It was absolutely delicious and I got a lot of compliments on this! I replaced the butternut with carrots and the chard with spinach. I can’t wait to try more recipes!
I’m so happy to hear the recipe was a success, Lore! I hope you enjoy the next recipe you try just as much :)
Made this tonight and it was very tasty! My husband had 3 helpings and I had 2
Just tweaked it in that I used a squeeze of lemon rather than the vinegar used a tin of full cream coconut milk and then put the whole thing in the oven for 11/2 hours at 170C (That was only because I wanted to take a cat nap and thought the oven might be a safer option!)
Will make this again and again Thank you for posting
This was delicious! Thank you :)
Delicious! Didn’t have butternut squash, so added fresh cooked spaghetti squash and almond milk instead of coconut. Served it over black rice. This dish is a winner!
I’ve tried about half a dozen different vegan sweet potato curry recipes and this one is hands down the best! I used two sweet potatoes and no squash. I did use a curry spice blend because I didn’t have tumeric but the flavor was amazing with the other ingredients. Thanks so much!
This was totally amazing – so delicious!! And that was with forgetting to put in the spinach which I was going to use instead of the chard, as I had some in the fridge. Both hubby and I were truly impressed. We want to start eating less meat and as I am sensitive to dairy, soy and eggs, this was perfect.
Cooked tonight for the young vegans in my life. Delicious! Love the heat, the comfort and the healthy one pot meal. I finally earned my kids’ esteem for cooking!
I’m so happy to hear the dish was a success, Sheila!
Never tried Red Lentil Stew earlier. Appears like a perfect combination with butternut and sweet potato. I shall definitely try this recipe this weekend with my daughter and let you know my genuine feedback. Do you mind sharing any new tip on using pomegranate in salads, Angela?
Hey Anna, I hope you enjoy the stew! As for pomegranate, I find it pairs lovely with festive, holiday type salads. There’s one in my first cookbook I believe. Happy cooking!
This recipe is DELICIOUS! I have been eating the leftovers for days, I can’t get enough!
Just made this for the first time. I can’t stay away from it. It’s fantastic!!
Glad it was a hit, Jacy! :)
Made this today and I can honestly say it is one of my newest favorite dishes. It is perfect in taste and texture. I added a tsp of curry paste just for extra taste.
That sounds like a great addition, Angelica! I’m so glad you enjoyed the stew. :)
Oh my goodness. This is the third recipe by you that I made. It is absolutely wonderful and the young men in the house are not complaining either. Thank you!
So glad everyone’s enjoying the recipes, Eline! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know :)
Sorry, this is a five star recipe!
What can you use to substitute the coconut with? Milk, evaporated milk, cream? Not sure as coco has a thickening ability most others do not have. I’m allergic unfortunately.
This recipe has become one of my staples and newest favorite! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
Aw, thanks for the recipe love, Trish!
Every time I try one of your recipes I say “THIS is my best favourite” and I mean it every time!! This was crazy delicious and loved the creaminess from the coconut milk. ? The only thing I did different was to roast the sweet potato and squash first. ???? Thanks for all the amazing recipes!! ??
You’re too sweet, Diana! It’s awesome to hear how much you enjoy my recipes. Thanks for the love!!
Loved visiting your blog, Angela. It is such a pleasure reading your yummy dishes and try them out with my husband who is a retired army man. Tried your butternut sweet potato dish and I must say that he like it really well.
Keep sharing dishes like this! All the best.
~ Clara
Do you think this would be O.K. to make in the crockpot on low for a day? I think I would like to serve this at my house warming party, which will be on a Friday evening, so cooking the day of is probably not practical. Thanks!
Hey Karen,
I’ve tried it and it worked in the slow cooker (although I can’t remember if I had to adjust the liquids…it wouldn’t have been much if I did). The only thing I would suggest is if you’re adding chard, to wait until adding it just before serving. I added mine at the start and I found the stew had a “chard-y” flavour after slow cooking, haha.
This just beat out 10 Spice Soup as my new favorite. My 3 year old highly approves as well ??
I am feeling a bit under the weather, this looks so good. As a Vegan i am, wow does this look super tasty thanks for sharing i have bookmarked it lol. Thanks Angela :)
Hi Angela,
I am 1st reaching this blog. I always eager to learn new recipes and I love carrot more he way you explained the dish is very nice. thanks for sharing. All the best
Hi Angela,
My whole family LOVES the Oh She Glows cookbook; we have yet to buy the second one but Christmas is coming. This recipe is amazing; so delicious and family friendly. I don’t have an immersion blender, so I just put half in the blender and then added it back to the pot. I also served it over cauliflower rice delish! You rock, keep it coming.
Cheers, Pippa
Hey Pippa, Thank you…so glad to hear this one was a hit! I love the idea of serving it over cauliflower rice too. :)
This is delicious. I made 2 minor changes. I was out of lentils so added a can of red kidney beans instead. Also, I used a can of Rotel tomatoes to give it a bit of a kick. This is so easy to make and super good.
OMG, this is fantastic! Invited a family I’ve known for 15 years. After they accepted, it was “Oh, by the way, we’re vegan.” Heart stopped. This saved the day. Recommendations: get the Whole Foods pre-cut butternut squash. It’s worth the expense. Also, measure out everything — and I mean everything (the apple cider at the end is critical — in advance, and cooking it is really easy and, dare I say, fun? I even ate it with the brown rice, and liked it! (My husband is still in shock on that one.) The first time I made it I forgot the chard/spinach (that getting EVERYTHING ready in advance thing). As it turns out on this one, my husband doesn’t like greens floating in soups or stews, and it tastes fine without it. Stepping up the heat (spices) makes it even better (I didn’t do that the first time because, pardon the expression, I was chicken.)
haha Marla, thank you for this entertaining review! I loved reading your thoughts on this stew. So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and it is delicious! I can hardly wait for lunch tomorrow…if I can stay out of it tonight!
Hi Sue, I’m so happy you love the stew. It’s perfect fall food if you ask me. ;)
Amazing ! Perfect comfort food for a cold day !
Hi Angela!
I love all your recipes! I made your panzanella for Thanksgiving (acorn instead of delicata squash, equally as yummy!), and it was a HUGE HIT!
I’m looking forward to making this stew also! I just noticed though that the printer-friendly version of the recipe is blank, or is covered by a menu, on right of page. It’s just so much easier to look at with only the ingredients and directions visible. Is there something I’m missing here?
Thanks!
Catherine
Hey Catherine, I’m so glad the panzanella was a hit! :)
I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the printed version of this stew. That definitely shouldn’t be happening! Do you mind shooting an email to press[at]ohsheglows[dot]com with a screenshot of what you’re seeing, and which web browser you use? Thanks!
Hi, Angela!
I was wondering if this stew can be frozen and warmed up later?
Absolutely! I find that most of my soups and stews freeze very well. You can freeze individual portions, flat, in zip freezer bags, or freeze in frezer-safe containers (leaving an inch or so for expansion). Hope this helps!
Oh me. Oh my. This is DELICIOUS! I made this stew 5 days ago and have been eating it every night for dinner. I only added one sweet potato (all I had), extra squash, and extra red lentils. Took the route of pureeing some at the end of cooking. Also added a bit of mushroom stock in addition to the veggie stock for a little more depth of flavour. I am making a DOUBLE batch again today and plan on freezing some. Such an excellent, easy, scrumptious and healthful recipe – thank you Angela!!
Hey Rose, SO great to hear you are such a fan!! Thanks for this awesome review. I’ll have to try it with mushroom stock.
I cant get the recipes to print. Any ideas?
Hey Vicki, I just checked and it’s working on my end. Do you mind sharing which web browser (and version) you’re using? Hopefully we can figure this issue out!