A great way to keep your diet on track and make food prep easy is to make a HUGE pot of soup once or twice a week and have this as your lunch or dinner throughout the week.

This recipe is low in fat, high in nutrients and fiber figure friendly comfort food. It is a great way to include whole plant foods into your diet. It is rich in whole plant carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals. The fats in the stew come from whole plant sources. Despite me never frying any of my food, I must say, when spices and veggies are combined properly, you end up with bursting with flavor delicious meals that are also healing and nourishing.

The great news is that if you happen to make an AMAZING batch of soup, such as the one in this post, then you would be looking forward to your meal every day rather than feel like it is repetitive and boring. Feel free to serve it with different toppings each and every time so that you can keep your kids and partner on their toes 😛 .

Good soup garnishes: Freshly roasted nuts, spicy nuts, grated carrots, baked tofu, roasted curry chickpeas, hot sauce (my favorite), avocado, sesame oil, herbs such as parsley, cilantro, dill, basil and so forth; roasted/fried onions, nutritional yeast… and my favorite – raw chopped peppers. I used chopped Japanese shishito pepper for this soup and OMG it took the soup to a whole new level!!! The hot thick stew (soup) against the crunchy fresh accent of the pepper was a party in my mouth.

Now, onto the 101 of soup making. Please never follow a recipe to a T. Always always use your senses as your main recipe worksheet. I do recommend you toast some mustard seed  before you add all of your other ingredients in,as I did . Mustard seed in stews and soups has become one of my most favorite spices. It adds toasty, nutty, somehow buttery taste to the soup… and surprisingly, it does not taste like prepared mustard. Let’s not forget the nutritional content and healing qualities these little guys have in them. They are high in selenium, omega 3s and magnesium. Of course they provide essential oils, antioxidants and flavonoids. A great anti-inflammatory ingredient.

This stew is hearty, thick, nourishing and filling.

MILLET and RED LENTILS Veggie Stew

I used what I had available in my fridge and pantry so please feel free to substitute the veggies and the grains as needed.

I used broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic, green peppers and tomato sauce. The spices were just perfect – miso, ginger vinegar, freshly roasted mustard seeds, cumin, cinnamon and masala. 

Grains and pulses- millet and red lentils.

My partner and I seriously could not get enough of this and we kept going for extra servings.

Let me know what your version of this hodge podge stew is for you. Post your recipe on Beautiful Yogis Group or tag me on MY INSTAGRAM with your stew photo.

To your health!