Du Puy Lentils with Carrots and Spinach -- Continuing Crockpot Adventures

It was a rainy Monday, and our fridge was bare. It seemed like a good idea to do some cooking. We got the crockpot going, roasted some fennel and beets for a salad, made a polenta, and baked four dozen oatmeal raisin cookies. And then we danced. In the rain. A la Singing in the Rain. Just kidding. Sort of.

The thing I enjoy about a crock pot is that aside from the chopping and measuring, no work is involved, and magic happens. Ingredients go in, and food comes out. So great.

This dish has a nice flavour, and gave us a nice variation from the tomato-chickpea  kick we've been on. And it goes very well with the latest polenta dish. (My son is eating the tomato polenta for breakfast as I write this. Second breakfast actually. He thinks he's a hobbit.)

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, finely chopped, approx 1/2 cup
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups du Puy lentils
1/2 lb finely diced roma tomatoes (aka plum tomatoes)
3 cups filtered water
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp marjoram
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp allspice

1 1/2 cups diced asian sweet potatoes

150 g chopped spinach


directions:

1. turn on the crockpot to HIGH and set for 6 hours
2. layer the ingredients as follows:
a) coconut oil
b) garlic
c) onion
d) carrots
e) lentils
f) tomatoes
g) salt, marjoram, bay leaves, all spice
h) water
g) sweet potato
(reserve the spinach for after the heat is turned off)
3. after the dish has finished cooking, turn off the heat, and stir in the spinach

Voila. It is done. Ingredients go in, food comes out. Cool beans.

This would be a great dish to serve with crusty bread ...