Two-for-one Meals That Pay

Star Ingredient: Lentils

Day 1 recipe: Lentil and mushroom stew

For this hearty stew, you don’t need much more than some dried mushrooms, chicken stock and a half-bag of lentils scoured from the back of your pantry. Served with a crispy toasted garlic baguette and brownbutter mashed potatoes, it’s the perfect comfort food for chilly weather.

Lentil Stew

2 cups dry green lentils rinsed 2 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp butter

2 cups shallots, sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

3 cups dried mushrooms whole or broken up

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 sprig rosemary

6-8 cups vegetable broth

3 tbsp mashed potatoes to thicken (optional)

200g Grana Padano Cheese or any hard cheese

2 cups arugula

Drizzle olive oil

Chili flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Rinse lentils and set aside.

• In a large braising pot on medium heat, add the oil and butter.

• Add shallots and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until tender and starts to colour.

• Add Celery, carrots, and mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

• Add thyme, rosemary, and 6 cups vegetable broth, bring to boil and turn down to simmer.

• Let cook about 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender. Add more stock if it looks dry.

• Once lentils are tender, add the 3 tbsp mashed potatoes to thicken (optional).

• Serve stew with Mashed potatoes in a bowl and top off with arugula, grated Grana Padano and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with garlic bread (optional).

Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into equal sized chunks 1/4 cup of butter

1/2 cup of milk (or vegetable stock) Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water and 1 tbsp salt.

• Bring to boil and cook potatoes until tender.

• Strain potatoes, add butter, milk, and a little salt and pepper and mash.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as you like.

Day 2 recipe: Lentil Shepherd’s pie

Using the leftovers from day one, you can create a whole new meal right away, or freeze it for a later date! This savoury lentil and mushroom dish is topped with creamy mashed potatoes and garlic bread croutons. Serve it with greens, peas, or spinach and a homemade ketchup.

Shepherd’s Pie

Leftover Lentil Shepherd’s Pie Leftover lentil stew Leftover mashed potatoes Frozen vegetables mix (peas, carrots, corn)

DIRECTIONS:

• In an oven safe baking dish, lay out the leftover lentil stew.

• Top with the frozen vegetables.

• Top with mashed potatoes.

• Bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 30-40 minutes until warmed through and potatoes are browned.

Ketchup

1 can crushed tomatoes 1 pear grated

2 cloves garlic, chopped ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup vinegar

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• In a sauce pan combine all ingredients, bring to a boil and let simmer.

• Simmer until reduced by half and let chill.

• Transfer to jar and serve!