Chef Wiley’s Recipe for Lentil Sweet Potato Stew, as Seen on “Your Life A to Z”

If you enjoy the fare in ZuZu and are looking for some culinary inspiration, tune in to KTVK channel 3 to see Executive Chef Charles Wiley cooking on “Your Life A to Z”! Dates are announced via the ZuZu newsletter and Facebook page; he’s always on from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. The recipes are provided on AZFamily.com, so you can recreate the dishes at home.

This morning, Chef Wiley prepared a healthy recipe that was a collaboration with Dr. Theresa Ramsey, a highly regarded naturopathic physician in the Valley. The dish — Lentil Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa, Turmeric & Cilantro — combines the high protein content of quinoa, red lentils, and pine nuts with the antioxidant benefits of turmeric and apple cider vinegar. You can make it yourself or enjoy it in the restaurant, where we’ll be featuring it as our lunch special this week ($12.50). Enjoy! 

Lentil Sweet Potato Stew with Quinoa, Turmeric & Cilantro

Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 small Onion (8oz), small dice
3 stalks Celery, small dice
1 each Carrot, small dice
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 each Sweet potato (1lb), peeled, small dice
2 tsp Turmeric
To taste Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 qt Vegetable broth (or water)
3/4 cup Red lentils (available in bulk at Whole Foods)
1 each Bay leaf
1 Tbsp Fresh thyme
2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 cup Plain yogurt (preferably Greek style)
2 tsp Lemon zest
2 cups Spinach, cut in strips (chiffonade)
¼ cup Cilantro leaves
½ cup Toasted pine nuts

Directions
1. Combine the quinoa and water in a 2 qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 1/2 hour; set aside. (*you can also use a rice cooker)

2. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, celery and carrot; sauté a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, sweet potato, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Sauté a few minutes longer to cook the garlic and toast the spice.

3. Add the vegetable broth to the soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, bay leaf, thyme and vinegar; simmer 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender; check seasoning.

4. In the meantime, whisk together the yogurt and lemon zest in a small bowl.

5. Place a 1/3 cup or so of the cooked quinoa in the bottom of an individual serving bowl; top with 1/3 cup of the spinach. Ladle the hot stew over the spinach and garnish with a dollop of the lemon yogurt. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and pine nuts.