Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard

I had lentils for I think the first time a few weeks ago, and I fell for them, hard. This was my first venture into cooking them and it went well. My first CSA vegetable pick up came in from Lancaster Farms and there were several sweet potatoes, so I was looking for a way to use them when I stumbled upon this recipe.

This recipe involves a lot of chopping, and it's not the prettiest to look at in the end, but it's flavorful and well worth the effort. It also makes a good bring-to-work lunch.

Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
From: Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth, as needed
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder, and jalapeño. Stir together and cook for one minute. 

2. Stir in 4 cups of vegetable broth, sweet potatoes, lentil, and bay leaf. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes, partially covered. (If the lentils start to seem dry, you can add some more stock).

3. Stir in chard, salt and pepper, and cook for another 30-45 minutes until the lentils are tender and the chard is cooked.

4. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro, lime zest and lime juice. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve. 

Simmering:

Plus chard: