This Rainbow Root Veggie Stew is packed with color and flavor, thanks to the variety of vegetables. It’s a delicious way to eat your phytonutrients! The stew tastes even better on the second day, after the flavors have developed further, so consider preparing it ahead of when you plan to serve. Add any salt-free seasonings of your choosing. Curry powder is a delicious addition. Dietary diversity is important because each plant family has a unique combination of phytonutrients that may bind to specific proteins within our body. Beets, as well as greens, are rich in natural nitrates, which your body can convert into nitric oxide. This process explains why researchers were able to show a ten-point systolic blood pressure drop in volunteers within hours of their consuming beet juice—an effect that lasted throughout the day.
Daily Dozen Beans, Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, Other Vegetables, Spices
Ingredients
1large yellow or sweet onion, diced
2garlic cloves, minced
3-4 medium sweet potatoes, cubed (about 6 cups or 1.1 kg)
3cupscubed beets
4large carrots, thinly sliced
4celery stalks, thinly sliced
1bunch green curly kale, torn
1cupdry red lentils, rinsed
4cupswater or no-salt vegetable broth
Black pepper, to taste
Nutritional yeast, to taste (optional)
Instructions
Chop and wash all of the vegetables, onion through kale. Rinse the lentils.
Place all of the ingredients into an electric pressure cooker, a stovetop pot, or a slow cooker. Pour in the water or vegetable broth. Give the ingredients a quick stir and make sure the lentils are entirely submerged.
Cooking Times: Pressure cooker: Cover with the lid and turn the vent to the sealed position. Pressure cook for 25 minutes, then turn the valve to the vent position, release all of the pressure, and remove the lid.Stovetop pot: Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, until all of the ingredients are soft and cooked through.
Once the stew is ready to enjoy, add black pepper to taste and serve it topped with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.