Slow Cooker Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

Happy New Year 2016!

Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

In the Italian tradition, lentils-sausage stew was our New Year’s food for luck. It seems across the continents good luck is thought to be prosperity,  good health, happiness, success and longevity. We aren’t Italian, we  wanted to try another tradition to celebrate the New Year’s.  It would be interesting to prepare the New Year’s evening menu recipes from around the world which are noted to be Lucky New Year’s Food. 

Here is my suggestion for your 2017 New Year’s Menu celebration.

Italy:  Cotechino con Lenticcjie, pork and lentils
American South: Black-eyes peas, Hoppin’ John, cooked greens
Japan:  Toshikoshi Soba, long buckwheat noodles
Ireland  Buttered Bread Sandwiches
Spain:  12 grapes  referring to Champagne
Berlin:  Berliner Pfannkuchen, jelly doughnuts
Greece: Vasilopita, a New Year’s Cake with a coin hidden in it.                                                                        The person getting the coin will have good luck all year.

Slow Cooker Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

Slow Cookers or Crock-Pot cooking are  great for winter hearty stews, soups or casseroles. Red Lentils-Sausage Stew is a good example of easy meal preparation.  We had a romaine tossed salad, crusty garlic bread, Cinnamon Apple Sauce and Brown Sugar Marble Pound Cake om/crock-for desert. No Champagne, however, we did have some Soft White Wine by Oliver’s Winery.  It was a quiet and satisfying New Year’s Eve. Looking forward to 2016 offerings. 

 

Slow Cooker Red Lentils-Sausage Stew

A slow cooker makes a hearty stew of red lentils, sausage and vegetables. A winter time comfort food to enjoy with crusty bread.

  • 1/2 sausage (remove casing and crumble, or crumble whole sausage)
  • 1 cup red lentils (rinse)
  • 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1/2 cup carrots (coarsely chopped)
  • 1/2 cup celery (coarsely chopped)
  • 1 medium potato (chopped in 1/2 inch cubes)
  • 14.5 oz tomatoes and juice
  • 1 cup frozen cut spinach
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Layer all the vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker.
  2. Add the crumbled sausage.
  3. Pour in the broth and water.
  4. Add the seasonings and stir into the broth.
  5. Cover, cook on high for 3 hours.

3 links of bratwursts were used in this recipe; other sausages links or ground sausage could also be used. 

 

Wishing you many blessings during 2016:  healthy lives, friends, safety and joys in abundance.

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