Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Stew

Here is what I believe: if you want to be truly inspired, you have to change something. Change your location. Change your mindset. Change who you talk to, how you see things, and what you do in your every day life. Or, like me, change all of these things in one big terrifying leap.

Morocco is possibly the most inspiring place I have ever been in my life. Not only have I been inspired to start up this blog again, but I have been inspired to write, photograph, and dance as much as possible. At my internship here at Cinematheque de Tanger, I am starting the most exciting project. I proposed to do a series of intensive workshops accumulating into a final performance that combines contemporary dance and cinema projections. The directors went for it (!!!) and now I am beginning the scary and amazing process of creating a community dance course/performance from scratch. It is a lot of work, but it’s the kind of work I love to do.

By the end of each day, I tend to be so worn out that all I want to do is make something easy and comforting for dinner with simple ingredients that I buy from the local markets. The solution? A steaming pot of soup infused with Moroccan-inspired spices. Yum.

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Stew

makes about 3-4 servings

2 cups red lentils

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes

4 cups water

1 vegetable boullion cube (alternately, you can use 4 cups of vegetable broth and forget the boullion cube)

½ onion, chopped

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 tomato, diced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp tumeric

½ tsp paprika

salt to taste

Rinse your lentils and dump them into a large pot along with the water, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic and boullion cube. Turn the heat on medium low and bring to a boil for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and sweet poatatoes are soft and the water is absorbed.

Add the spices, adjusting to your taste and served topped with whatever you desire- I used arugula and avocado, but you could also add some parsley or vegan sour cream. 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

I recently happened upon this post by A Cup Of Jo and it got me thinking. I love the idea of honoring those random little things that people are good at! Not big things- like writing or doing math or dancing- but tiny things that seem insignificant yet make us a little bit proud of ourselves. Why not share those with the world more often?

For example, I am good at remembering names and being on time. I am also good at saving the most perfect bite of food for last, so that all of the flavors can explode at once and leave me happy and satisfied, kind of like a fireworks finale in my mouth.

It was hard to do that for this meal, however, because every single bite was so delicious I never wanted it to end! I had never prepared homemade enchiladas before, but now that I've tried it I'm not sure if I can ever go back to the frozen microwavable kind.

I got this wonderful recipe here from Oh She Glows, but made a few adjustments. I didn't have any bell pepper, so I used two chopped zucchini instead. I used chard in place of spinach and topped the thing off with daiya cheddar cheese. I also made the cilantro avocado cream sauce, but unfortunately wasn't able to photograph it before people ate it all up!

I made these for the same meal where these were the dessert. Holy moly what a delicious dinner. I think enchiladas are officially my go-to crowd pleaser when you have to cook for guests. Vegans and non-vegans alike will love them!

I'm about to be launched into tech week for my spring dance show, which will be insane! When things get really busy, though, and you feel like you just can't do anything right, it's nice to go back and remember that you are good at things, even the little ones!

So, what are you good at?

Rosemary Sweet Potato & Mushroom Pasta

Ohio has some of the most bipolar weather I have ever seen. One morning I wake up to a thick layer of snow out my window and by the end of the day it's all melted and birds are chirping. It's a little confusing.  

It is still staying consistently chilly, which means I continue to crave warm and comforting wintery flavors- like this pasta! I made this dish from the random leftovers in my fridge (seems to be how most of my best meals are created...) and it came out so delicious. The earthy flavors will melt away any lingering winter chills!

Rosemary Sweet Potato & Mushroom Pasta

serves 2

1 sweet potato, baked (or microwaved), peeled and cubed
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 8 mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
~6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti, or pasta of your choice

Boil water for the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. While the it's boiling, heat up the olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. 

Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn transparent. Toss in the mushrooms and cook until they get juicy, then add in the sweet potato, brown sugar and rosemary. Heat for about 5-8 more minutes, stirring gently so you don't break up the sweet potato too much. 

Serve over prepared pasta with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Quick and easy pasta dishes are my favorite.