As promised, here is the ridiculously easy and tasty stew I mentioned over the weekend. I seem to be on a streak of ugly but packed-full of flavor recipes this month.

I guess the veggies that are available in January aren’t quite as flashy as some of the summer ones. That, and well, stews aren’t always pretty – but you can’t beat a one dish meal for an easy dinner.

In my its next incarnation I think I’ll add a handful or two of chopped greens to shake things up a bit.

You can really add any veggies you have on hand too. I’m all about options and using what you have on hand. Yellow lentils instead of red, potato in place of turnip and even carrot would all work just as good as the listed ingredients.

Slow Cooker Indian Spiced Chickpea Quinoa Stew
gluten-free, soy-free

serves 4 to 6

• 4 to 5 cups water
• 1 can diced tomatoes (or 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen)
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup peeled turnip, chopped
• 1 cup sweet potato, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped (about 1 stalk)
• 1 tablespoon not-chicken bouillon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• salt, to taste

The night before: Chop veggies and store in the fridge.

In the morning: Put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low 6 to 9 hours. Taste, re-season if needed (you may not even need the salt if your bouillon is salty.)

This is a good one to make if you are going to be away from the house a little longer than usual. If your slow cooker runs hot add a little extra water if it will be cooking longer than 9 hours.