caraway lentil stew -recipe is easily halved or multiplied, freezes well (vegan)

2 cup/ 16 oz brown or green lentils

6 cup water or veg broth

2 cubes or 2tb vegan boullion -unnecessary when using veg broth (use no salt variety please as the salty flavour gets eaten by the starches if added during cooking and makes the sodium level sky rocket. They also make your lentils take forever to cook. )

1lb or more cooking greens , a large head of kale or 1/2 a small head of cabbage (or any other mild cooking green such as chard ,spinach,dandelion,mustard, mache, etc... or for a sour soup 1/2 cup good sauerkraut)

7 toes roasted garlic (mashed) or 4 of unroasted (minced)

2 sliced onions sliced in rings or one cleaned leek (use the greens too)and one onion

2 tb caraway
lemon juice, apple vinegar or white wine for brightening

4 veg sausages of your choice (completely optional- but holy grail sausage and eggplant sausage are neato in this one)

2 whole sliced carrots if desired

5 sliced mushrooms if desired

1-2 waxy type potatoes if desired

1- 2 tb olive oil

1. put broth or water in large pot (or crock pot) add boullion, (if using), lentils and caraway
2.wash your greens(even if they are pre washed)
3.bone your greens for kale or mustard .Make an ok sign with your dominant hand with the narrow end of poking through the hole. Pull firmly with non dominant hand and squeeze gently with dominant hand. This should neatly de-rib the really woody sections of kale, collards, or mustard . The ribs can now be chopped fine and used as you might use celery.
4. rip up de ribbed greens or slice cabbage. Throw in your soup pot pot.

5.take all other veg except carrots and potatoes and saute in olive oil until onions are transclucent, taking care not to let your garlic burn ( if roasted just add it to the soup during the simmer. cool with brightening liquid of choice, lemon, wine , vinegar (go very light and add more during the simmer if desired). add all veg including roots to soup pot.

5. once lentils begin to soften (about 45 minutes)reduce to simmer.
6. adjust seasoning like salt, brightener, pepper,caraway add sausages. keep warm until serving

for crock pot version just saute veg and prep all and add to crock pot on low for no less than 8 hrs. no need to pre boil. soup should be creamy and lumpy in texture . add sausages during last hour of cooking (as otherwise they fall apart). eat within 4 days or freeze it.