Styling and photography by Devorah Applegrad

Crock-Pot dinners are essentially a gift from “past” you to “present” you. “Past” you calmly prepared a dinner of chicken and potatoes in the Crock-Pot the night before. She easily dumped all the ingredients in and spiced it accordingly. The next morning, “past” you plugged in the crockpot and went about her day, forgetting about supper completely. “Present” you is enveloped in heavenly aromas of a slow cooked meal that required no effort. “Present” you is extremely calm because she didn’t have to hectically make supper for hordes of cranky people. “Present” you is staring at a (mostly) clean kitchen. “Present” you feels tremendously grateful because “past” you really did think ahead. She is so smart.

Tips

You can chop and prepare veggies and chicken strips the day before and refrigerate in ziplock bags until making the soups.

To add an interesting flavor to your soup, sprinkle with hawaij before eating. Hawaij is a Yemenite spice mix made from cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and cardamom. It has a mild, earthy, peppery taste that adds amazing depth of flavor.

Pareve Bean and Vegetable Stew

This stick-to-your-ribs stew is nourishing and nutritious. The lentils and rice combine to form a complete protein. It’s a real meal-in-one.

Serves 8

• 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• ½ each red and yellow pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced in half circles
• 2 small zucchini, sliced in quarter circles
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup fine frozen peas
• scant ½ cup green or brown lentils
• ½ cup basmati rice
• 1 15-oz (230-g) can drained northern (white) beans (approx. 1½ cups)
• 1 15-oz (230-g) can drained chickpeas (approx. 1½ cups)
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets, cut into smaller pieces
• 1 14.5-oz (400-g) can diced tomatoes
• 3 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
• 5 cups water
• 1 Tbsp pareve chicken soup mix
• salt and pepper, to taste
• oregano, to taste
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the aromatics and veggies on a medium flame for 10–12 minutes, stirring until fragrant. Raise heat during the last 2 minutes and stir constantly. Transfer to Crock-Pot and set on low. Add the peas, lentils, rice, white beans, chickpeas, broccoli, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Dissolve chicken soup mix in the water and pour it into the pot. Add all the seasonings and gently stir the stew together.

Cover and cook for 6–7 hours on low or 3–4 hours on high. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Tip: To add even more protein to this dish, use quinoa instead of rice.

Note: Although lentils of different colors are usually interchangeable, I wouldn’t recommend using red ones here because they tend to be mushier. Green ones hold their shape and keep their texture.

Note: I really recommend using shallots in this dish. They have a mild, pungent taste and a slight sweetness, which go well with the other ingredients to create the best flavor. However, in a pinch, you can sub leek, scallion, or just a bit more onion.