My apartment has awful lighting, as demonstrated here. Please scroll down for a more appetizing picture of the spinach. Thank you!

Last week was hard. Like, really hard. On Tuesday, I went to see my doctor in serious pain and walked out with a prescription that would make my week an emotional rollercoaster. It made PMS look like a leisurely stroll in the park. One minute I’d be sitting in my cube at work on the verge of sobbing hysterically because, well… just because ,and the next I’d be skipping down the hall, quietly singing Rihanna’s We Found Love. On top of that, a friend and I are on the fritz, my favorite black flats bit the dust and BOTH my jobs got seriously busier (#whitegirlproblems). None of those would be terrible if I wasn’t on that super fun emotional rollercoaster.

Needless to say, by Friday I was physically and emotionally beat up. So I treated myself to a nice dinner.

Er, ok…that’s a lie. I actually treated myself to a brand new blender, a brand new Immersion Blender, a brand new DVD player AND a nice dinner. Lesson 1 kids: Don’t go to Target while you are medicated. Emotional shopping will only lead to regret in the morning. Or in my case…homemade hummus and another big pot of soup (recipes coming soon!)

So, after splurging on appliances (all of which I did need AND were on sale!), I came home and cooked up this nice, warm, filling meal- Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew served over brown basmati rice and a side of steamed spinach with sunflower seeds and craisins.

It. Was. Delicious.

It’s from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, which I have been reading and love. She writes about all the reasons to go vegan, which include being kind to yourself, the earth and all the animals on it. I won’t get preachy but I was really impressed by her presentation and her positive attitude. Definitely pick it up if you are looking for more info on veganism and are toying with the idea of converting. She has three levels she talks about: Flirt, Vegan and Superhero. There’s definitely something in there for everyone!

Sweet Potato -Lentil Stew

from A Kind Diet by Alice Silverstone

1/4 cup Safflower Oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

fine sea salt

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4″ cubes

7 cups vegetable broth

1 cup brown lentils (I used green because I couldn’t find brown)

“Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, deep pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and a small pinch of salt. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then taste for seasonings; try to use only enough salt to heighten the flavors.

Add the sweet potatoes, brother and lentils. Stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.”

Alicia recommended serving over brown basmati rice or couscous. I went with the basmati rice. It ended up being significantly more soupy than I thought a stew should be (see picture below). Next time, I’ll reduce the broth for a more stew like consistency.

Baby spinach with sunflower seeds and craisins

adapted from Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins in The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

1 bag of baby spinach

2 TBS toasted sunflower seeds (you may buy regular sunflower seeds in the store or be super awesome like me and follow the toasting directions below)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 TBS safflower oil

3 TBS craisins

2 TBS balsamic vinegar

(directly from The Kind Diet) “Rinse the seeds and drain immediately in a fine sieve. Transfer to a hot pan over medium head, and stir constantly as they dry and become golden brown and a little puffed up. They may begin to pop, and some popping is ok, but if the seeds begin to pop right out of the pan, reduce the heat. Remove from the pan when done and sprinkle with a few drops of shoyu (or soy sauce, which I did), stirring to combine.”

Rinse the baby spinach under cool water in a colander. Place the garlic and oil in a large skillet, and saute over medium heat for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the damp spinach and stir, then cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the craisins and sunflower seeds, and stir. Cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, cover, and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Never heard of brown basmati rice? Me neither! In fact, I really dislike rice in general. I blame my mom for passing onto me the inability to cook rice. Mine ALWAYS comes out sticky and/or burnt on the bottom so I don’t bother. Plus, I find brown rice boring. This brown basmati rice was delicious though! Much more flavorful than regular brown rice. Mine still came out sticky but at least it tasted so good I didn’t care!

As for the steamed greens, here’s the deal: A vegan diet can’t be made up of vegan snickerdoodles and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. You need some nutrients. It’s really important to get all sorts of veggies, beans and grains so you have a balanced diet. Ms. Silverstone talked about greens all the time. In fact, in her books, she tried to convince me to have them for breakfast. yeah…I don’t know about that. Also, I can’t quite commit to collard greens yet. Baby steps. I can tell you though, this spinach/sunflower/craisin/ balsamic vinegar recipe I cooked up from altering her recipe (she wanted raisins. We all know I don’t do raisins!) was a-maz-ing. It was so tasty and you felt so good eating it! I’m a huge fan. I was actually pretty sad when I ran out of spinach a few days later. I definitely have to go buy more! Or maybe I’ll try collard greens this time!

Definitely try this recipe on a cool night and check out The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone or her website, Thekindlife.com