Sweetness Of Life: Sweet and Savory Chocolate Lentil Chickpea Stew

Good morning! I hope that whoever you are and wherever you are, you are happy and having a beautiful, blessed morning.

I came across a quote in the book that I'm reading (Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr) that I really liked.

"No matter how many good deeds you do or how many profound and intelligent words you may speak, what people will remember most about you is how you make them FEEL."

Right?! So go ahead people...SHINE your light, spread your bliss, radiate, smile, be kind and LOVE!

Speaking of shining and bliss and all that, my intention was to go to yoga class this morning. But instead, I ended up snuggling with my lover in bed and then drinking espresso. But that's ok! Love and coffee can make you shine too! And I'll just be sure to do a little yoga session at home sometime today.

While I've been sitting here blogging, my sweetie has been making me breakfast. What a good man! I'll tell you what he's making but first, I want to let you know what I made for dinner last night!

Sweet and Savory Chocolate Lentil Chickpea Stew

1 can chickpeas
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup yellow onion
5 small garlic cloves
1 cup carrots
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp carob powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 of a veggie cube
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp molasses

I have seen similar recipes on this awesome girl's blog: Brit Chick Runs. I think she must enjoy the sweet and savory as much as I do! :-)

Here's what I did. First, heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add about a teaspoon or so of coconut oil. Add in your onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes until the onions get a little soft and turn slightly transparent. Then add ALL the rest of the ingredients and stir everything for a few minutes. At this point, it should start smelling REALLY good. Then pour in some water, about enough to cover all the ingredients. Turn heat to low and cover. Let simmer until the water has absorbed and the lentils are cooked. I checked on it and stirred it every several minutes. When it was done, I topped it with some fresh cilantro. I thought it turned out pretty good. The unique combination of spices gave it a kind of robust complexity. I feel like it may have been missing something but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Woody really liked it! I think I'll have to come back to this recipe and play with it a bit. But, overall it was a pretty good dinner.

For breakfast this morning, my love made a colorful veggie/egg scramble.