Cilantro Lentil Stew

Lentils have been part of the human diet since the aceramic (pottery nonproducing) times, being one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East.
Lentil colors range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black. Lentils also vary in size (e.g. Masoor lentils, shown in photos here), and are sold in many forms, with or without the skins, whole or split. There are various traditional Indian ways of cooking lentils. I wanted to try something different, so got onto Google and searched for recipes.  This one stood out and I ended up trying it out.  It came out delicious.
 This recipe makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried lentils
• 8 cups filtered water
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili in adobo sauce - just use one chilli and a little adobo sauce
• 3 carrots - chopped into small cubes
• 3 celery stalks - diced medium
• 1 onion - diced small
• 3 tomatoes - diced small
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 10 small cloves of garlic -  yes, you read correctly 10 small cloves of garlic!

Method:

In a large dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp evoo over medium heat, add the chopped carrots, onions and celery. After 2-3 minutes, add all the spices and the tomatoes and cook on low heat for 10-20 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a boil, once boiling add the lentils. Bring to a boil again and then drain the liquid. Add more water and bring to a boil again and again drain the liquid.  Add cooked lentils to mixture in the dutch oven.

In a food processor, add 1 bunch of cilantro, 10 garlic cloves and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Mix until finely chopped, add to dutch oven.

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly, then add ~8 cups of water.

Bring to a boil and lower heat. simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy with crusty bread. I like to have the lentils with toasted sourdough bread.