Lentil Stew with Greens

This may not sound like anything special, but it is delicious.  This has been a favorite recipe of mine since my college days, and the original recipe is GAPS legal- the only modification I made for our current use was to substitute other greens for spinach (because spinach is so high in both oxalates and histamine). 

INGREDIENTS:

2 T butter or ghee
1 large onion, chopped
3 (or more!) cloves of garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups of lentils, soaked for 24 hours and drained
2 cups of chopped greens, somewhat tightly packed
1 quart (or more) of meat stock
1 T vinegar or lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
optional- equivalent of 1 can of chopped tomatoes in juice

METHOD:

Saute onions in butter for several minutes until they become soft.  Add the garlic, salt and spices and continue to saute on moderate heat another 5 minutes or so.

Add the lentils and greens and cook another few minutes.  Add the stock, tomatoes and juice (if using), and bring to a boil.  Simmer until lentils are tender, 30-50 minutes depending on lentils.

If the stew is thicker when done than you want, add more stock and heat through.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice or vinegar (real balsamic vinegar is the best if you can get it).  Taste and adjust the seasonings. 

VARIATION:
This stew is delicious with meat.  You can either use leftover meat (I added 3 leftover sausages to the batch pictured), or fresh ground meat or stew meat.  Add the meat, cut into pieces, at the time you are adding the spices.  Depending on the flavors in the meat (if sausages or leftovers), you may want to reduce or alter the spices used.