Lentils and Sausage to ring in the New Year

I recently have put a hold on my non-meatness, I have been running a lot and over-carbing, I was constantly craving more.  For fear that I was not getting enough protein after 2.5 months of not eating meat, I added fish and chicken back into my diet.  It was actually a perfect time to add meat back in so that I could enjoy my favorite New Years dish of Lentils and Sausage ( I used spicy chicken sausage).  Eating this meal is said to bring good luck and fortune to you throughout the year...the luck and fortune have already begun!

While this may not be the prettiest meal, the taste was AMAZING!
What you will need:

-2 tbsp  Olive oil
- 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 large onion
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large parsnip
- 2 large celery stalks
- 2 cups of brown lentils
- 4-5 cups of broth (I used vegetable)
- baby spinach leaves
- fully cooked Italian sausage ( I used spicy, Italian chicken sausage)

I removed the casings from 4 large sausage links and began browning them in a large pot with the olive oil.  I tried breaking them into small pieces as I was cooking them

After the sausage was browned, I transferred it into a bowl.  I then added the peeled and diced carrots, parsnip, onion, celery, and Italian seasoning to the remaining juices and oil left from the sausage.

I sauteed the veggies for roughly 7 minutes ( constant stirring) and then added the lentils, broth and the sausage back into the pot.  I let this simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally.  During the last 15 minutes I added the spinach, I used a packet of finely chopped steamer spinach...It turned everything bright green!  I would suggest using a bag of baby spinach and cook until it wilts.  While the taste was excellent the presentation was lacking (way too green).

This dish even got a thumbs up from Nathan (who claims not to like lentils), it was delish!

Until next time...