Autumn Stew

This autumn-inspired dish was prepared by one of our members for our vegan potluck on Sunday.

Ingredients
For the stew:
1 cup onions/bell peppers (frozen mixed bag)
1 cup celery, chopped
5 large carrots
2 large red potatoes
1 butternut squash
1 zucchini
1 apple, peeled
1 cup lentils
3 vegan 'chicken' stock cubes
Oil (olive or vegetable)
Spices to taste (salt, garlic salt, paprika, several tablespoons cumin & cinnamon)
Optional accents served on the side:
2 large avocados, cubed
1 bunch kale, chopped finely
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions
1. In a large pot, put 8 cups of water and the stock cubes on high heat (boiling). Prepare ingredients, cutting them into chunks.
2. Stir-fry vegetables in a pan with oil over medium-high heat to brown them a bit and then add them to the pot. This will take several batches. Do it in the following order: onions/peppers/celery, lentils, carrots, potatoes, squash, zucchini/apple.
3. Add spices, taste and test the stew, and potentially add more water if needed along the way. Lower the temperature a bit and allow the stew to cook until you feel it has reached perfection!
4. On the side, offer guests (or whoever's eating this) avocado, kale, and brown sugar as potential (and super yummy) additions to the soup. Enjoy!