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§03 · Dinner · aaron-chow-lunch

Aaron Chow Lunch

The savory half of Aaron Chow — the two recipes that inspired Minimum Viable Pantry itself, named for their author, who spent 7+ years refining it into a nearly complete meal in one bowl. A thick, boldly spiced one-pot stew of over a dozen vegetables, grains, and legumes, brightened with lime and vinegar. Paired with the breakfast half, it's a week's worth of variety in two meals. Meet Aaron Chow Breakfast →

Illustration of Aaron Chow Lunch
Hands-on 20 min Total 55 min Serves4 Ingredients27 Cost / Serv.$2.71 Calories740
Batch

Ingredients

Everything here is in your pantry — no shopping trip.

Method

  1. Heat the 1 tbsp14 g olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add the 1110 g diced onion and cook until soft, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in the 8 cloves24 g garlic, minced with the 2 tbsp13 g cumin, 1½ tbsp11 g chili powder, 1 tbsp8.4 g turmeric, 1 tbsp4.8 g ground ginger, 1 tbsp8.4 g garlic powder, 1 tbsp6.9 g onion powder, and ½ tsp1.2 g black pepper, and bloom 30–60 seconds until fragrant — this is where the spices wake up.
  2. Stir in the 1 can (14.5 oz)411 g crushed tomatoes and cook 2 minutes to deepen.
  3. Add the ½ cup93 g brown rice, rinsed, ½ cup96 g green lentils, rinsed, ½ cup96 g red lentils, rinsed, ½ cup85 g quinoa, rinsed, 1½ cups200 g sweet potato, diced, and 161 g diced carrot, then the 2 tbsp34 g bouillon dissolved in about 7 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered about 40 minutes, stirring now and then and adding water if it thickens too far — the brown rice is the long pole, and everything melts down soft around it.
  4. Stir in the 2 cups178 g cabbage, shredded, 1 can (15 oz)253 g black beans, drained and rinsed, 1 can (15 oz)253 g chickpeas, drained and rinsed, and 2 tbsp10 g nutritional yeast, and simmer 10 minutes more, until the cabbage softens.
  5. Add the 3½ cups308 g frozen broccoli and 2 cups170 g frozen spinach and simmer 5 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and the greens have wilted in.
  6. Off the heat, stir in the 3 tbsp46 g lime juice and ¼ cup60 g apple cider vinegar. Season with salt, to taste, and add more black pepper if it needs it.

Kids: this one’s boldly spiced — ladle their portion into a bowl, stir in a splash of water to loosen and mellow it, and let it cool before serving.

Dietary

  • Gluten free
  • Tree nut free
  • Peanut free
  • Soy free
  • Sesame free

Nutrition

Per serving · makes 4
Calories740Protein36gCarbs132gFiber28gSugars12gFat10gSaturated Fat1.4gSodium1299mg
Vitamins & minerals
Iron15mgCalcium303mgPotassium2231mgMagnesium252mgZinc5.2mgFolate513µgVitamin C107mgVitamin B123.8µgOmega-3 (ALA)0.06g
Estimated from pantry data, excluding Sea Salt (to taste).

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