Dinner in a pinch - Lentil stew

Tonight we were SUPPOSED to have baked tofu coated with herbs, nutritional yeast and cornflakes served with mashed potatoes and steamed kale. We got ready to press the tofu and realized the neither of us picked it up at the grocery yesterday. And, since we were standing in the kitchen in our pajamas, neither of us wanted to go to the store. So, we improvised. We made a lentil stew with kale and served it over mashed potatoes. I always have bags of lentils in the pantry. It came out really well. I didn't measure anything, but it would be hard to screw it up, so here you go:

2 Tbs Olive oil
1.5 - 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced (or 1 russet)
2 carrots, sliced (You can also add celery with the carrots if you have it)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4-1/2 cup white wine, or red wine
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lb Lentils du Puy, brown lentils, or green lentils (NOT red lentils), sorted, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
~2 cups water
1 bunch kale, chopped
2 Tbs shoyu, or soy sauce
pepper to taste
salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, garlic, onion to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will probably stick a little bit. After about 5 minutes, deglaze the pot with wine. Add stock, lentils, and enough water to cover, plus about another 1/2 inch. Add the dried herbs, crumbling the thyme between your fingers as you add it to the pot. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer about 25-30 minutes, partially covered. Stir occasionally and check to ensure there is enough water. When the lentils taste like the are almost done (tender), add the chopped kale. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add shoyu, and pepper. Add salt if necessary. Serve over brown rice or mashed potatoes.

Note that the time will vary slightly depending on which type of lentils you use (check the cooking times on the package). I used the lentils du puy.