Slow Cooker Curried Lentil and Chickpea Stew

I found this recipe in this month's All You magazine and it turned out so great! Mine came out pretty thick, and I didn't have extra broth to thin it out, but once I added salt and pepper to my bowl it was delicious!
(By the way, can you tell I loooooove cooking in my crock pot yet?) ;)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 cup uncooked ong-grain brown rice (I used white rice with no problems)
• 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup dried green lentils  (I used brown and they worked just fine!) 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 15.5-oz. can chickpeas, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions

-Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
-Add carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
-Stir in curry powder and sauté until blended and fragrant, about 1 minute.
-Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in tomatoes and broth.
-Bring to a simmer, then pour into slow cooker.
-Stir in lentils.
-Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
-Add chickpeas, cover and cook until lentils and rice are tender, about 1 hour longer. (If stew looks dry when you add chickpeas, add more broth.)
-Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley, if desired, before serving.

Slow Cooker Curried Lentil and Chickpea Stew