Curried Lentils and Chickpeas

It's Meatless Monday.  I've fallen into a rut lately (just life and stuff) and have been resorting to old favorites like Goat Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Portobellos, Frittatas, Lentil and Pasta Soup, and even just scrambled eggs with toast (GF crackers for me) for Monday dinners.  Today I was feeling a bit feisty, so I thought I'd make something new.  Well, new to me.  I was jonesing for something curry, and this totally hit the spot.  And it's easy, too.  Yay!

Curried Lentils and Chickpeas


Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 3/4 cup dried lentils
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 cups water
• salt & pepper to taste
• hot pepper sauce to taste (optional)

Directions:

• Rinse chickpeas and lentils in running water, then soak in separate bowls overnight.
• In a medium pot, sauté the onion and garlic in coconut oil over medium heat for a few minutes until soft and fragrant.
• Drain the chickpeas and lentils and add to the pot.  Add the curry and cumin powders.  Stir over medium heat for a minute.
• Add the water and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the chickpeas and lentils are tender. Adjust salt and pepper as needed, and add hot pepper sauce (optional).  Serve over brown rice (or with whole wheat naan if you're not gluten-free).

Tonight I served this with a side of simple roasted cauliflower.  I'm a happy camper.

Lentil and Pasta Soup

I saw someone mention lentil and pasta soup the other day and thought it sounded delicious.  I Googled a few recipes and made my own version.  The kids each had seconds and thirds.  Cheap, easy and healthy.  I used water instead of chicken broth for Meatless Monday, but you could certainly use chicken broth (or even veggie broth).

Lentil and Pasta Soup
Inspired by this recipe, this recipe and this recipe.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 8ish cups water (add more if necessary)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt, to taste
• 2 cups dry whole wheat elbow pasta
• shredded parmesan or crumbled feta for garnish

Directions:

• In a large (I used a 3qt. and it barely all fit) pot, heat the oil and sweat the onion.  Add garlic, carrots, celery and lentils and sauté for a few minutes until veggies begin to soften.  Add the water, dried herbs and TSSS.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook, covered for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, add the dry pasta.  Bring to a boil again, then reduce to simmer.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking.  If you like the pasta al dente, cook 8 - 10 minutes; if you like it softer (my kids prefer their pasta soft), cook 10 - 12 minutes.  Add more TSSS if necessary.
• Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.  I have a weakness for feta, so that was my choice as well as hubby's.  The kids opted for parmesan.

Lentil and White Bean Soup with Arugula

Yesterday was supposed to be Meatless Monday in the house, but it was the hub's birthday, and he requested steak.  He is incredibly supportive of my endeavors to convert us to a more healthy lifestyle, but he draws the line at birthdays.  Fair enough.  :-)

So Meatless Tuesday it is for this week.

Lentil and White Bean Soup with Arugula

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1-ish teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (15 oz.) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (I used Great Northerns)
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
• 5 cups water
• a couple large handfuls of arugula, washed and dried 
• feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Rinse the lentils and drain.  Place lentils in a bowl and cover with water; set aside to soak for an hour or so.
• Heat oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Sweat the onions until translucent.  Add the carrot, celery, cumin and a few dashes of salt and pepper and stir for a minute.
• Drain the soaked lentils and add them to the pot.  Add the beans and tomatoes and water. Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered, until the carrots and celery and lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.  Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
• Once the veggies are tender, add the arugula and stir it in so it wilts, about 30 seconds.
• Serve immediately with a sprinkle of feta cheese.

Quinoa Lentil Chili

Today is Meatless Monday.  I've been doing Meatless Monday for several months now, where I cook meatless meals for dinner.  Part of it is health-driven (eat more veggies and legumes), part of it is eco-driven (lessen our footprint on the planet), part of it is spiritually-driven (don't kill, even animals), and part of it is to force myself to experiment with ingredients/methods/recipes I otherwise would not use.  Today's experiment was with quinoa, you know, that supergrain-that's-also-a-complete-protein that's been all the rage these past few years.

I'll admit it - I've never had quinoa before.  Wait, I take that back.  In the early 2000s I went on a training seminar for work, and my roommate introduced me to quinoa.  We were in one of those extended stay suites with kitchen, so she prepared it for dinner one night.  I don't remember how she prepared it, but it was awful, so needless to say it's taken me about 10 years to actually want to give it another try.

I have quinoa.  And I have some beautiful red lentils.  How about a vegetarian chili?  I browsed the internet for recipes.  There's a bunch out there, but I settled on a combination of this one and this one as my main guide.  And of course I used what was in my fridge and pantry.  I served it with a slice of toasted rosemary garlic sourdough; it was really good.  Hubby had it with Triscuits.

Next time I think I'll add a bell pepper and a can of kidney or garbanzo beans.

Quinoa Lentil Chili
Inspired by this recipe and this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup dried red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups water
• 1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large dutch oven, sweat the onion in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute.
• Add the quinoa and lentils, water and diced tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer again.  Cook, covered and stirring occasionally, for another 20 - 30 minutes until lentils and vegetables are tender.

Salmon with Lentils

I love lentils and am always looking for ways to prepare it. I was watching Barefoot Contessa the other day and this recipe made me salivate right on the couch. I love Ina. If only she'd invite me to one of her dinner parties. Or lunch, or breakfast, brunch, heck, even for a snack. I'm not picky.

The original recipe calls for a ton of onions. I don't like onions that much, so I cut way back on the amount. I also just did a quick pan sear of the salmon on the stove top instead of transferring it to the oven. Only because I was roasting beets in the oven at the same time and didn't have room to add the fish.

Everything was delicious.

Salmon with Lentils
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/4 cup leeks, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 large stalks celery, chopped
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 individual portions of salmon fillets, pan-seared or broiled in the oven

Directions:

• Place lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain.
• In a large saute pan, heat oil, then add shallots, leeks and thyme.  Cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook a couple more minutes.
• Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, chicken broth, tomato paste, and TSSS.
• Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes until lentils are soft and have absorbed the liquid.
• Add the vinegar and toss.
• Plate the lentils and top with the cooked salmon.  Serve hot.

Brown Rice and Lentil Soup

Today I got my second weekly box from Farm Fresh To You.  (Got my first last Thursday and everything's gone.  ;-))  So far I'm loving my organic CSA deliveries (right to my door!).  The produce is so incredibly fresh and yummy-tasting. 

I consider myself pretty versed in produce, but there was something in the box today that I'd never seen before.  It's a substitution (I was supposed to get collards but I specified I don't want collards), and there was no label or indication of what it is.



So I consulted Google and found out it's a type of kale called Dinosaur (or Tuscan, Lacinato, Black, Cavolo Nero) Kale.  It's dark green like the regular kale I use to make kale chips with, but the leaves are narrower and much thicker, almost rubbery-like.  Very interesting, I think I'll use it to make soup.

Brown Rice and Lentil Soup
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 box (4 cups) chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup brown rice, rinsed
• 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
• Vietnamese fish sauce (or salt & pepper)
• a big bunch (approx 3 cups) kale, rinsed and chopped (or spinach, or chard)

Directions:

• In a large pot, brown the turkey with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Add carrots, celery, onion, cumin and thyme.  Sautee about 5 minutes until fragrant.
• Add chicken broth, water, rice and lentils.  Season to taste.
• Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice and lentils are soft, 45 minutes - 1 hour.
• Stir in kale and cook a few minutes until wilted.