Chock-Full-o-Veggies Chili

I hope everyone had a glorious holiday season as I did this year!  Food, family, friends (though I could have used more friend-time), gifts, singing, and all that good stuff--and it's not quite over yet!  I had my share of cookies, cake, pie, rich foods, peppermint mochas, and chocolate--so much chocolate!  Tell me of your holidays, I wish to hear!

Sometimes, you just need a ton of veggies after the holidays.  Like me, you're craving them after the ridiculously rich food and decadent sweets of Christmastime (I'm not kidding, I out-sweeted my sweet tooth this year).  That's where chili comes in--still hearty, filling, and delicious, but incredibly healthy and filled with good stuff!  And you can use up some of that leftover turkey!

UPDATE:  Just a note.  This recipe got rave (RAVE) reviews from my husband, who said that from now on, this is the only chili I will be making.  Just a bonus that it's so dang healthy!

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 bell peppers (of varying colors), seeded and diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 small butternut squash (or any variety, really), peeled, seeded, and diced
3 15 oz. cans of beans, varieties of your choice, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini and kidney)
2 cups leftover turkey, diced or shredded
1 pound ground chicken or turkey, or more leftover turkey
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
2-3 cups chicken/turkey broth
2-3 T. chili seasoning (we used Penzey's CHILI 9000)
For extra spice: ancho or chipotle chili powder
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a LARGE stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, garlic, and peppers and sautee until tender and onion is translucent.  Add in the raw ground meat, if you're using it, breaking it apart with the spoon.  Cook until browned a bit.  Add in the zucchini and butternut squash, and cook until a little tender (about 5 minutes--it doesn't quite need to be cooked through).  Toss in your seasonings at this point, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and leftover turkey--bring to a simmer, turn heat to low or medium low, and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Allow to cook until it reaches the consistency you like (we like our chili thick), and correct any seasonings.

Serve hot and top with your favorite chili toppings!

This could easily be thrown into a slow-cooker (though I recommend browning the onions and meat first for flavor) and cooked on low for 8 hours.

Recent Recipes

Seeing as I have packed the camera away, I unfortunately haven't been taking any photos of my foodstuffs lately.  But, I shall list for you the recipes I have made (plus any changes I made) in this post!

Also, in case you didn't know, I discovered a new source of cross-contamination this week:  plastic storage containers!  Apparently they can absorb gluten!  *themoreyouknow*

I felt like I was going insane all week, getting glutened daily but not using/eating anything with gluten-containing ingredients.  And it wasn't BAD reactions, just mild discomfort and bloat (and over the week, I began getting depressed and anxious).  I was starting to think they were psychosomatic.  Nope.  Not crazy.  It's my (admittedly very old) Gladware.  *sigh* Oh well, at least we're moving and I have an excuse to get more?

***********************************************************************

So, on with the

RECIPE LINKS

This is my favorite thing of the week.  Andalusian Gypsy Stew.  Also known as "Olla Gitana", but this recipe, instead of being vegetarian (like all the other recipes I looked up), this one is a bit heartier with the addition of sausage and pork.  The only changes I made were to omit the bread crumbs (for obvious reasons) and the pork bones (simply because I didn't have them).  It.  Is.  Incredible.  Very hearty, very healthy, very flavorful.  Go.  Make it now.  I'll wait.  **Low Carb, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian/Vegan Option**

Last night, I prepared this for myself: Spinach with Chickpeas and Fried Eggs.  NOW.  The recipe made me think of something else I wanted to try for a while, called shakshouka.  Or menemen.   See a theme?  So what did I do?  I mixed them together!  I started with the onion, and a thinly sliced red and green bell pepper.  Cooked that until tender, and then I tossed in the chickpeas, tomatoes (I used a whole 28-oz/798 mL can), and garlic.  I allowed this to simmer for about 30 minutes (I wanted the bell peppers/onion broken down) and then I added in the broth and spices (I doubled the spice amounts).  I let that cook on almost-high-heat for almost an hour, until the broth had mostly boiled off (and left the delicious taste behind).  About 30 minutes before serving, I tossed in all on the spinach (in batches, because that's a lot of spinach), stirred it in, and fried up my egg in the meantime (not in a ton of oil, just a spritz).  Add a dash of lemon juice or a vinegar of your choice at the end to give it a bit of acid flavor.  Really healthy and filling, great for lunch, dinner, or breakfast.  (The original recipe says this is 4 servings, but to me it looks more like 6?  I don't know how you could eat 1/4 of the recipe without bursting.)  **Slow Carb, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian/Vegan Option without the eggs**

I also made these puppies!  Carrot Cake Protein Bars.  Instead of syrup, I used Splenda, and instead of coconut flour, I used almond meal.  This resulted in a batter-like consistency, rather than a dough, so I just poured it into a baking pan and cut it afterward.  Really delicious!  A great fake-out dessert (or breakfast...porque no los dos?) full of good stuff.  And it really does taste like carrot cake.  **Low Carb, Gluten-Free, High-Protein, Vegetarian, Vegan Option with Egg Replacers**

Lastly, my "real" dessert of the week was Gluten-Free Goddess' Pumpkin Pie Bread.  So good.  So so good.  I added chopped up dark chocolate Toblerone to it (no chocolate chips in the house).  To die for.  **...Yeah, this is just gluten-free, not healthy at all :P.

There you have it!  Enjoy, readers.  Go make these things.

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And a VERY great piece of advice to fellow gluten-intolerant/Celiacs:  If you get glutened, swallowing a shot (a couple of tablespoons) of apple cider/white vinegar (dilute it if you want) will reduce your symptoms.  I didn't believe it until I tried it.  Within 10 minutes, my bloat had almost disappeared, the headfog had dissipated, and the nausea was gone.  Such a relief not feeling sick!  But you're gonna feel really strange for a few minutes, just be warned.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Chard Soup

I had a really bad night.  Today, all I wanted was easy, comforting food that combatted my tiredness and the falling snow outside.

This has a very similar flavor to minestrone--you could easily toss in some pasta, if you like.

Also, I've been trying to work on my food photos.  So there are a few "finished presentation" ones at the end :P.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, or 2 small ones, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, or 2 medium, chopped
2 cans of chickpeas (or any other preferred beans), rinsed and drained
2 28-oz. cans whole or diced tomatoes
1 t. oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable (if you want it to be vegan) broth
1 bunch Swiss chard or kale, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add in the onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and chard stems (if using).  Cook for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and tender.

Add in the chickpeas and tomatoes, bringing to a simmer.  Squash the tomatoes against the side of the pan as they cook, if using whole.  Add in spices/herbs.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the broth and bring to a simmer again.  Allow to cook for 10 more minutes.

Toss in the chard leaves, and cook until tender.  Season to taste.

Serve!

Vegan Mondays: Ramen

Last weekend, my husband, Charles, came to me and asked if we could start having less meat-centered meals during our weeks.  Sparked by an article he read about human evolution and diet, he concluded that perhaps we should be consuming less animal products.  Combine that with the environmental aspect and cruelty of the meat industry, and we now have our reasons for Vegan Mondays.  (By the way, I was always for this, but you know how dudes can be about their meat.)  This may expand to a few more days of the week later on, but right now, we're trying it out once a week.

If this ramen is any sign of what's to come, we're going to be having many, many more meatless meals.

Forget the ramen you had in high school and college that was ten cents a package and came with a little packet of MSG seasoning.

This is the real stuff. It's man-approved.  I was even asked to make this for the in-laws about five minutes into eating.  And we couldn't believe that it's animal-byproduct-free!

This is a bit of work for a meal, but I think it's so worth it.  It'd also be a GREAT idea to double the broth recipe and have a ramen party where people bring their own little topping.

The original recipe also used smoked shiitake mushrooms and features guidelines for David Chang's Momofuku ramen broth, so if you're interested in that, you'll find it here.

Ingredients:

Shiitake Mushroom Broth

3 quarts (12 cups, or almost 3 liters) of water
3 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, enough to result in 1 cup of ground mushrooms (these come in tiny bags at my supermarket that are very expensive--I used 3 .5-oz bags and it was enough, so YMMV)
1 sheet Kombu seaweed, rinsed (I could not find this at the supermarket, so I used 3-4 sheets of toasted seaweed sushi wrappers...I have no idea if that was really different)
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
8 whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1/4 cup mirin
1/3 cup soy sauce (or more, to taste)
2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 medium onion, tossed in olive oil and roasted at 425 degrees F until lightly browned (if you have the time)

Toppings
Tofu, cube
Chopped green onion
Bamboo shoots
Roasted cauliflower
Roasted butternut squash
Lightly steamed bok choy (or other sturdy greens)
Bean sprouts
Enoki mushrooms
Roasted/smoked/sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Soy sauce (to top)

Noodles (udon, if you're not eating GF, but for GF people, I suggest soba or shirataki noodles)

Instructions:

Powder up your dried mushrooms in a food processor.

Shiitake!

The dried portobella mushrooms powdered up easier.  (They didn't have enough shiitake bags at the store.)

 Place all broth ingredient in a large stockpot.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove seaweed pieces, then simmer 30 minutes more until reduced by half.

Strain the mixture with cheesecloth, return to the pot, and keep warm.  Once it's time to eat, bring the broth back to a full boil.

Prepare your toppings and noodles.  We tried these low-carb, low-calorie shirataki noodles for the first time.  If you can ignore the smell when they first come out of the bag, they're fantastic!

Serve by placing noodles in a bowl, and toppings in their own bowls around the table so people can add them as they wish.  Pour the broth over everything, once assembled.  (You may need to reheat your bowl if your toppings are cold when you add the broth.)

The set-up!   Note the ubiquitous Sriracha.

Bowl of deliciousness, and a Japanese cucumber salad on the side.

This is an incredible meal, and it gets a 10 on the healthiness scale.  Dig in!

Vichyssoise (Leek & Starchy Vegetable/Root Soup)

Sometimes you just nee a nice, simple bowl of soup for your dining pleasure.

And sometimes you also bought too many leeks at the store because they were on sale!

Vichyssoise is very forgiving.  Don't have a lot of potatoes?  Use cauliflower, potatoes, celeriac--whatever you have on hand.  You can even toss in sweet potato chunks and be successful!  Don't have leeks?  Onions work as well!

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
3 leeks, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced.
6 cups of peeled and chopped starchy vegetables (I used potatoes, cauliflower, and celeriac)
6-8 cups chicken broth (enough to cover the veggies, and my chicken broth was very dense, so I did half broth, half water)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Clean and slice your leeks.

Chop up yo' veggies/tubers.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add in leeks and stir.  Allow to cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add in broth and bring to a simmer.

Add veggies/tubers, bring to a simmer again, and cook for 20-30 minutes, until veggies are fork-tender.

Using an immersion blender or a processor/blender, puree the soup.  Season with salt and pepper.  Some people put cream in their vichyssoise.  I don't think it needs it.

Serve hot!

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin isn't just for desserts!  I made this up, completely, after not being satisfied with any pumpkin soup recipes I found.

It has some flavors of both Southwestern and Asian cuisine, which (surprisingly) pair together nicely.  I would have loved to add some red curry paste if I'd only had it.  It pulls together very quickly.

Having a cold, my sense of taste is kinda crappy, so I was told I overseasoned this.  Take measurements with a grain of salt.

Also, it can easily be made vegetarian/vegan if you switch out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and the butter for olive oil/an oil of your choice.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 T. butter
2 small onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch knob of ginger, minced
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. paprika
1 t. thyme
3 cups pumpkin puree
2-3 cups chicken stock (depending on how thin you want your soup)
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste

Instructions:

Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  When butter bubbles and foams, place onions, garlic, and ginger in the pan.  Saute until onions are cooked through and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Add in the spices and herbs and allow to cook for a few minutes more.

Add in the pumpkin and chicken stock, bringing it to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

That chunk is some frozen puree.

If you prefer, pour your soup into a blender and puree.  I didn't only because I'm ill and didn't want to clean yet another thing :D.

Accompanying meal will be posted tomorrow.

About 10 minutes before serving, reheat your soup (if you've let it sit) and add the coconut milk.  Salt to taste.  Simmer and serve hot!

Cinco de Mayo Megapost

Cinco de Mayo came and went a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean I can't post the food my mom and I made to celebrate!  We love Mexican food, and we make some GOOD recipes.

On the menu was carnitas, a shredded (or cubed, depending on who you talk to) pork taco/etc. filling, frijoles charros, something I've had in many restaurants, but never like this (think pork & beans, but less sweet and more spice), a lovely relish for the carnitas, and black bean soup, which I'll admit isn't Mexican in the slightest.  More like American Southwest, but it was requested, so I will post it.

Carnitas are fairly simple to make, and you could definitely make it in a slow cooker as well as a dutch oven (I would probably leave out some of the liquid, though).

Carnitas


Ingredients:


4 pounds fatty pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
3 cups water
2 oranges, quartered
2 onions, quartered
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled (adjust to your garlic tastes)
3 bay leaves
1 T. epazote (also known as Mexican oregano--if you can't find it, use regular oregano)
1 T. sea salt
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. whole black peppercorns

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a 6 or 7-quart dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) and bring to a boil, skimming the surface as necessary.

Lower the heat, allowing the water to simmer vigorously, and stir occasionally until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid has completely evaporated (the fat will be left in the pan).

 If, after 2 hours over low heat, the liquid has not mostly evaporated, scoop out the meat/onions/oranges with a slotted spoon and evaporate the liquid over high heat.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Place pork back in pot/remove oranges and toss in the fat to coat. Place your pot in the oven and cook the pork mixture, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes until the meat is browned.  I had to stir mine once or twice to get everything properly brown, but you shouldn't have to.

Top with some lovely sauteed peppers and onion, if you like.

Carnitas Relish


Ingredients:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8-10 pickled jalapeno slices, finely minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed and leaves chopped
3 T. of orange juice

Instructions:


Combine ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

Frijoles Charros


Ingredients:


2 cans pinto or black beans (these are traditionally made with pinto beans, but my local IGA does not carry canned OR dried pinto beans), drained and rinsed.
6 oz. bacon (6-7 slices), diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup Mexican beer
2/3 cup of pickled jalapeno slices
2 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 T. brown sugar


Instructions:


Place bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the fat renders out and the bacon begins to crisp up.

Place onion and garlic in the pan and cook through until translucent and browned.

Place beans, beer, jalapeno slices, and tomatoes in the pan and bring to a simmer.  Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Stir in sugar right before serving.  Top with some fresh cilantro.

Black Bean Soup


Ingredients:
2 cups of black beans (1 15 oz. can OR dried beans, soaked overnight) cooked as stated below
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 large carrot OR 1 sweet potato, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. cumin
2 T. medium heat chili powder
1/2 t. chipotle chili powder
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups cooking liquid and beans (from beans recipe below)  (If you don't have enough cooking liquid, chicken stock can be substituted)
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime

Cilantro and sour cream to garnish

Instructions:

Take your can of black beans OR your soaked, dried beans and put them in a pot with 4 cups of water, 3 slices of bacon, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 of an onion, and 1 garlic clove, and simmer on the stove for 30 minutes.  Strain, reserving liquid, and removing onion, bay leaves, and garlic clove.

Put olive oil in a large soup pot and heat over medium heat.  Place onion, celery, and sweet potato or carrot in the pot and cook until tender.

Add garlic and spices and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Add tomatos, beans, liquid, and pepper, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes (or more), until pepper is cooked through.

Place half of the soup in a blender and puree (REMEMBER: YOUR SOUP IS HOT).  Pour back into pan and simmer a little longer, adding salt and lime juice.

Serve hot, with sour cream, cilantro, and perhaps cheese to garnish.


This is the next day's leftovers.  This meal is ACTUALLY pretty diet friendly if you skip the tortilla or have low carb ones (and if you reduce the sugar in the charro beans, but I find the amount negligible anyway).  It is high calorie, though, so watch your portions.  We also served salsa & guacamole (homemade:  Put half a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, a jalapeno, and a bunch of cilantro in a food processor and pulse until chopped.  Scoop the flesh out of 2 avocados and add, pulsing until combined. Add the juice of 1 lime, salt to taste, and a dash of chili powder and cumin.).

Enjoy my Mexican food, everyone!

NOTE:  This is totally gluten free if the beer used for the beans is GF beer.  Sorry, I missed that!

Low-Cal Cabbage Soup!

I don't have a picture of this one yet, but it's very simple and very, very low-calorie.  Think under 100 calories per bowl.  You can also adjust it to what you have in the fridge, or whatever your tastes dictate spice-wise.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 T. oregano
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. sea salt
1 head of green cabbage (or a mixture of your choice), thinly sliced and chopped (bite-sized)
6 cups of chicken stock
2-4 cups of water (depending on how strong your stock is, and how much water you want)
A dash of beef broth concentrate

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and sautee until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add tomatoes, herbs, and spices.  Bring to a simmer and add cabbage, stirring it in.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  

Add stocks and water and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 30-45 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and flavors have melded.

Serve hot with a dash (or 20!) of hot sauce.

NOTE: This can EASILY be vegan if you just substitute the stock for vegetable broth.  Also, gluten-free people, check your bouillons/stocks/broths if you buy them at the store--THEY SNEAK GLUTEN INTO THOSE.

Turkey Chili

Half of my extended family hails from Texas, and chili recipes abound in our cookbooks. I have learned from the best, and though many will say that "real Texas chili doesn't have beans in it," I have always had beans in my chili. I like it better. I feel like meat-only chili is something to be reserved for adding to hot dogs or cheese dip.

Trying to stretch our groceries, I had a 7-lb. turkey in my freezer and cooked that last week, and used most of the leftovers for this chili. You could certainly make this with chicken, beef, pork, or a ground variety of any of these as well.

Chili is versatile! Chili is filling! And chili is pretty darn healthy!

Ingredients:

3 cups diced, cooked turkey (about 1 pound of meat in total, I think)
1 1/2 cups total of dried black and kidney beans, mixed, soaked overnight (you could also use two 15 oz. cans of beans)
1 large can tomato sauce (I always try to buy low-sodium, and I think the large can is something like 24 oz.)
1 can water (use the tomato sauce can)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1-2 tablespoons cumin (depending on how strong your cumin is)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) salt

Instructions:

This is super-duper easy. Get out your slow-cooker. Toss everything into the slow-cooker. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (depending on what time you start it). Taste and re-season about an hour before serving. YOU ARE DONE.


For those of you who don't have a slow-cooker:

Get out a big pot. Heat up a tablespoon or so of oil. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft. Add tomato sauce, water, and spices. Bring to a simmer. Add meat and beans. Cook for 1-2 hours (at least) over low heat. Season to taste before serving.

Serve topped with your choice of garnishes! Appropriate ones include: sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, hot sauce, cilantro, lime wedges, chopped jalapenos, etc.

Easiest Veggie Soup Ever

This is a delicious vegetable soup, and I love it because you can basically toss in any vegetable you want and easily adjust it to your tastes. I seriously ate this from probably May to November last year. And now I'm back on it, haha.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 large onion (I like red best, but any works), chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 bell peppers, diced
3 medium zucchini, diced
1 28-oz. can of tomatoes (diced or whole, whichever you prefer)
2 bay leaves
1 T. oregano
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 T. concentrated beef broth (for flavor, you can omit if you like)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add your mirepoix (fancy term for onion, celery, carrot, and garlic) and sautee until cooked through, about 10 minutes.


Add your peppers and zucchini and cook for 10 more minutes, until soft.


Add tomatoes and herbs/seasoning, bringing to a simmer.


Add broth and water. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.


You can puree it, but I like the chunkiness of it :D. I like to throw in some hot sauce and feta cheese when I serve it.

P.S. This recipe makes a ton of soup. Adjust to your needs. This COULD be vegan if you switch to a veggie broth.

Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro

Last week, I made this tasty concoction. Since I followed the recipe to a T, I'm just going to link it and post pictures here. No need to rewrite it and all that, since I made no changes.

So, here is Kalyn's recipe!

Onion and celery cooking, mmm.


Adding all the spices.


Bring to a simmer!


Allow to cook!


Serve with tasty lime and cilantro (or not, if you hate cilantro).


I hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day! I'll post the recipes I make for tonight's (HOPEFULLY AMAZING) dinner another day. They're not healthy, at all, haha, but they look soooo good!

Turkish Lentil Soup with Sumac

Annnnnd we're back!

I apologize for the absence. I wasn't cooking much last week due to just being lonely and having no inspiration. Charles came home from London and I was celebrating (and gaining 4 pounds, yikes!) by making unhealthy foodstuffs. We went out and ordered a crap-ton of sushi (delicious!) and saw The Woman in Black, which was good, but not fantastic (and definitely did not keep me awake at night). Superbowl Sunday came and went, we had a day of worrying about our dog Maggie because she was vomiting and ill yesterday, and here we are today. The day on which I vowed to update! Luckily, I now have a stockpile of a few recipes that I can post, so there will be more updates this week :D.

SO, after the ful, I had a supply of red lentils that I was determined to use. This has led to much soup-making.

This soup was good, but I think it would have been GREAT with a sweet potato in it. It has a hint of curry flavor to it and I didn't feel like it had a well-rounded flavor to it--the sweetness of the sweet potato would have complimented all the flavors perfectly and brought it all together.

Sumac is not the poisonous plant you're probably thinking of, haha. I got mine from Penzey's, and I actually haven't seen it sold many places. It has a lovely citrus taste to it, much like a lime.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat of your knife
1 t. paprika (I used a mix of sweet and half-sharp)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. fenugreek (I added this because I love the flavor)
1 cup dry red lentils, washed and picked over
1/2 cup diced tomatos in sauce
6-8 cups water or stock (I recommend stock--water was just far too bland)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. sumac

Lime wedgess & yogurt or feta cheese for garnish

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until soft. Add garlic and spices, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.


Stir in lentils and tomatos, and allow to cook for a few minutes.



Add stock/water, and bring to a simmer. Allow it to cook for 30-45 minutes, until the lentils are mushy. Taste and season with salt & pepper.


Process in a food processor or blender (or with a hand blender) and serve.

Top with sumac, red pepper flakes, and, if desired, lime juice and yogurt or cheese.


You could easily make this vegan by using a veggie stock or water, and avoiding the yogurt/cheese.

Coming up this week: another lentil soup, delicious chicken dish, and "Juicy Lucy" bunless burgers :D.