Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa

lentil mulligatawny soup
Originally uploaded by jensect.

Leslie - I'm so inspired by your soups, we went and tried a new one last night. this is from the lastest issue of Cooking Light, and it is GOOD! I am pretty sure I just used regular old lentils instead of red lentils, but it tasted pretty good anyway.

***
This rich, creamy soup will thicken as it cools. Thin with hot water, a tablespoon at a time, to the desired consistency. Lentils provide fiber, folate, and protein, as well as iron. The fresh topping adds vitamin C plus a dose of quercetin.

Salsa:

2/3 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Soup:

3 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dried small red lentils
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk\
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. To prepare salsa, combine the first 4 ingredients, cover and chill

2. To prepare soup, combine broth, lentils, and onion in a Dutch oven over medium high heat (I just used my regular soup pan); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Pour half of lentil mixture in a blender; let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth. Pour pureed lentil mixture into a bowl. Pour remaining lentil mixture into blender; process until smooth. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, ginger, cumin, and turmeric; process until smooth. Return coconut milk mixture and remaining pureed lentil mixture to pan. Cover and simmer over medium heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon juice, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1/4 cup salsa. Yield: 4 servings.

Apple and Parsnip Soup

IMG_7346
Originally uploaded by lesliegardner.

I know, it sounds weird, but it is really good! And cheap! And vegetarian! And good for you!

1T butter
1# parsnips
1# apples (I used braeburn)
1 onion, chopped
2t curry pwd
1t cumin
1t coriander
1/2t cardamom
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt & pepper
5C homemade chicken stock or canned reduced soduim chicken broth (I made my own vegetable broth from the peeled skins of all the veggies in the soup!)
2/3C half and half (I used the fat free kind even though I don't understand how it can exist)

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add parsnips, apples and onion. Cover and cook 7-10 min.
Add spices, garlic, salt & pepper and cook about 2 min more, stirring constantly.
Add the stock or broth, cover and simmer gently until the parsnips are tender, about 30 min.
Transfer to a blender or food processor in batches and process until smooth. If necessary, add more broth or water. Return to the same saucepan and whisk in the half and half. Heat through over low heat.
Supposed to be garnished with chives and croutons, but who can be bothered? Well, I'm sure the croutons would be a great addition, but I am a total garnish-skipper.

Mediterranean Red Lentil and Spinach Stew

IMG_7128
Originally uploaded by lesliegardner.

Wow is this good! It's really rich and kind of sweet. I keep thinking "this needs eggplant", which I'm coming to realize is because it reminds me of Martina's yummy Eggplant Caponata! I served this over Quinoa made with sauteed onions and carrots and tumeric. But not when I finally decided to take a photo.

2T ghee or clarified butter (i used olive oil)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1T minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced (1...yeah right!)
2t ground cumin
2t paprika
2t ground coriander
1t ground cinnamon
5C water
2C peeled & diced butternut squash
1C dried red lentils
1C diced red bell pepper
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and finely chopped
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 C currants or chopped, pitted dates
3T Bragg Liquid AMinos or natural soy sauce (I used like 2 T of a soy sauce substitute made with molasses and balsamic vinegar)
1t balsamic or apple cider vinegar
1-2 t salt
1/4t cayenne

with all the veggie ends I had left, I made a huge pot of vegetable broth for future soups!

Heat ghee in saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and saute until well-browned and caramelized, about 10 min. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 2 min. stir in cumin, paprika, coriander and cinnamon. Add water, squash, lentils, red bell pepper amd celery. Simmer uncovered until lentils are tender, about 30 min.

Stir in spinach, cilantro, currants, bragg liquid aminos or soy, vinegar, salt to taste and cayenne. Simmer just long enough for spinach to wilt

Protein Bars

IMG_7045
Originally uploaded by lesliegardner.

I like to eat protien bars. My habit is to eat a little something about every 2 hours and it's great if it's something that makes me happy to eat. But the problem with the ones in the stores is that they cost like $2 a bar and most are loaded with sugar. So I invented these and I'm really happy with them!

1-1/2 C Fresh ground peanut butter
2T Agave nectar
1/2C each of
Flax seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds (chopped)
Sesame seeds
toasted buckwheat
Wheat germ
2 scoops milk & egg protein powder

mix well. Smoosh into molds. Refrigerate for a while and pop out of mold.

I had pretty good luck keeping one of these in my backpack without it falling apart. The protien powder I used comes from Trader Joes, but you can probably use any kind. The mix of seeds isn't really important - this is just what I had around. If you like, you could totally add dried fruit or even chocolate chips! My goal was to reach the point where it was so full of goodies that the peanut butter was barely holding it together since the PB is so ridiculously caloric. These clock in at about 225 if you get 21 bars out of the recipe above. My molds are a little shy of 1/4 cup. The protein count is actually only about 9g, which is woefully disappointing to me so in the end, they fit the bill of small thing I like to eat but they don't pack the protien punch I had hoped for as a wannabe vegetarian with trouble digesting soy.

Update - I switched out Quinoa for toasted buckwheat - the crunch is just divine!

chicken and potato bake

Chicken and Potato Bake


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a shallow 2 quart baking dish with olive oil.

whisk together in a small bowl:

3 Tbs of balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs of olive oil
2 Large cloves of garlic minced
1 Tbs of fresh parsley chopped (I skipped this one, and it was fine)
1 Tbs of chopped fresh basil, chervil, or taragon, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried
1 Tbs fresh savory or thyme, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried

1/4 tsp. salt
ground black pepper to taste


Peel and very thinly slice 1lb of potatoes (I didn't peel them). Thinly slice one large sweet onion. (I also put a beet in there because I like how it turns everything pink - I think you could put just about any type of root vegetable in with it)

Arrange half the potatoes in the baking dish. Season well with salt and pepper. Spoon one quarter of the vinaigrette over the potato slices and spread the herbs over the potatoes as evenly as possible. Arrange the onion slices over the potatoes and top with the remaining potatoes. Season and spoon another quarter of the vinaigrette over them, again spreading the herbs out evenly.

Top the potatoes with 4 large chicken breast halves (about 4lbs) boned, but not skinned. Or, you can top the potatoes with one of those whole chickens that has been halved. Bake, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender and the chicken juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part. (aprox. 1 hour for breasts, 1.5 hours for whole chickens). It is YUM!

Broccoli Salad

Salad:
1 lb broccoli, chopped (*tastes better if you sing the Dana Carvy "Choppin' Broccoli song while you're doing this)
1/2 cup red onion
1 cup dried cranberry (raisins work too, but cranberry is more festive, if you're making this for Xmas)
5 slices crumbled bacon
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds (optional, but highly recommended)

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise (we used fat free & it tasted fine!)
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs white vinegar

1. Combine salad ingredients.

2. Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl

3. Toss salad with dressing

*Note: Even though this tasted great when we made it, it tasted even better the next day, so it's probably a good idea to make the dressing a little ahead and let the flavors all meld together.

Roasted Figs

Even though we ate this with Christmas dinner, it was really supposed to be an appetizer. I made it from a recipe, but you really don't need one, because it's very simple to put them together. Here is what you need:

figs (as many as you think will be eaten)
blue cheese (enough so you have a small piece to go with each fig)
prociutto
honey
pepper

Cut a slit in each fig and stuff with a small piece of blue cheese. Wrap each fig in a slice of prosciutto, then place the figs on a baking sheet.

Roast figs in a 400 degree oven (a toaster oven works too) until the prosciutto melts slightly and forms a skin around thee figs (about 12-15 minutes). Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle with honey and season with freshly ground pepper.

Blue Cheese Potatoes au Gratin

5 lbs. russet potatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1-1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cream
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Butter a 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish. Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices. Toss them in a large bowl with the 2 teaspoons salt, pepper and rosemary.

2. In a small bowl toss together cheeses.

3. Layer half the potatoes in the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese mixture and top with remaining potatoes.

4. In a bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and pour over potatoes. Tap the baking dish on the counter to spread out the sauce and help release any air bubbles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.

5. Bake potatoes for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until browned and completely tender all the way through when poked with a knife.

Note: You can also make these in advance and store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature and reheat in a 350 degree F oven until hot.

Black & White Soup

Black & White Soup
Originally uploaded by lesliegardner.

Decided to make this soup for Christmas dinner and had every crucial ingredient but milk and of course no stores open so Jen, in all her Holiday spirit, drove me over a baggie of milk and just look at the payoff! So cool an effect! Thanks Jen!
The recipe is here. For the black bean soup, I used this recipe.

After I made the soup but before making the rest of the menu, there was a power failure so when Dag showed up for dinner, everything was cold and dark so we slogged the soup a few blocks away to his place and heated it back up. If only everything were done and hot when he showed up we could have eaten by candlelight and then played some cards while listening to the radio but I also could not locate 2 batteries I needed for that to happen. Power outages and thunderstorms and snowstorms are way too few and far between these days/around these parts.

cranberry, cherry, & walnut chutney

cranberry, cherry, & walnut chutney
Originally uploaded by jensect.

I made this cranberry dish for thanksgiving, but I think it is too good to only have once a year!


1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup port or other sweet red wine
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Orange rind strips (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add cherries, and cook 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts, grated rind, and extract. Garnish with orange rind strips, if desired. Cover and chill.
Yield 16 servings (serving size 1/4 cup)

This is excellent on turkey sandwiches, too.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs potatoes, peeled & quartered (about 15 medium sized potatoes)
6 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 Tbs margarine or butter

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until tender (about 20 minutes).

Drain & mash until there are no lumps. Add cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, pepper & egg whites. Blend well.

Spray a 9x13" casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Add potato mixture. Dot with margarine. cool slightly, cover & refrigerate up to 7 days.

Take out of refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered for 40 minutes or until steaming hot in the center.

Note: Alternately potatoes can be reheated in a crock pot. Take potatoes out of fridge about 3 1/2 hours before you plan to serve them. Place in slow-cooker. Dot with margarine or butter. Cook on low heat for 3 hours, stirring once or twice. They can be held an additional 30 minutes or more.

Note 2: We didn't do this, but I think these would be really awesome with some roasted garlic mashed in with the potatoes

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Originally uploaded by lesliegardner.

I have made this a lot in the past - it is so dang good. Now it's the main dish of my vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner.

Filling:
1 small butternut squash (1#)
1 med carrot, peeled, quartered & sliced
1/4# fresh mushrooms, diced (about 1-1/4C)
1/2C diced onion
2T vegetable oil
1/2C diced jicama
1 small granny smith apple
1/4C shelled sunflower seeds, chopped
1T white vinegar
1/2t salt
2T chopped fresh cilantro

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
2C water
1T vegetable bouillon
1/2t salt
1/2t ground cumin
1/2t minced garlic
2 canned chipotle chiles, chopped
3T New Mexican chile pwd
1T vegetable oil
1/2t dried oregano
1T minced onion
1T flour
3/4C creamy peanut butter

8-10 corn tortillas
1C grated cheddar cheese (4oz)
1C grated Monterey jack cheese (4oz)

Preheat oven to 400
To make filling:
cut squash in half & scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on a baking pan w/a little water; bake 1hr or until tender. (or microwave 6 min, turning once or until tender)
When cool enough to handle, scoop squash out of shell and set aside
in a large skillet, saute carrot, mushrooms and onion in the oil until the carrot is tender-crisp. Add the cooked squash, jicama, apple, sunflower seeds, vinegar, salt and cilantro; mix well and set aside while preparing sauce.

To make sauce:
In a med saucepan, combine water, veg. bouillon, salt, cumin, garlic, chiles and chili pwd. bring to a boil.
meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat oil over low heat. Add oregano and onion; saute until onion is soft. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 min.
Stir the onion mixture into the chile mixture. Bring to a boil and cook about 2 min; remove from heat and strain. Add peanut butter and stir until well-combined; set aside.

To assemble:
Heat a small amount of oil in a shallow skillet. Dip each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds to soften. lay softened tortillas on paper towels to drain. If you prefer, tortillas may be softened in the microwave; place 4-5 between two damp paper towels. Heat 45 sec. Fill these and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Place a spoonful of squash mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a lightly oiled 9x13" baking pan. pour sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle w/cheese.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 min, or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are hot in the center.

Now my list of "how I do it"s:
I add more squash
I double the sauce but reserve a small bowl for my saucier guests
I've used both New Mexican chile powder and the regular kind and I may be able to tell the difference side by side, but I think they both work fine.
Last time I tried microwaving the tortillas to soften and it's not only WAY easier and less messy, but of course adds fewer calories and fat to the recipe and I didn't notice a difference in taste or texture at all.
This year I had a request for sour cream, which had never occured to me, but everybody loved it.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cups tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 drops hot sauce
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. honey
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp. gound cumin
1/4 lb. black, pitted olives, sliced (one of the little cans works)
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans, mashed
8 soft corn tortillas
1/4 lb. Monterery Jack or cheddar chesse, grated

Heat oil and saute 2/3 of onions until translucent. Add tomatoes, sauce, 1/2 each of garlic, cayenne, hot sauce, chili powder, honey, salt and cumin. Simmer all uncovered for 30 minutes. Heat olive oil and saute remaing onion, garlic and olives until onions are translucent. Add remaining salt and beans (add sauce if mix is too sticky); stir will. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill each tortilla with 2 to 3 tablespoons filling and 1 tablespoon grated cheese. Roll up and put in baking pan. (You can also make layers with the filling, cheese and tortillas since the corn tortillas are so hard to roll). Cover with sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese and garnish with reserved olvies. bake until bubbling hot, about 30 minutes.

a small measure of organization

Hello lovely recipe people. I made a low-rent index for us so it will be easier to find a particular kind of recipe. For example, if one was having a cookie emergency (as one does), one could just look on the sidebar, click on desserts, and go to the list of all dessert recipes that have been uploaded. I apologize for the non-centeredness of the index on the sidebar, but I could not make it work. I'll keep trying, but I make no promises about my success.

edit:I forgot to say we'll keep updating the indexes as new recipes are added!

desserts (index)

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever
Sauteed Pear Parfaits
Silken Tofu Cheesecake

entrees (index)

French Toast Casserole
Sausage Egg Casserole
Chicken Sate Wraps
Green Chicken Curry
Pan Glazed Tofu with Thai Red Curry
Piquant Meatballs
Quick Tagine Style Chicken
Curried Chicken Penne with Fresh Mango
Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Chicken and Potato Bake
Buckwheat Noodles with Peanut Lime Sauce

salads (index)

Banana Lentil Salad
Killer Noodle Salad
Taco Salad
5 Vegetable Slaw
Pomegranate Pear Salad
Broccoli Salad
Avocado With Salmon Salsa
Buckwheat Noodles with Peanut Lime Sauce

side dishes (index)

Chili Roasted Potatoes
Potatoes Vinaigrette
Crazy Apple Beans
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Bleu Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin
Buckwheat Noodles with Peanut Lime Sauce

appetizers (index)

Eggplant Caponata
Roasted Figs
Avocado With Salmon Salsa

soups (index)

West African Chicken Peanut Soup
Galangal Chicken Soup
Vegan Soup Stock
White Bean Chili
Black & White Soup
Mediterranean Red Lentil and Spinach Stew
Apple and Parsnip Soup