Posts filed under ‘Lentils’
It’s Soup Season!
Yes…it’s soup season! There is nothing better on a cool autumn day than some delicious steamy soup, paired with a crisp green salad, and warm bread. I was searching for a new soup recipe and found a goodie that I can’t wait to share with you. I’ve made it 3 or 4 times in the past month and it’s super easy.
I like it because it’s a “pantry soup”. It’s made with items that you normally have in your pantry or fridge anyway…making it a great “I have no idea what’s for supper” meal. The next day, I like to use the leftovers to something else. Last time, I added it to a stir-fry mixture with a little drizzle of Trader Joe’s yellow curry and it was delicious!
We like to top it with avocado, cilantro, raw goat cheese cheddar, brown rice…yes, I love toppings. Toppings are fun. They give soups a completely different texture and texture is good.
Lastly, here are a few of my favorite soups for the fall/winter:
Curried Split Pea
Sweet Potato, Squash, and Apple
Sweetcorn and Potato Chowder
Honey Baked Lentils (not technically soup, but it acts like one!)
Without further ado, here is is. You must make this. Yum.
Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Serves 4 (Matt and I had 2 helpings and Bella had 1).
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I’ve also used diced tomato or marinara sauce)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.
1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.
Recipe credit: New York Times
Lentil Dahl
So many of you responded positively to the Honey Baked Lentil post…so I thought I would post my other favorite lentil dish, Lentil Dahl. It’s taken from a wonderful cookbook, The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook: Whole Foods to Nourish Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women and their Families by Cathe Olson. It’s so flavorful, and I love it because it’s a “pantry” recipe. Everything is dry or canned except the onion, so it can be made at anytime…hopefully without a trip to the store.
1 cup lentils (I love red lentils, but any will do)
1/2 strip kombu (optional)
3 cups water
1 T oil or ghee
1 onion, diced
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t tumeric
1/4 t cumin
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup diced tomatoes (or 1 can)
1/2 t sea salt
Place lentils, kombu, and water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45-60 minutes or until lentils are tender. While lentils are cooking, heat skillet. Add oil or ghee, onion, chili powder, tumeric, cumin, and ginger. Saute 10 minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes. Pour cooked lentils and tomato mixture into food processor or blender and pulse to puree, leaving some texture. Serve with millet, quinoa, or brown rice and/or flatbread.
Honey Baked Lentils
I found this recipe on the Mothering forums…but there are lots of variations elsewhere. I was looking for a great recipe to use up my red lentils, and I FOUND IT! I am in love with this recipe and I will definitely be making it a lot this winter. It’s really, really inexpensive…especially if you are buying your lentils in bulk. I love that it’s a “one-pot” recipe. I just threw all of this into my stoneware loaf pan, covered it in foil, and poof! Time to eat.
1 cup lentils (I use red)
2 cups water
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp gluten free tamari
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
salt & pepper to taste
Bake in a covered dish at 350 until tender (about an hour and a half).
You could also substitute 1/3 cup of rice or barley for some of the lentils…and add whatever “winter” vegetables you have on hand. When I made it, I used squash and potatoes. It was delicious.
We ate this as a soup, but it could also be eaten over brown rice or quinoa, or on some flatbread. We eat it as the main dish, but it would be a great side dish as well. Can’t wait to make this again!
Happy Foody 