Italian Lentil Soup

You're moving this weekend with your parents here to help, and we're on the move this weekend with family and plans in the mix, so soup seems the right gig for both of us.  Soup.  A pot that blends a little of this and a little of that and a little magic and a very little time and suddenly you have a bowl of goodness that settles nicely in your tummy and mirrors what it's like to feel at home.  At Home.  Home.  That third floor condo has been your home for so long...you brought both kids home there, you figured out how to be a mom there, you turned 40 there, you have moved through really hard things there...it has been your place, your space, your classroom, your landing pad.  You've hoped there, you've worried there, you've loved there, you've dreamed there, you've cried and laughed and ranted and celebrated there.  You've been near the bottom there and incredibly alive there....sometimes all in the same moment.  And now you have a new one, a new home.  And I'm so excited for you.  The yard, the guest room, the light....it all feels so linked to aspects of your life that are opening in different ways.  You and Lucas are deeply good, kind, thoughtful, and textured people.  Being friends with each of you has been one of the greatest joys of my life, a surprise I didn't know I was looking for.  So until I'm actually there (soon!) today I toast your new home from mine.  And I do so with a spoonful of broth and the nutritive health of the lentil.

I love lentils, and I wanted to test drive a new recipe before a group next weekend so I tried it out an hour ago and OMG.  The source is linked below but here's the easy version.  I love this, it'll become a staple in my house.  I think you & L will both like it.  As for our kids?  Well, your kids might need to grow into it.  Mine will take some time for sure....lentils aren't high on the list but I think with this they'll move up in the ranks....especially with enough parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Here goes:

• Pour 4 T olive oil in a pot & cook a chopped onion till translucent, maybe beginning to brown.
• Add 2 large carrots & 3 celery sticks chopped, and cook 5 minutes
• Add 3 cloves garlic minced and cook a minute
• Add 1/2 c white wine (water is fine) and bubble for a minute

Add the following:

• 3 red potatoes, diced into small chunks
• 1 c dry lentils (brown or red, rinsed and any stones/debris discarded)
• 1 c crushed tomatoes (canned)
• 2 T roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 1 T dried basil
• 1 t dried dill
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 6 c chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c water

Simmer 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft.  When you serve it into bowls, garnish with sautéed mushrooms, parmesan cheese, a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for richness, and crunchy croutons.

Done.

Note:  When I make soup involving lentils I usually let everything simmer for a half hour then add Trader Joe's vacuum-packed, pre-cooked lentils.  Today I started with dry so I could follow this recipe to a 'T' and use organic lentils.  They're so easy -- unlike dried beans, there's no soaking required.  It always says to rinse and remove stones, but I've really never found any to remove.  SO:  either is fine.  Use whatever is easiest for you.

If you've never sautéed mushrooms the secret is to not crowd them in your pan.  BUT unless I'm worried about impressing someone with my mushrooms, I tend to crowd them and do it fast -- quarter instead of slice, and put the lid on a med-high pan so they steam more than saute.

If you want to make your own croutons I'll show you how in person.  They'll change your life but describing it online is impossible.  At least for me.  Because I have to taste the smoke as they go.  :)

Source:  http://www.theharvestkitchen.com/italian-lentil-soup/#_a5y_p=6177064

Butternut Squash, Corn & Lemongrass Soup

Several years ago I gave into a checkout line impulse and bought the holiday edition of Gourmet magazine.  Over the years it has been a trusty companion.  Salads, desserts, soups, appetizers, meats, sauces, planning tips....it never lets me down and has made many appearances at gatherings across the seasons.  This soup is in that magazine.  It was supposed to be for J's family's visit this weekend but due to last minute plan changes it ended up being for the three of us plus a friend.  And it was perfect.  Easy to make, basic and minimal ingredients, a pop of flavor, inexpensive, and even my 3 year old liked it!  I'm not normally a big squash fan but last year I made an amazing butternut squash soup (click here) for a big party and got hooked on roasting & freezing (in Ziploc bags) butternut squash to pull out later (even weeks later) for last minute soup or just a dinner dish.  Stir a little brown sugar & cinnamon in and you've got a holiday meal on a random rainy Thursday.  The below soup is even simpler than the one I made last year and takes less flavor tweaking.  Here you go:

Saute in a large pot over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened & maybe starting to caramelize:

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 t salt
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 6" fresh lemongrass stalk (see note below)

Add to the pot & bring to a boil:

• 5 c water
• 2 1/2 c frozen corn kernels
• Butternut squash (see note below)

Season with salt & pepper as needed.  Serve hot (there's very little fat so it looses heat quickly) and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

Lemongrass notes:

If you buy a full stalk, trim the end leaving about 6" stalk, and discard 1 or 2 outer layers.  OR buy it pre-trimmed at the grocery store in the pre-packaged refrigerated herb area.  Either way, just whack the stalk with the back/dull edge of a knife to split open a bit & throw whole stalk in the pot & remove before serving.

Squash notes:

The recipe calls for 4 cups of raw, cubed squash.  You throw it in the pot with the corn & water & boil for about 10-20 minutes til it's tender then puree.  You can buy pre-cubed squash at the store (about 2 lbs for 4 cups cubed).  If you buy a whole one to cut into cubes and boil use a peeler to remove the exterior, then slice into rounds & remove seeds/strings.

BUT:  I prefer starting with roasted squash because it reduces steam in my kitchen, requires no puree-ing (unless you want it velvety smooth) plus it's easier for me....I set a timer & forget about it while we do laundry.  Or whatever.  I bought a 5 lb squash, cut it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds/strings, set it on a foil-covered cookie sheet (and set foil on top to catch steam), and roasted it at 425 for about an hour.  Then I scooped out the roasted flesh & had about 5 cups.  I used all of it even though it was more than the recipe called for.

Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots

I hate raw carrots.  Really.  And one of my strongest childhood memories is of my grandparents making carrot juice and their whole house smelling like carrots.  I don't like them in salads, pick them off of pad thai, can't stand coleslaw at all, refuse them heartily even with a dip or hummus or peanut butter.  There's gotta be a Dr. Seuss story in here.  I can tolerate them cooked in some things (like they're ok sometimes (if small and not mushy or hard) in soup, and I love nut-free (and that's a mission critical part) carrot cake...) but raw: just.can't.stand them.  And that goes for other orange vegetables too -- sweet potatoes, peppers, squash, pumpkin.  Some of the fruits are great....peaches, apricots, mangos, those little yellow orangey tomatoes.  Persimmon & papaya if I have to.  But in order to eat the orange vegetable category I have to track down recipes that are truly spectacular.

This one is.

I was gonna make them for dinner on Tuesday but decided against it for some reason.  However, I'd already made the glaze that morning so I just prepped the carrots, tossed the glaze, and dropped it all in a plastic dish with a lid & left them on the counter for 2 days.  Cooked them for lunch today.  Perfection. 

Moral of the story:  put this dish together when you have a few minutes and just leave it on your countertop to cook sometime that week.  You'll have a veggie side with no work beyond turning on your oven.  I'm pretty sure they'd be good as leftovers.  Also pretty sure you could do this with turnips or parsnips.  If you topped it with a few chopped pecans you'd have a holiday side dish.  Or simply extra protein.  If you like pecans.  Which I don't.  Unless it's pecan pie or they've been sugared first.  :)  So I won't do that, but you could.

You can see it at the link here but the basics are below.  It's really, really easy and if I like it I'm pretty sure you and even your kids will.

Stir together in a bowl:

• 1/4 c apricot or peach preserves/jam
• 2 T honey
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T butter, melted
• 1 t balsamic vinegar
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t ground mustard (if you don't have it don't bother buying it)
• 1/4 t thyme leaves
• 1/8 t ground cumin
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/8 t pepper

Then toss in 2 lbs carrots, peeled & ends chopped off, quartered the long way so they look like carrot sticks.  If you don't wanna peel carrots just use those little baby carrots.  More expensive but zero prep.

Cover a baking sheet with foil & lightly coat it with cooking spray.  The reason for the foil is simply that the glaze can blacken & burn and the clean up is a heck of a lot easier with foil.

Spread carrots in 1 layer on the pan with the sauce all over them.  Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Give them a little toss around 15 minutes.  Poke with a fork to check tenderness.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Blueberries.  Is there a more wonderful, kid-friendly fruit?!  I found this cookbook at the library and brought it home.  I'm tempted to buy it, there are so many recipes I love.  This is one of them.  We adore blueberries in our house and if breakfast comes in cake form....well, who can argue with that?!

The recipe calls for an 8x8 square pan but I threw mine out a while ago and haven't replaced it so I used a round cake pan instead.  If you use a larger pan than that it would be fine but with a thinner layer you'd just need to track with the baking time...anywhere from 5-8 minutes less probably.  I have fresh blueberries in the fridge but used frozen ones for this recipe - just threw them in the microwave for 45 seconds to take the chill off. 

Total breakfast success.  100% delish.  And if we'd had more time (or company overnight) I'd serve with yogurt or scrambled eggs and bacon.  And pretty healthy -- high fiber blend of whole grain wheat & oats with antioxidant-rich blueberries.  Your kids will think they're eating dessert!

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c plain yogurt
3 T butter, melted (I only had 2T so added 1T canola oil)

In a separate bowl blend these together:

1/2 c oat flour (didn't have this so threw some oatmeal in a food processor til almost powdery)
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sugar (although I think 1/4-1/3c would do)
4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Then:

• Toss the dry into the wet & stir til just blended (not too much)
• Add 1 1/2 c blueberries & gently fold them in.
• Spread into a greased (I use cooking spray) 8x8 pan (see my note) then sprinkle with a little cinnamon & sugar on the top....I think I used maybe 1/2 t of sugar....pinch between my fingers & sprinkled over the top.
• Bake at 400 for 25 minutes (may take a few extra minutes to pass the toothpick test).

Note:  Recipe calls for 2T chopped walnuts on top too...I'm allergic to walnuts & couldn't come up with many foods I more intensely dislike the taste of but it would add a protein boost if you like them.  Almonds would be a great alternative.  If you go that route, a little lemon zest in the batter would be fantastic.  And speaking of alternatives....instead of blueberries....raspberries, blackberries, chopped peaches or apricots or pears....all of those would be great.

Source:  Cancer Wellness Cookbook, Kimberly Mathai (2014)

Mexican Quinoa Bake

So this one made it into our weekly dinner rotation.

I didn’t even have a dinner rotation until a few weeks ago when I started making this every Thursday & suddenly realized what was happening.  It was revolutionary.   Ok, it wasn't.  But it was so awesome to find something I wanted for dinner every week that's healthy & creates leftovers & is super easy.  I might go so far as to create a lunch rotation too.  This recipe, on chopped romaine with avocado.  Every day.  Chopped olives & tomatoes if I have ‘em on hand.  Which I usually do. 

Anyway, I’m providing the link cuz the pictures are pretty.  But the below version is really all you need to know.

Stir together in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes:

·         1 ½ c uncooked quinoa (don’t even need to rinse it; at least, I don't rinse it for this)

·         1 can black beans, rinsed & drained

·         1 ½ c salsa

·         1 ½ c chicken broth (water works if you’re out of broth, in which case add ½ t salt)

·         1-2 cloves garlic, mashed & chopped to smithereens (or use powdered in the next step)

·         ¾ c shredded pepper jack

While that’s baking:

In olive oil, saute an onion & whatever colors of peppers you want til you’re happy.  I wouldn't chop them up too much....slice into rings or half rings like you would for fajitas.  You certainly could skip cooking them if you don’t want to, although I think the texture & flavor is better when they’re cooked.  Granted, that’s partly cuz I don’t really like peppers much.  Even just 5 minutes in the pan will put them (me) in a better mood than if they’re raw.  (I did learn a cool trick a few years ago though – when you’re buying them, look at the bottom of the pepper.  3 bumps = better for cooking, 4 bumps = better for raw eating.  More bumps = sweeter pepper.  Who knew?!? Not me!  Actually, I'm not even sure if it's true.  But it's fun to try in the store, makes me look like I really know how to shop for peppers!

Either way, after cooking or if raw, toss them with about a tablespoon of mixed taco seasonings (I use chili powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin; and I use garlic powder if I didn’t feel like doing fresh garlic in the first part of the recipe).

When the timer rings:

·         Stir the spiced up pepper-onion blend into the hot quinoa/beans

·         Stir another ¾ c of shredded pepper jack

·         Add about ½ c more broth/water and stir it in well

Set the timer for another 30 minutes.  Go dance for a while.

Serve with chips, tortillas if you want.  I usually just serve it with my favorite taco toppings:  shredded iceberg or thinly sliced romaine, chopped tomatoes & olives, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, jalapenos.  Lime & tequila optional.  Well, kind of optional.  It depends on the day...

When you add the peppers, you could add leftover steak or shredded chicken or fish or more black beans.  Or frozen corn -- kiddo liked that a lot.  I even thought about finely chopping up kale or spinach & stirring it in -- if the pieces are small enough the kiddo wouldn't ever know the difference, especially if it's with kale.  Or even a sweet potato cut into really small pieces to help cook quickly.  Basically, you can hide all kinds of nutritious stuff in this.  Even from yourself!  :)

If you want to add chicken & don’t already have some here are a couple ways:

• Buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, remove the meat & tear into pieces (sort of a gross process but highly effective), and stir in with the peppers & spices.

• Cut chicken breast into pieces, toss with spices, cook with a little olive oil for 5-8 minutes (til mostly cooked).  Stir into the hot bean-quinoa mixture when you add the peppers.

• OR: the easy version: buy chicken thigh meat pieces (plastic bag in the freezer section) – defrost briefly in the microwave, toss with spices & pan-cook for 5 minutes then stir in with the peppers.  SO much faster than dealing with chicken breasts and it won’t dry out.

Source:  http://pinchofyum.com/easy-mexican-chicken-quinoa-casserole

Ginger & Cilantro Baked Tilapia

I stumbled across this recipe a few years ago and have never looked back. It's fast, tasty, really easy. The hardest part is chopping ginger, but you can buy that in a jar. Same with garlic, although I don't recommend it. If you have a microplane grater (aka zester) both can be easily grated instead of chopped. Which makes the hardest part keeping your fingers in one piece. But it's a handy tool. Especially because my favorite way to cook rice for this meal is in coconut milk with freshly grated lime zest. It's truly a glorious thing to do with white rice! One note...I can't stand gelatinous anything so I always bake it longer.

Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia
Serves 2

1 lb tilapia fillets or other thin fish fillet
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
1" piece fresh ginger, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
1 jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped (optional)
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup white wine
2 T soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
1 t sesame oil
Scallions, chopped for garnish
Extra cilantro, to garnish

Heat the oven to 475°F. Pat the fish dry, season lightly with salt and pepper, and lay in a 9x9-inch or 8x8-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.

Combine the garlic, grated ginger, chopped jalapeño, cilantro, white wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small food processor. Process until blended. (Alternately, you can finely chop or mash the garlic, ginger, jalapeño and cilantro in a mortar and pestle, then whisk together with the liquid ingredients.)

Pour the sauce over the fish, rubbing it in a little. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through. It will be very moist and even a little gelatinous still.

Serve immediately over brown rice or orzo, garnished with the additional scallions and cilantro.

Source:  http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-ginger-cilantro-sesame-baked-tilapia-fish-weeknigh-dinner-recipes-from-the-kitchn-24737?crlt.pid=camp.NfYZifTvo4hD

Ree Drummond's Chili

My grandfather was born on a windy, desolate NE Montana homestead on October 16, 1913 near the town of Plentywood.  He didn't weigh much over 4 lbs and my great-grandmother placed him in a shoebox on the warming oven.  He was one of 8 children and outlived all but one sister.  Five of them died during a 1-year period last year.  They're a tenacious, stubborn lot.  During his lifetime he did everything from building roads for the CCC to farming to wheat inspection to furniture sales to owning a service station to managing rentals.  He tamed and drove horses, animals he deeply respected and appreciated, the work a joy he talked about throughout his life.  At the hardware store in town he bought his mother a gas-powered washing machine with his first CCC paycheck.  He married a girl from Wildrose, North Dakota who hailed from a quiet line of Swedish immigrants.  Their life together brought 6 children into the world including my dad.  They made numerous cross-country moves between the Montana and North Dakota prairies and his brother's Skagit County strawberry farms, where high water floods were the norm and he nearly died from asthma.  In the 1950s they settled in Walla Walla and never left.  Five years after Grandma died he remarried and embarked on a much more relaxed 34-year marriage.  He loved to garden and attributed his long life to garlic.  The day my I took my soon-to-be-husband out to meet them, my grandmother met us at the door and said, "Let me run get George, he's out back digging an irrigation ditch."  He was 89 years old.  He died on his 101st birthday.


At his funeral, my Dad shared stories about Grandpa.  It was the best part of the funeral....stories about a man, told by his son.  The son who had watched the old man's life longer than any other person in the room.  Who knew what made the man tick and honored his wishes even when inconvenient.  Who along with his own wife visited him at least twice daily in his last several years and cared for him literally around the clock in the last weeks of his life.  The stories Dad shared shone through the lens of 5 themes he believed made up the ethic Grandpa lived by:  focus, hard work, tenacity, excellence, kindness.  I have never thought my Dad was much like my grandfather because they're vastly different in some very specific ways and while I loved my grandfather I wasn't especially close to him.  My Dad was much warmer, available, fun.  But I can definitely see now, and appreciate, how the natural inclinations of my Dad's heart and mind were nurtured by the personality and ways of his own dad.  I see those traits flow in my Dad, even glimmers in my own boy's young life.  Where I see inklings of those qualities in me, I will rejoice evermore deeply for the sense of connection and line that I am part of.  We never fall far from the tree.  Even when we don't know it.


I'm quite certain Grandpa never ate this chili -- I don't think I ever saw him eat a kidney bean in any form, but to get this recipe he or my grandmother would've had to have accessed the internet, and while she's ok with email, I'm pretty sure he never touched a keyboard in his whole life.  But my sister and I made it for the family gathering held at her house the night after his funeral.  We did it as part of a baked potato bar but it's great with cornbread or tortilla chips.  It is hands down the best chili I have ever had or made.  You can make it a day or two ahead, it'll keep fine in the fridge.  We re-heated it in a crockpot.  I admit that in the flurry of activity that morning I grabbed the paprika instead of the chili powder but with some serious tweaking later it worked out just fine.  You won't do that because you'll be paying at least a modicum of attention and that's about all you need.  The most labor-intensive part of the whole recipe is chopping garlic.  The rest of it's pretty much dump and pour.  I recommend adding canned crushed tomatoes.


Here's the link to the recipe.  Cheers to grandfathers!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/simple-perfect-chili-recipe.html