Healthy and flavorful!

There’s a lot of foods that just don’t get proper respect here in the good ‘ole US of A. Way up on that list is the humble lentil. I rarely see it used except by chefs. It’s rare that I see a home pantry stocked with lentils. Most people either think that they are boring little flavorless things or they are maybe just too much work to be worth it.

Of course the reality is that lentils are freakin’ awesome.

They are packed with protein and have great flavor and texture (assuming you don’t overcook them). In the winter they are great in stews, but in the summer/fall you can use them with fresh veggies to make a huge variety of delicious salads.

Like this one!

Spicy Lentil Salad

Yield: Serves 4.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound dry green lentils, rinsed
1 pound fingerling or new potatoes, boiled
1/2 red onion, diced
1 English cucumber, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Cup radishes (about 8) sliced into matchsticks
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
1 Teaspoon smoky paprika
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper
1-2 jalapenos, minced (optional)
1 avocado, for garnish
Parsley, for garnish
Pita breads

Directions:

1) Rinse lentils in cold water. Fill large pot with 3 cups water for every cup of lentils. Bring to a simmer and simmer, covered, for 35-40 minutes until lentils are tender but not mushy.

2) Boil new potatoes in lightly salted water for 15 minutes until tender. Cool for a few minutes and dice.

3) Dice veggies and combine with potatoes.

4) Drain lentils and let cool for a few minutes. Mix lentils with veggies.

5) Drizzle in olive oil and spices. Optionally you can add some vinegar or mustard for some tang. Season with salt and pepper as well.

6) Serve with diced avocado and chopped parsley on pita bread.

Cooking the lentils

There are many varieties of lentils. In fact, it can be overwhelming. I’ve only ever cooked with a few of them but I do know that green lentils are my favorite for salads like this because they hold their shape and texture nicely.

In other words, they don’t get soggy.

They are also pretty cheap. A whole pound will set you back just a few bucks.

My favorite lentils...

Rinse the lentils quickly under cold water and then add 3 cups of water for every cup of lentils to a medium-large pot. Bring to a simmer and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes.

That’ll give you plenty of time to prep the other stuff for the salad.

Potatoes!

I was a bit worried about adding potatoes to this salad. I thought maybe it would be too starchy, but it actually worked out great.

I used these tiny fingerlings and just boiled them lightly for about 15 minutes until they were fork tender.

A sack of potatoes.

I didn’t use all of these potatoes (I think I used about a pound). I kept the leftovers and used them the next day for my smashed potatoes from this post!

Other veggies

I picked out some fresh looking other veggies that I thought would work nicely. Obviously you can have some liberties here. You could throw in carrots, celery, fennel, beets, or all kinds of other veggies. Just try to dice them roughly the same size so the salad has an even texture.

The color of the tomatoes is not important obv.

Here are my veggies diced up!

All diced up.

When your lentils are done drain them using a strainer or colander.

Try not to overcook them or they will get really mushy. These turned out about perfect.

Don't overcook these guys!

Before you add the lentils or the potatoes to the other veggies, let them cool for a few minutes. If you add them when they are too hot, they might wilt the veggies a bit which means they won’t be as crunchy. Crunchy is key for this recipe!

Last minute I decided to dice up a few radishes and toss them in also.

Great flavor and texture.

Mix everything together and drizzle in the olive oil and spices. You could add a bit of mustard for a tangy kick, but Betsy’s not a huge mustard fan so I usually leave it out.

All together now...

I served this on a pita with some diced avocado and chopped parsley. It was very filling, flavorful, and healthy!

On a pita is a good idea.

You can probably guess that this salad was actually a lot better after it sat for a day in the fridge. I had it for lunch a few days in a row and it was fantastic.

Make this while you can! Time is running out to find good fresh summer veggies!

This time just to kick it up a notch, I served it with some freshly made scallion flat bread.

Sorry for the steam...

This dish is fantastic because it’s fairly fast to make (especially if you opt-out on the flat bread), but it’s still packed with flavor and is very healthy. You could also call this dish a curried lentil dish, because it does have a lot of lentils, but in my mind the cauliflower and kale is kind of the star of the whole deal.

Plus I’m a big fan of recipe alliteration.

Curried Cauliflower and Kale

Yield: Serves 4.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour + plus bread rest time

Ingredients:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2 inch florets
1 bunch of kale, cut into ribbons, probably 2-3 cups
1/2 red onion, minced
1 1/2 Cups lentils
2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons curry powder (or to your tastes)
1/2 Tablespoon paprika (I like hot spanish paprika)
1/2 Tablespoon whole coriander seeds (lightly toasted and ground), or you can use ground coriander
Pinch of salt

Flat Bread Recipe (Recipe from Once Upon a Plate)
9 ounces (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Teaspoons sugar
1 Cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Scallions, diced (optional)

Helpful Equipment:
Pizza stone and peel (for the bread)

Directions:

1) For dough, combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add oil and then slowly add milk until dough comes together in a ball.

2) Knead it on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes until it is soft and smooth.

3) Add ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl and give it a turn to coat the ball. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for an hour or so.

4) Cut up the cauliflower (cut off all of the greens around the stalk and then just start working through the head of cauliflower, cutting off each floret evenly).

5) Cut the kale into small ribbons. Take each leaf of kale and, using a knife, cut out the center vein which is very hard, leaving two leaves which you can then cut into kale ribbons.

6) Once dough has rested, cut it into 5 even pieces.

7) Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven (if you have a broiler, use that).

8) Roll out each piece of dough until it’s very thin and then top it with some diced scallion. Slide the naan off peel and onto stone and let it cook for 3-5 minutes depending on your oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can bake these just on a normal sheet pan. They’ll still be good, but probably just not as crunchy on the exterior.
9) Cook lentils according to the package directions (Most likely this means adding 2 cups of water for every cup of lentils into a large pot and getting it boiling) adding spices half way through the cooking process.

10) Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pan and add cauliflower. Cook florets over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes until the florets start to brown a bit.

11) Add onions and cook them until they are translucent – probably another 5 minutes.

12) Add kale along with a pinch of salt. Cook this for just a few more minutes until the kale starts to wilt.

13) Add all veggies to the lentil pot and stir everything together and season with other spices.

14) Stir it well and let it sit for a minute or two just to let all the flavors mingle.

15) Serve it up next to the flat bread!

Starting the Flat Bread

Also known as naan, this stuff is usually made in a tandoori which is essentially a large clay pot that can get really hot. Unless you happen to have one of these guys laying around, your best bet is probably a pizza stone to get close to the right texture on the bread (crusty exterior while still moist on the inside).

The dough is really simple to make.

Basic stuff.

Start by combining your flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add your oil and then slowly add your milk until your dough comes together in a ball. Knead it on a lightly floured surface for about 8 minutes until it is soft and smooth.

Then add your ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl and give it a turn to coat the ball. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for an hour or so.

This needs time to rest.

Prepping the veggies

You only need a few veggies for this dish but each of them is very flavorful.

Good winter ingredients.

If you’ve never dismantled a head of cauliflower, it’s a lot like a huge mutant broccoli floret. First, cut off all of the greens around the stalk (you can save these for stock if you want) and then just start working through the head of cauliflower, cutting off each floret.

The most important thing is to make sure you have evenly sized pieces so they cook evenly. This will mean that you’ll have to half or quarter some florets and probably leave some of the smaller ones whole.

Mutant broccoli!

Onto the kale. Normally, I would steam kale, but I actually add it straight to this dish without precooking it. To make this easier, cut the kale into small ribbons.

Take each leaf of kale and, using a knife, cut out the center vein which is very hard, leaving two leaves which you can then cut into kale ribbons. This is the final spread of veggies.

Veggies prepped.

You’ll also need some spices obviously. I just used store bought curry powder, but if you wanted to go crazy you could definitely make your own. For the purposes of this dish, I thought the jarred spice worked great.

You could make your own curry if you are awesome.

Cooking the naan

Once your dough has rested, cut it into 5 even pieces. You could actually cut it into smaller pieces if you want. If you are feeding more than 4 though, I’d recommend doubling the recipe because this stuff is popular.

You could go smaller if you wanted.

Heat your pizza stone in a 500 degree oven. Actually heat it as hot as you can and if you have a broiler you could even use that to get higher heats like in the tandoori oven.

Roll out each piece of dough until it’s very thin and then top it with some diced scallion.

Nice.

Slide the naan off your peel and onto your stone and let it cook for 3-5 minutes depending on your oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can bake these just on a normal sheet pan. They’ll still be good, but probably just not as crunchy on the exterior.

Cooking the veggies

The first thing you want to do is start your lentils. Just cook them according to the directions on the package. Most likely this means adding 2 cups of water for every cup of lentils into a large pot and getting it boiling.

After doing this a few times though, I actually added a bit more liquid than recommended because you need to use a large pot so you can eventually combine all your ingredients and cooking the lentils in the larger pot makes the water evaporate faster.

Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pan and add your cauliflower. Cook your florets over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes until the florets start to brown a bit.

Then add your onions and cook them until they are translucent – probably another 5 minutes.

Finally add your kale along with a pinch of salt. Cook this for just a few more minutes until the kale starts to wilt.

Don't overcook the kale.

Adding the spices

The few times I’ve made this dish, I’ve tried adding my spices at various points either to the lentils or to the veggies. I think it’s easiest to add all the spices to the lentils as they cook. I add mine to the water about halfway through the cooking process. Then when the lentils are done cooking and are soft, add all your veggies to the lentil pot and stir everything together.

Stir it well and let it sit for a minute or two just to let all the flavors mingle. Then serve it up next to the flat bread!

Not the most colorful, but very tasty.

This is a pretty flexible meal. You could add different toppings to the flat bread (any kind of seed, cilantro, garlic, etc). You could add more or less spices depending on your preference. You could eat the curried veggies in a pita as a lunch sandwich.

This dish passed the Jeff Test which is the standard test I use for most vegetarian dishes. It’s pretty simple to see why: It’s healthy. It’s packed with flavor. And it’s reasonably fast if you can chop and cook at the same time. What more could you ask for in a winter dinner?!

One of my favorites was a version that uses chorizo sausage to give lots of flavor and spiciness to the dish. I don’t skimp on the veggies either!

Healthy and spicy!

There’s a few great things about this dish. First, it is very customizable. You can throw in almost any veggie under the sun. Potatoes, parsnips, tomatoes, leeks, carrots, and celery are just a few that I’ve added in the past. Feel free to experiment. It’s hard to go wrong. Just remember to keep the veggies pretty whole so they don’t get too mushy as they cook.

The second reason why I like this dish is because it’s really easy to freeze and thaw later for lunch or a quick dinner.

Macheesmo Lentils

Yield: Serves 6.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage (I used chorizo, but you could use Italian sausage or kielbasa or even bacon if you were so inclined)
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced thick
1 pound dried lentils (green or brown)
12 ounces spinach, washed and torn into pieces
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 Teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leave
1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
6 Cups liquid (I used 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water)

Directions:

1) Cut up the sausage. You can either cut the casing off the sausage and cook it that way or just chop the sausage into slices and brown them well. If you cut the casing off, you’ll have ground sausage throughout the finished dish. If you keep it whole you’ll have huge chunks of sausage.

2) In a large pot (that you’ll eventually cook the whole dish in), add a few Tablespoons olive oil and put it over medium-high heat.

3) Add sausage and cook it until it is cooked thoroughly and browned on all sides. Don’t throw the brown edges out or wash the pan!

4) Chop all the veggies really roughly.

5) Rinse the lentils under cold water to remove any dirt that’s on the little guys. And yes you want to use the whole pound.

6) Once the sausage is browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and quickly add all the veggies to the pan (except the spinach if you’re using it). The veggies will cook in the oil from the sausage! If it looks really dry, add another Tablespoon or two of olive oil.

7) Add whatever spices you are using. In this case I used thyme, red pepper flakes, and a bay leaf.

8) Let these veggies cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the lentils and stir for about thirty seconds to get the lentils warm and coated with all that delicious flavor.

9) Add the liquid. You can use any kind of stock you want or just water if you don’t have any good stock on hand.

10) Let this simmer for probably 20 minutes until the lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.

11) Stir in spinach in two or three batches.

12) Stir the sausage back into the mix and taste for salt and pepper. Serve it in a big bowl with a big spoon!

Cooking your sausage

The first thing you need to do is procure some fantastic sausage. This really adds the flavor to the dish so get some that’s spicy!

Spicy stuff!

You can either cut the casing off the sausage and cook it that way or just chop the sausage into slices and brown them well. It’s totally personal preference. Basically, if you cut the casing off, you’ll have ground sausage throughout your finished dish. If you keep it whole you’ll have huge chunks of sausage.

I went with the chunks for this version!

Casing or no casing is your choice.

The sausage is really easy to cook. In a large pot (that you’ll eventually cook the whole dish in), add a few Tablespoons olive oil and put it over medium-high heat. Then add your sausage and cook it until it is cooked thoroughly and browned on all sides.

Your sausage should give off plenty of oil and flavors and there might be bits of sausage stuck to the pan. That’s perfect. Whatever you do, don’t throw that out or wash the pan!

Other ingredients

While your sausage cooks (or before you start your sausage if you aren’t down with the multi-tasking), you need to prep a few other things.

Chop all your veggies really roughly. You want good chunks of veggies, not mush.

Go crazy with the veggies.

As far as the lentils go, you just need to rinse them under cold water to remove any dirt that’s on the little guys. And yes you want to use the whole pound.

Lentil city!

Cooking the lentils

Once your sausage is browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and quickly add all your veggies to the pan (except the spinach if you’re using it). The veggies will cook in the oil from the sausage! If it looks really dry, add another Tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Also add whatever spices you are using. In this case I used thyme, red pepper flakes, and a bay leaf.

This smells good!

Let these veggies cook for about 5 minutes. Then add your lentils and stir for about thirty seconds to get the lentils warm and coated with all that delicious flavor.

Then add your liquid! You can use any kind of stock you want or just water if you don’t have any good stock on hand. I used a mix of water and stock.

Let this simmer for probably 20 minutes until the lentils are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.

This makes a lot of food.

Finishing the dish

Add the very end of the dish, stir in your spinach in two or three batches. It should down almost immediately. Then stir your sausage back into the mix and taste for salt and pepper!

Serve it in a big bowl with a big spoon!

Spicy and tasty!

I loved this dish. Betsy said that she didn’t love the sausage and would have probably preferred the veggie version that Carolyn used to make. I couldn’t agree with her because it would mean that I would have to admit Carolyn could make better lentils than me. Seriously though, I think the sausage gives a lot needed spice to the dish.

So if you’re looking for a dish that honestly is pretty easy to make (total time is maybe 45 minutes) and keeps well and makes a lot, this is the dish for you. I think it’s perfect for a cool Autumn day!

In the last few weeks, there has been a shift in what looks the freshest in the farmer’s market stalls. You can see that it is fall because the squash, potatoes, and squashes are looking big and awesome. So I decided it would be a perfect day to make a large pot of veggie soup. This is a great thing to do on the weekend and is incredibly easy. In fact, I would say it is almost fail proof. An added benefit is that this meal has a very cheap $/meal cost.

First thing first: you need vegetables. Lots of them. And fresh ones. If you don’t have a farmer’s market or garden of course you can get these at the grocery, but spend some time picking up the freshest you can get. If the produce section of the supermarket scares the bejesus out of you, try referring to this guide for some tips on picking fresh produce.

This is what I ended up with:

Veggies - Lots of them.

This is like a photo hunt for vegetables. Can you find:

- Butternut squash
- Potatoes (2 kinds)
- Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Leeks
- Celery
- Corn
- Thyme

There is also some olive oil and homemade chicken stock in this photo which I will be using and some flour which I will not be using. I just forgot to move it. It wanted to join the party but didn’t get in the door. There is also some lentils which you cannot see because again, I’m a bad photographer.

Now for the hardest part of this veggie soup deal: chopping. Lots of chopping. I like to put “Chopping Broccoli” on repeat and just get into it. After like thirty minutes you end up with:

After much chopping.

I tried to split up the veggies in basic order of cooking. When cooking veggies for soup it is pretty basic as far as order goes. First, you want to put cook the mirepoix ingredients. I didn’t use a “traditional” mirepoix because I’m not French and I don’t really care. I used roughly equivalent portions (probably about 1-1 1/2 cups each) of carrots, celery, onions, and leeks. I also threw in some garlic for good measure.

As far as hardware goes, traditionally you want a soup pot which is taller than it is wide, but I didn’t have one of those so I just used old faithful. I let about 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil heat up and then sauteed those stage 1 veggies for just a few minutes until they start to sweat.

Second, you will want to throw in the things that take the longest to cook. This would include things like butternut squash, potatoes, pumpkin, or anything hard. Basically, if you bite into the ingredient and it hurts, you want to through it in now. We haven’t put any liquid in this pot yet. Just let the stage 2 ingredients mix up with the stage 1 ingredients. Just for a few minutes.

Now we are going to add our liquid. I used a half chicken stock and half water mixture. You could obviously use all of either or vegetable stock if you wanted to make a vegetarian soup as opposed to veggie soup. You need enough liquid to completely cover the ingredients. I probably ended up using about 8 – 10 cups. Give your pot a quick stir and bring this stuff up to a boil. This should cook for about 20 minutes once at a boil. Scoop out a potato and give it a test bite. Should be almost cooked through. I seasoned my soup at this stage with some salt and pepper. Just the basics.

At this point I added about 1/2 cup of lentils. As with any ingredients I used here, you could leave them out. These just need to cook for about 15 minutes.

Finally, you want to put in your soft veggies so they are still slightly crisp in the final product. For me this was just corn and tomatoes. They need to cook for just a few minutes. DONE. I tasted one final time and decides to add some dry basil and just a bit more salt. This was the final product.

This one bowl of soup added 3 years onto my life. More or less.

While this was sort of a long post, let me assure you this soup is almost impossible to break. As long as you have a basic sense of when to add ingredients you can throw in almost anything. I should also mention that while it might be a bit expensive for all of these ingredients, you will be able to feed an army. My girlfriend and I ate this for 4 dinners and 4 lunches. And I think I ate 1 gallon at each of those meals.

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