Since I have been eating less meat these days I am always looking for ways of getting protein into my diet. Lentils are a great protein source but a girl can only eat so much lentil soup. I like this recipe because you can snack on it with pita bread, or use it in a vegie sandwich, use it as a dip with fresh vegies, or use it as part of a meal as a side. I toasted some multi grain bread and spread it with the lentil puree, then topped it with the greek yogurt and cilantro. Seriously, I could live on bread alone!
Ingredients:
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomatoe paste
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp ground coriander
Greek yogurt
Cilantro
In small stock pot combine lentils, broth, tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft and all the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer the mixture to a food processer, add the coriander, and puree until smooth.
Garnish with greek yogurt and fresh chopped cilantro.
This recipe makes 2 cups. One serving is 1/2 cup. Each serving contains 11 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein.
It's a hot summer day.......you've been working around the house......you're hot and tired........you finally sit down for a break. Grab this out of your freezer and feel all that tension leave your body. Taste the sweetness of the fruit as it slides down your throat. Oh yes! A little moment of heaven.
Ingredients:
1 large cantaloupe
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
Cut the cantaloupe into chucks and put in food processor. Add the honey, orange juice, lemon juice and puree until smooth. Add more honey if you want it sweeter. Chill the puree in the frig for at least one hour. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufactures directions. Store in plastic container in the freezer.
Don't let the simplicity of this soup fool you. It is full of corn flavor. You can kick it up a notch by using the cobs. I give you the info at the end of this post.
Fresh summer corn. I could eat it everyday. It is so sweet, and with a little butter and salt, oh my. So simple and so good. But I digress. Back to the soup.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
One small onion, diced
2 cups water
4 ears fresh corn
1/2 cup grated potato
Salt
1/2 to 1 cup Milk, or other milk like product
Shuck the corn, remove the silk, and slice off the kernels. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the onions. Cook the onions over low heat until soft, but do not brown. Add the grated potato, water, corn and salt and cook 10 minutes or until corn and potato are cooked through. Cool briefly. Puree 2/3 of soup in blender then add back to the pan. You want the soup to be smooth but still have some whole kernels. Heat through on low heat, add some milk to desired consistency, do not allow to boil. Add salt to taste. Serve hot.
The grated potato will help make the soup richer and thicker.
If want more potato in the soup, cut up one potato into small 1/2 inch cubes. Boil in hot salted water in a separate pot. When potatoes are done, drain, then add to soup. Cooking time will be about 10 minutes.
You can also add herbs to this dish; parsley, basil, tarragon, chives, or dill. Take your pick.
I have to say that I like it plain. It's summer in a bowl.
If you want even more flavor, but a little more work, you can kick it up a notch. Take the cobs and put them into 2 cups of water and allow them to simmer away for about 15 minutes. Then remove the cobs and discard and use that water for your soup. There is so much flavor in those cobs, might as well extract as much as possible.
Every year I wait for the heirloom tomatoes to come into season. I don't know about you but I think the only way to get a good tomato is from your local grower, or grow them yourself if you have the room. Those tomatoes they sell in the supermarket year round are not tomatoes, they only look like tomatoes. They have no flavor and the consistency is all wrong. Go to the farmers market and buy fresh locally grown tomatoes and then you will know what a real tomato tastes like. I can eat them every day, and do, because I want to get my fill while they are in season. One of the best ways to use them up is to make tomato sandwiches. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Any time of day is good for a tomato sandwich. And since I made the basil mayo they are tomatoes on steroids.
Ingredients:
Multi grain bread, or any good quality bread, slightly toasted
Basil Mayonnaise (see previous recipe on blog)
Sliced heirloom tomato
Very good quality olive oil
Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Toast your bread slightly. Smear with basil mayo. Top with a nice thick slice of heirloom tomato. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Open wide! I hope you get hooked on them just like I did.
I can't take credit for this. This recipe is from Ina Garten. That woman has some of the best recipes for basic everyday cooking but with a little twist. I have made many of her recipes and they always work.
I made this basil mayo recently because we are eating grilled vegie sandwiches and I thought they would be so much better than using plain ol' mayo. Oh yeah! The recipe makes 2 cups which is too much for us to eat so I cut it in half. 1 cup is plenty for 2 people and it will last a few weeks in the refrig. Besides sandwiches you can use this as a dip with raw vegies. You could also use it with meat. Use it for anything you use mayo for only kicked up a notch. How about potato salad? Or a tomato sandwich? Yum!
Ingredients:
2 egg yolks, room temperature
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
In a food processor: add the egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With the motor running slowly pour the oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until emulsified. Add the basil and process until finely pureed. Put into a seal container and store in the refrig.
Now that I have spoiled by husband with this he says he never wants to eat regular mayonnaise again!
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