Red Lentil Coconut Soup

I made this recipe at least two months ago and am finally posting it...fail. I had never cooked with coconut milk, but I found it easily at Trader Joe's and it was very tasty. Unfortunately I had to get a big carton of it, and throw a lot away, but hey, what can you do. This could be a good recipe to go back to when New England actually goes back to almost-normal March weather next week...


2 cups red split lentils
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper diced
1 fresh jalapeno or serrano chili, finely chopped, including seeds
1 tablespoon fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup tomato paste
7 cups water
1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving


Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan and add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables have softened and start to take on some color. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture is toasty and fragrant. Add the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes adding the lime juice at the end of cooking. Taste and adjust with more salt or more lime juice if desired. Serve the soup topped with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and some extra limes on the side.



Original recipe here

Quinoa and Sweet Potatoes

I unfortunately only got a blurry picture of this one, but it still looks pretty all the same. I used a quinoa mix I got at Trader Joe's - that's why there's some multi-colored grains going on in there. I didn't have currants or scallions, so I left those out, but they would probably be a nice for additional flavor (without them, I felt like I was lacking a spice or something). Definitely an easy recipe and good for lunches! I'm beginning to think I need to cook through the Moosewood cookbook, since every recipe I've made from it has been awesome....


Basic recipe:
3/4 cup quinoa
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups diced, peeled sweet potatoes
1 2/3 cups water

Moosewood's favorite elaboration:
2 cups lightly packed finely chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup currants
1 tbsp minced scallions
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper


Rinse and drain the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer to remove any residue of the grains' bitter coating.

Warm the oil in a covered saucepan. Add the onions and salt and cook on low heat, stirring now and then, until the onions are transparent, about 8 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, water, and drained quinoa, cover, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat. Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare Moosewood's favorite elaboration, just before removing from the heat, stir in the spinach, pine nuts, currants, scallions, and lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chickpea Vegetable Soup With Parmesan and Rosemary

It's almost the end of soup season! I bought ingredients for this soup and then the weather went up to 70 degrees....madness. This soup is really delicious though - even when it's cold, so it's not a bad choice even with the wonky weather. I made a few changes to the original recipe based on what I had/found at the grocery store - this might have actually been better with dried chickpeas, but Market Basket failed me!

1 whole clove
1/2 onion, sliced root to stem so it stays intact, peeled
1 28 ounce can chickpeas
1 teaspoon (approximately) rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 dried bay leaves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 small Parmesan rind
1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Insert the clove into the onion. Put the onion in a large pot with the chickpeas, rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, salt and cheese rind. Add 5 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about an hour.

Add the tomatoes, carrots, and pepper, cover loosely, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 25 minutes longer.

Original recipe here

Happiness.

Everyone has their own vision of happiness. This is mine. Friends, food, and wine can't be beat.

Just six days after moving into my new apartment I hosted my first ever dinner party. I've had other dinner parties/get-togethers but this was my first solo mission. In my own place.

The menu included french bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, eggplant and goat cheese sandwiches with tomato sauce, green beans, and an assortment of tasty desserts that a friend brought.

Though the recipe turned out well in the end, I won't ever use a new recipe for a dinner party again. I thought it seemed pretty simple and since my sister had done it before I'd be fine - but it took a lot longer than I expected and I didn't want to leave people hungry!! That said, this recipe is absolutely delicious - just try it on a day you're not trying to impress.


Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Sauce
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups fresh or canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 28-ounce can)
1- 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used plain Panko)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggplants, peeled and cut to make sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices in all
4 eggs, beaten to mix
Cooking oil, for frying
1/2 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, cut into 8 rounds

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs and then in the bread-crumb mixture, coating well. In a large frying pan, heat about half an inch of cooking oil over moderate heat until very hot. Fry the eggplant in the hot oil, in batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put a slice of goat cheese on top of each and then top with the remaining eggplant slices. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Put the sauce on plates and top with the eggplant.


Notes: I used plain Panko, but the only ones I could find at the store were "Japanese style." Not really sure what that meant, except that they were crispier than regular breadcrumbs. I'd stick with the regular Panko. Also, though the recipe says to use moderate heat for the oil, I had to turn the heat up to high to get my oil hot enough to fry the eggplants. I had six people eating, so I bought three eggplants and multiplied the rest of the ingredients by 1.5; I didn't do this for the sauce, though, and it was enough.


Original recipe here