Tag: lentils

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Lentil, Barley, and Kale Soup (Meatless Monday)

Lentils, a member of the legume family, should be a staple in everyone’s cupboard–especially for you vegans and vegetarians. These little earthy pillows are an excellent source of plant-based protein and have a lot of the vitamins and minerals that meat-abstainers often miss in their diet. A one-cup serving of lentils has only 230 calories, 16g of dietary fiber, 18g of protein, and 37% of the recommended daily intake for iron. This high soluble fiber content helps lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels.

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Beyond the vast health benefits, lentils are cheap, easy to cook, and store forever. If you’re at a loss for what to do with them (aside from this recipe), check out the New York Times’ Martha Rose Shulman for some great ideas .

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Lentil, Barley, and Kale Soup

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 tbs vegan buttery spread (I like Earth Balance’s Soy-Free Buttery Spread)
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup French lentils
  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • Juice of 1 lemon, plus 4 long strips of the peel
  • 2 1/2 cartons of reduced sodium vegetable broth
  • 3 cups kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese if you opting for a non-vegan version)
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill

How to Make It:

  1. Add buttery spread (or real butter if you aren’t vegan), olive oil, onions and a pinch of salt to a slow-cooker and cover on high for 45min.
  2. Add garlic, turmeric, pepper, cayenne, and toasted sesame seeds (crushing them between your fingers as you sprinkle them in) and cook for another 15min on high.
  3. Add lentils, pearled barley, broth, lemon juice and strips of peel (you’ll remove these at the end).
  4. Layer 3 cups of chopped kale on top but don’t mix it in. Cover and turn to Low for 3-5 more hours.
  5. Turn off your slow-cooker. Remove lemon peels and adjust for seasoning to taste. Stop here if you plan to freeze half and save for later.
  6. When you are ready to serve, add nutritional yeast (or parmesan) and fresh dill to taste.

Serve this with a slice of my Saffron Fennel Bread for a hearty weeknight supper or an easy-to-pack work lunch.

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Food Allergy-Friendly Dinner Party

Times have changed and now it seems that almost everyone I know has a food allergy or sensitivity of sorts. Personally, I’m a card-carrying lactard. Despite my handicap, I’d still call myself a foodie – I just have to work harder on occasion! Due to my dietary shortcomings, all of the recipes on my blog are dairy-free, many are vegan, and from time-to-time they’re also gluten-free. The recipes below fall under all three categories and, as always, involve ingredients thoughtfully selected to boost your immune system and improve your overall health. Some of the nutritional rockstars in these recipes include:

Ginger: alleviates menstrual cramps; relieves an upset stomach; and has many other natural beauty and homeopathic applications

Coconut Milk: vitamins C, E and many of the metabolism-friendly Bs; magnesium, phosphorous, iron and potassium; may help combat heart disease and age-related diseases because of its high antioxidant content (for more info click here)

Garbanzo Bean Flour: see my post on Sweetly Salted Nut Butter Power Cookies

Turmeric: may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, melanoma  and many other kinds of cancer; is a natural liver detoxifier (aka a hangover must); and may even play a role in fat metabolism. Need more convincing? Here’s a list of 20 benefits of this superspice.

THE MENU

Starter: Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad w/ Pine Nuts

Entrée: Red Lentil Coconut Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach, served with Thyme-Infused Garbanzo Bean Flat Bread

Dessert: fresh seasonal fruit topped with shredded unsweetened coconut and dark chocolate bits

Wine Pairing: Vouvray or your favorite white wine

I wrote a blog on the first recipe earlier this week – click on the link above for details. As for the entrée, keep on reading.

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Red Lentil Coconut Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach

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What You’ll Need:

  • 2 cups red lentils, well washed
  • 1 tbs coconut oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes w/ juice
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 bag spinach
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (to garnish)

How to Make It:

  1. In a large skillet, sauté onions in coconut oil until soft. Add garlic, turmeric, cumin, ginger, cayenne and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for 1-2 min until aromatic. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil, breaking up any large chunks as you stir.
  2. Add carrots, lentils, coconut milk and broth to your slow cooker. Spoon skillet mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in lemon juice and spinach leaves and continue cooking on high for last 20 min.
  3. Just after adding the spinach, in a medium skillet, sauté shallots in 1 tsp of coconut oil and a pinch of seas salt over medium heat for 3 min. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook for 2 min at medium heat then turn heat to low and cook another 8-10 min until tender and golden brown.
  4. Spoon soup into bowls and top with 1 tbs of thinly sliced green onions and 2 tbs of sautéed shiitake mushrooms.

Thyme-Infused Garbanzo Bean Flat Bread

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What You’ll Need:

  • 1 1/3 cups garbanzo bean flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbs dried thyme
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbs olive oil

How to Make It:

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and thyme. Slowly whisk in water. Let  mixture sit at room temperature for 30 min while oven pre-heats to 350 F.
  2. Place 9″ x 16″ cast iron griddle in oven while it heats. (You can also use a 10″ cast iron skillet here to make a more doughy version, akin to pizza crust).
  3. When batter is ready, whisk in 1 tbs of olive oil. Use the other 1 tbs to coat the griddle. Pour batter onto griddle and bake on center rack for 45 min to an hour (depending on the oven). The flatbread should be firm but chewy. Be careful not to burn. Carefully loosen flatbread from griddle with a spatula and let cool. Cut into strips and serve alongside your soup.

Finally, a great big thanks to my good friends and fellow yogis, Caroline and Jess, for being my test kitchen guinea pigs and great company!

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10-Day Cleanse: Recipes (5-7)

Here are the recipes you’ll need for days 5-7 of my moderate cleanse. The hummus is super yummy (and pink!) and the Lentil salad is super hearty–especially compared to the rabbit food of days 1-4. Enjoy! (Oh, and pictures to come!)

 

Two-Bean Garlic Hummus

  • 1 ½ cups pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ tbs coconut oil
  • 2-3 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper flakes
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 cup water (or more if needed to blend)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. This will keep well in the fridge for up to a week. You may need to add a dash more lemon juice right before serving to brighten it up a bit and bring out all the flavors.

Lentil Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

  • 1/2 lb dried lentils
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • sun dried tomato dressing (see below)
  • 1 small container grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup shredded basil

How to make it:

  1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add lentils. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender but not falling apart.
  2. While the lentils are cooking, prepare your Sun Dried Tomato Dressing but combining all ingredients (below) in a food processor and blending until smooth.
  3. Remove lentils from heat and strain.
  4. In a large bowl, pour dressing over lentils and coat evenly. Mix in your diced cucumber, red bell pepper, and shallot.
  5. When ready to serve, mix in your grape tomatoes and shredded basil (I like to keep this separate until I plate so they stay fresh and don’t make the salad mushy).

Sun Dried Tomato Dressing:

  • 10-12 sun dried tomato halves
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil