Food on Friday: My Take on Lentil Soup

When Chance and I first got married, I started making a staple dish of "lentil soup". Over the months, through additions and experiments, it was converted to more of a lentil stew. Recently, I began adding some greens to the stew to make it a heartier, healthier, and more colorful version. It has become one of our favorite go-to meals! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. If you make it for yourself or others, please let me know!

Ingredients
1 cup (or a little more) lentils
1 onion, diced
1-1 1/2 cups of minced carrots - I do this in the food processor
1 bunch red swiss chard (or any other chard - I like red for the color)
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 or more cups organic vegetable or low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Recipe
Saute onions, garlic, and carrots in olive oil until softened and onions are slightly translucent. Add oregano, salt, and pepper at this point. Add lentils, tomatoes, swiss chard, and broth. Cook on medium low heat for about 20-25 minutes. The lentils should be soft and not chewy when the soup is finished cooking. The soup (or stew) will have absorbed a lot of the broth, but if you like it more soupy then just add more broth to your liking! Bon appetit!

Food on Friday: Dinner on Average

Dinner on a week night is usually planned ahead of time. I know roughly what I'm going to make in a given week, and buy my ingredients accordingly, but it often changes and I give myself the liberty to modify on a whim. Recently, Chance and I have been eating beef tacos (YUM!) once a week, but after both of us had some inconvenient symptoms we both decided that we needed to lay off the red meat for a while and eat more vegetarian dinners. I get a lot of recipe ideas from The Gluten-Free Goddess and other foodie blogs. Now when I propose to my husband the idea of making a new meal, he usually responds with a mixture of open-mindedness and reluctancy. Such was last night.

Mine wasn't this pretty, but still tasty!

I had been talking about making this quinoa recipe for dinner and when I mentioned it again to Chance he was a little less than enthusiastic. But nonetheless he was willing to try it, so after I got home from work I threw some quinoa in the rice cooker (best investment ever!) sliced some peppers and onions and put those on a baking sheet. While the peppers were roasting/grilling in the oven, I chopped up some scallions and parsley to throw in the quinoa. When the quinoa was cooked, I mixed in my add-ins along with a lemon's worth of lemon juice and some salt. Voila! Our meal was almost ready to be consumed. [While I was cooking, Chance was reading.. not sure what was going through his mind at this point, probably just hunger]. I dished up the quinoa onto two plates, along with the roasted peppers and onions, then put hummus and pesto on the table to be added if one so desired.

I put Chance's plate out first and as he took his first bite, his reaction was well... not that impressed. He made some funny facial expressions and said, "How much lemon did you put in this?" and I responded with a surprised, "Not that much!" After two or three more bites he calmed down and began to actually enjoy the dinner. I sat down and we both dove in. Hummus on roasted or grilled veggies is a-mazing, just so you know. I asked Chance what he thought of the meal (by the way, I had told him before we ate that if he didn't like dinner I wouldn't make it again). His response was that it was good. Then a few bites later the meal was "really good." Then a whole two helpings later, "That was an excellent meal Kathryn!" I love when he loves my cooking, it brings me such joy. So I would say that dinner on average, especially when I am making new recipes, always goes a little something like that.

Last night I also whipped up a soup for us to have for lunch today. Black bean soup to be exact. I have never made black bean soup using the food processor before, but now that I  have I am totally in love with the concept. I used two recipes (here and here too) as my inspiration and then kind of just did my own thing. This was my recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth or water
2 cans of black beans, drained
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 tsp. cumin (more or less to taste)
1 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
Some onion powder
(if I had had some cilantro, I'd have added about 1/4 cup chopped, but it was good without it too)

Directions:
-Combine all of the above ingredients in the food processor until blended thoroughly.

-In a medium pot on the stove, cook 6 slices of bacon (hardwood smoked was great!) that has been chopped into small pieces. Cook through. Add your soup mixture from the food processor to the pot and heat on medium-low until it begins to bubble.

Mmmm enjoy! This was so easy.. I am going to start making all kinds of bean soups in the food processor! I hope you enjoy your Friday :)

Goat Cheese Makes Everything Better

A memorable incident that occurred during the first year of Chance and I's marriage was the infamous purchase of a log of "chèvre" (i.e. goat cheese). We had just returned from a trip to the cold, northern parts of Michigan with my parents where we had stayed in a lovely condo, enjoyed tubing and skiing for a few days, and relaxing by the warm fire. One night my mom and I ventured out to the grocery store to collect ingredients for that night's dinner: roasted asparagus, a green salad and chicken breasts: stuffed with goat cheese. After that meal I fell in love with the stuff all over again and wanted to make the same meal for Chance and I when we got back to our little Florida apartment.

A few weeks later I made a visit to Publix (although in those days we mostly shopped at Wal-Mart) and meandered over to the gourmet cheese section of the deli. There I beheld what I had been looking for: one 4 oz. log of chèvre. I snatched it up and went to check out. I ended up making the chicken for dinner and used sun-dried tomato spread in addition to the goat cheese which was quite a hit. I don't really remember how the subject came up, but Chance probably asked out of curiosity how much the goat cheese cost. I probably showed him the receipt, not thinking much of it, and he practically fell out of his chair: $5.99 (or some amount that he deemed outrageous for a log of cheese)! This began a long conversation about our grocery budget and what my views were of spending money on food (something that would be the topic of conversation for some time to come). Needless to say, we didn't quite agree with each other but were able to laugh it off later, as I 'owned up' to my oversight and apologized not telling him before I splurged on the goat cheese.

Fast forward to today, almost a year and a half later, we shop at Sunflower Market (a natural grocer/farmer's market here in Dallas). While flipping through their weekly ad I spotted it: a SALE on goat cheese! $2.99 per 4 oz.! HOORAY! At my last grocery store visit, I picked some up and went home a happy lady to a happy husband. This past week I used the goat cheese on salads, in wraps, and in one recipe that is worthy of sharing. Chance had his wisdom teeth out on Monday (ouch!) and has been eating only soft foods, like yogurt and soup, so that left me to cook dinner for myself. I decided to do something easy (go figure) and roasted some vegetables, cooked some pasta, and tossed it all together -- topping it with goat cheese of course. And POOF - instant goodness.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta topped with Chèvre
Ingredients:
2 red peppers
2 green peppers
1 yellow pepper
1 red onion
1 small yellow or sweet onion
2 cups of brown rice rotini pasta (or whole grain if you're not Gluten Free)
2 thin slices or crumbles of plain goat cheese
1 tbs. olive or grapeseed oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cut up all vegetables into 1/2 inch chunks and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with either canola oil or drizzle olive oil on top of the veggies. Sprinkle with garlic powder, and any other seasoning you might care to use. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are browning and tender. At the 10 minute mark, cook your pasta according to directions on the box/bag. When the veggies are finished roasting take them out of the oven, drain your pasta, add to a bowl or plate, mix them together, then top with a generous amount of goat cheese - to your liking.

This recipe is DELISH! I had the leftovers at work the next day and it was still good. Like I said, goat cheese just makes everything better...

Additional recipe using goat cheese - 'Paris Cafe's (WPB) "Moulin Rouge" Salad
Toss together 1) organic mixed salad greens, 2) 5-7 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved 3) A handful of pistachios (shelled) or unsalted pumpkin seeds, 4) Goat cheese crumbles, 5) a 1/2 to 1 whole avocado, diced 5) Some sort of balsamic dressing (I like Dijon/balsamic vinegar/evoo) -- this salad is SOOO good! The homemade version competes with Paris Cafe's but I would encourage anyone visiting West Palm Beach, FL to visit Paris Cafe on S. Olive Ave -you will not be disappointed! Enjoy :)

F.o.F: Lasagna for my Lover

One of my husband's favorite things about being married is the fact that he gets to have homecooked meals with his wife (aww, so sweet I know). This is one part of being married that I also thoroughly enjoy. Now because I have multiple food allergies that Chance doesn't, sometimes I end up making 2 different meals for us. The meal that I make for him is usually something that he can take as leftovers, and eat for the next few days. This past week he mentioned how he missed lasagna. I have issues with lasagna - wheat pasta noodles & heavy ricotta cheese do NOT make for a happy wife-y if you catch my drift. So I found a recipe online and modified it with what I had on hand - it is vegetable lasagna that my husband described as "SO good, and so.. light!". I never thought the word "light" would be used to describe lasagna, but with all these veggies it's no wonder he enjoyed it so much :)
I hope that you can make it for someone you love, too.

recipe taken from myrecipes.com - Cooking Light magazine 2001
 Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 3-4 carrots, diced in the food processor 
• 1 chopped red (or green) bell pepper
• 1/2 cup  white or sweet onion
• 1 (26-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato basil pasta sauce
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
• Cooking spray
• 6 ready to bake lasagna noodles (I used Barilla) 
• 3/4 cup (3 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and the next 4 ingredients (mushrooms through onion); cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pasta sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Combine pesto and ricotta in a small bowl. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in the bottom of a 8-inch square baking dish or pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodle halves over tomato mixture. Top noodles with half of ricotta mixture and 1 cup tomato mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles; sprinkle with mozzarella.
4. Cover and bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
5. Notes: To make ahead, assemble as directed; stop before baking. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature; bake as directed. For easy cleanup, assemble in a disposable 8-inch aluminum-foil pan. If you're making for a gift, deliver uncooked with baking instructions.

For gluten-free/dairy-free people:

I made my own dish that consisted of all the sauteed veggies mixed with about a tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato pesto and 3/4 cup rice penne pasta! I through some dairy-free rice mozzarella cheese on top and had my own yummy "Italian" inspired dish that perfectly accommodated all of my allergies!

(note: the photo above I took off of the myrecipes.com website for this recipe!)

Quinoa (Keen-Wah) California Salad

This is a recipe that I got really into making the first year of Chance & I's marriage. It was the default "healthy" dinner (and it really is!). It is adapted from a salad recipe that was given to me by our former college pastor's wife. So I am calling this the "Quinoa California Salad".





Ingredients

2 cups organic baby spinach

1 cup red leaf lettuce (or romaine)

1/2 c. slivered almonds or candied walnuts

2 green onion stalks, slivered & sliced (use both green & white part)

1/4 c. red grapes, halved

1 green apple (Granny Smith), chopped

1 ripened avocado, sliced
A few shakes of Feta cheese (about 1/4 c.) 

1 c. cooked organic quinoa (use chicken broth instead of water for more flavor)

2 grilled chicken breasts (seasoned)

Dressing:
Juice from 1/2 of an orange
1-2 tbs. safflower or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. poppyseeds
1/2 tsp. organic, all-natural sugar
2 tsp. rice vinegar

Directions
Add all salad ingredients (after chopping + slicing) to a large bowl. I like to put the greens, spinach & lettuce, in first then all the add-ons on top because it looks so pretty that way! You can also add raisins to the salad, but the fruit makes it sweet enough. Serve with quinoa and chicken breast on the side OR cut up your chicken in bite-size pieces and add the quinoa on top of the salad greens! Add your own individual dressing, I hate soggy salads. And as a bonus this is a great salad to have at work as leftovers the next day.

Like I said before, this is our healthy to-go meal ... and for Chance that means his "detox" after a not-so-healthy lunch at the nearby Luby's Cafeteria - don't worry, I still love him :)

Food on Friday: Time for Minestrone Soup

I know, I know, there are a million recipe websites, foodie blogs, cookbooks, and cooking channels on TV that could give you a plethera of recipe ideas. That is why I am going to give out recipes sparingly, but this dreary and drab Friday in Dallas calls for one of my most frequented (since being married to Chance).

Mission: Minestrone Soup

Why minestrone? My husband absolutely loves this soup--the second time around. You see I made this recipe straight out of a cookbook (and have since tweaked it) however, I did not use one very important ingredient, and the result was a very, very bland combination of some water and cooked vegetables. Needless to say: yuck!

However, when I actually used the special ingredient that the original recipe said was OPTIONAL (ugh!) the soup was an instant hit. Can you guess the ingredient? Drumroll please... BACON!

What to use:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
About 1 lb. of hickory smoked bacon (cut into inch pieces)
1/2 c. or less chopped italian parsley
2 tbsp. minced garlic - by far my most used ingredient in all dishes in the Sumner house
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 sweet onion (or yellow)
2 russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
2-3 celery stalks, leaves removed & stalks chopped
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (preferably Hunt's or Muir's or the organic kind from Costco)
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (or water.. but stock is better!)
2 handfuls of spinach or cabbage, chopped
2 small zucchini, diced into 1/4 in. pieces
1 cup risotto rice (Arborio rice)
1-14.5 oz can of cannellini beans (Great White Northern beans)
>>Remember that you can omit any vegetable or substitute as you deem wise

How to: Crock Pot-style
1) Prep takes a while, so chop bacon first, while letting olive oil heat up on a medium skillet on medium heat on the stove,
2) Add garlic and parsley, once heated. Let cook for about 1 min.
3) Add bacon and reduced to medium-low to avoid splashing oil, cook bacon through (about 8 minutes)
4) While you are letting the bacon cook, chop your carrots, onion, celery, potatoes, spinach, and zucchini. Add all these to the CROCK POT (or if you do not own a crock pot, use a big dutch oven and cook bacon, garlic, parsley in it first, then add the above veggies and cook for about 20 minutes with broth). Once the bacon (garlic + parsley) is done cooking, you can add it to the crock pot too.
5) Add broth, tomatoes, Arborio rice, and cannellini beans. Stir to mix together. Broth should not quite cover all the ingredients. (If using dutch oven, let it cook for about 30 minutes after this.)
6) Add salt and pepper to taste - if you want to.
7) Turn crock pot on to SIMMER for 20-24 hours (or LOW for 8-12 hours).

This soup [which is really more of a stew] will literally melt in your mouth. You will win over anyone who tastes this delectable dish -- husband, boyfriend, in-laws, neighbors, etc. Be warned: it is a very rich dish, so a little goes a long way (except I almost always have seconds!). Oh, and basil is most delicious as a garnish!

Enjoy the weekend & HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY (I am so ecstatic because I get the day off on Monday-wahoo)!