Love your Lentils May 6, 2009

The poor little lentil…. It by far one of the most delicious, affordable, nutritious, and yet widely ignored foods.

Nearing the top of the most-bang-for-your-buck list, a pound of lentils costs roughly sixty cents. Lentils are also jam packed with protein, fiber and nutrients. For a full breakdown of nutritional value, click HERE. To read it in a little more plain english, click HERE. 

So what can you do with these simple legumes? Being the soup maven that I am, I will share two original recipes that are not only tasty, but nutritious and delicious as well. An added bonus is that you probably already have all the ingredients you need in your cupboards!

Lentils: Two Ways

Spicy Lentil Soup

Spicy Lentil Soup:

This one has a real Mediterranean taste to it, and is sure to please any palate.

- Packet of Ramen Noodles, chicken flavor

- 1 cup cooked lentils (save the cooking water)

- Fresh Carrots (sliced)

- Lima Beans, Corn (both frozen)

- Curry (2 or 3 tsp), salt & pepper

Put a few cups of water in your pot, and add the Ramen seasoning packet. Also, add the lentils and cooking water, along with the veggies. Begin to heat this mixture, while adding your seasoning to taste. When the carrots have softened and the soup is almost ready, break up the Ramen Noodles into 1/4 pieces and add them to the soup. In 3 minutes the noodles will be fully cooked, and your soup is ready to eat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tomato Lentil Soup

Tomato Lentil Soup

This soup has the Mom’s Kitchen feel, and is perfect for anyone in need of a little extra TLC.

- 1 can of Tomato Soup

- 3/4 cup cooked lentils, still slightly firm (no need to save the water this time)

- 1/2 cup cooked rice

- Fresh Spinach (as much as you like!)

- Salt & Pepper

-Shredded cheese of your choosing

Prepare tomato soup according to directions, adding lentils and spinach before heating. Also add salt & pepper to taste. When the spinach is wilted and the soup is piping hot, mix in the rice. Put in a bowl, top with shredded cheese and enjoy!

Note: I add the rice after I put the soup in the bowl. If not, the rice will continue expanding, and if you have extra you want to save for lunch the next day, you will find the rice has absorbed all the liquid in the soup- leaving you with a tomato lentil mush. Just put the rice in a separate container, mix in before reheating, and you’ll be golden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast: It’s what’s for dinner April 5, 2009

 

My favorite food genre, hands down, is breakfast. I haven’t cooked a meal for myself in a while, and recognized yesterday that I have eaten entirely too much take-out lately.   

One of the benefits of being single and living alone is that you can eat whatever and whenever you want. Therefore, I decided I would spend my Saturday evening on a date with myself; by cooking a delicious meal and watching a good movie. And as in such, there was no question as to what I was going to whip up for my “me date” night. On the way home from other errands I swung by the local supermarket to pick up the accoutrements I would need to make one heck of a breakfast.

At 8:30pm I finally sat down to eat my western omelette and home fries, both from scratch (the sausage was compliments of Jimmy Dean). And let me tell you folks, it was good right down to the last bite!

Fruity goodness February 12, 2009

 

Smooooothie

I’ve always been a “salty” treat kinda gal. I always tended to pick foods such as chips or fries or cheese, over the “sweet” treat options. And rarely did I ever touch a piece of fruit. But then this summer something changed.

It all started with gummy worms. They were on sale at the local Acme, so I bought a pack- and it was gone in less than 2 days. Then I bought more. Gone again. Then the sweet-need transferred slowly over a gamut of other treats; first candy bars, then caramel cremes, then on to bigger and better items such as cakes, pies and pastries. My sugar obsession became a zeitgeist. I couldn’t stop.

A month or so ago, I decided my sweet cravings were out of control and I needed to do something about it. But what would satisfy my craving, and also be a healthier choice? The answer was simple- fruit. I started with mainly apples and bananas at first, but then branched out to grapes, pineapples or dried fruits. It was the perfect transition choice. It is an acceptable addiction.

Yesterday, on my latest supermarket expedition I decided I was going to get the goods to make one of my favorite foods: The Smoothie. 

I have a super simple recipe, and you can make it in about 2 mins, flat. All you need is the fruit of your choice, vanilla yogurt and a blender. For one person, put about a cup of yogurt, and about 2 cups of cut up fruit (saving one cut up piece for later) in the blender. Use the “blend” setting, stopping when it all looks nice and blended (hence, using the “blend” setting). Pour in a fashionable glass, and top with the piece of fruit you set to the side earlier. You’re now all set to enjoy a pretty and sweet snack, as well as your daily allowance of delicious fruits!

In the smoothie pictured here, I used blueberries, banana, orange and strawberry (the pineapple will be used in a future, and equally mouthwatering, smoothie). Yum!

Warm the belly, warm the soul February 5, 2009

 

I call it "Comfort Food: Homestyle"

 

By now, I think my love of making homemade soup is evident.

Well, today was another late day at work (remember those endless chart audits, anyone?), and I just wanted something quick and easy for dinner. Since I had already had pizza for the third time this week -because pizza is the epitome of quick and easy- I wanted something a little more… wholesome.

I searched through my (bare) cupboards, and found a packet of noodle soup mix. “Hmmm, I can work with this,” I thought to myself. In the fridge I found some carrots and spinach, the perfect additions to a little noodle soup. I also found the ingredients for a grilled cheese and turkey bacon sandwich.

In about 15 mins, the whole  shebang was ready for plating. Viola! The perfect dinner for a cold evening, and a single gal. (And some leftovers for lunch tomorrow; the added bonus)

Now that what you see in the photo to your left is comfortably resting in my belly, I am ready to enjoy a peaceful night watching TV and spending some quality time with my cat.

I sound so exciting, don’t I?

Chili for the chilly December 23, 2008

Did I ever mention I make a mean chili? Well, I do.

Chili is the perfect meal for those cold and windy days, when all you want is something to fill your belly, stick to your ribs,  and make you feel all warm and content-like on the inside. And this chili hit the spot:

 

Mmmm... Chili

Recipe for Remedy October 28, 2008

I should have known when I woke up this morning and it looked more like 5am outside than it did 7am that it was going to be one of those days. 

You know what I am talking about. Those days that while there are no major catastrophes, you find yourself in a constant sequence of annoyances. The frustration builds and builds and builds until you get the one straw that breaks your back, and you throw your hands up to the sky, finally admitting to yourself, “I am having a bad day, and now the world better look out“.

This was my day. I won’t bore you with all the details, but it was just one irritation after another, until I finally had it. My umbrella blowing inside out, dropping things in the most inopportune places, not being able to find anything when I look for it, wet feet, uncooperative people, pains jutting from my uterus, broken cigarettes, demanding supervisors when I have 499 other things I need to be doing… Ok, so maybe I bored you with a few of the details, but it all paints the picture. I decided serious intervention was needed when I found myself dropping the MF-Bomb at the zipper on my jacket when it snagged my scarf.

After getting stuck at work an extra 45 mins for no reason, I walked home grumbling under my breath at the raw and blustery rain.  That was when I decided “when the going gets tough, the tough make soup”. I have a scrumpdeliumptious recipe for minestrone soup, and I figured there was no better day to make it. That’s what cold, windy and rainy days were made for. Luckily, I had already bought all the ingredients some time ago, but just never had the time to make it. I dropped my work bag at the top of the stairs, put on the most comfy clothes I could find, rolled up my sleeves, and went to work.

Side bar: While making the soup I came to the realization that the things I am good at cooking are the ones that basically cook themselves; like soup or chili. I do a kick-ass job at rooting through the fridge to find whatever might go well together, chopping it up, throwing it in a pot, adding the right seasoning, and waiting. But seriously, I can cook the crap outta some crock-pottery cuisine. End side bar. 

While waiting for the soup to cook, I did my favorite time killer relaxant- internetting. I found some new music that was just perfect for sucky days such as this. Music that made my heart feel good. Maybe the lyrics had nothing to do with bad days themselves, but the orchestration touched my soul. 

Now that I sit here under a warm blanket, with contented ears and a full belly, I will share with you my Recipe for Remedy. Mind you, I’m still popping ibuprofen like it’s legal crack, and I have a kitchen full of cleanup beckoning me from the other room, but at least these few and simple things reminded me that, yes, life can be good- even if today might blow.

Eat your heart out folks:

 

Yummy, noodley, colorful happiness

Minestrone Soup:

 3 cups chicken stock

28oz can diced tomatoes

15oz can cannellini beans

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 celery stock chopped

1 onion chopped

salt, pepper and seasons of your choice

2 cups cooked ditalini pasta

1 medium zucchini

2 cups chopped spinach, fresh or frozen

In a slow cooker or pot, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery onion, and seasoning. Cover and cook in slow cooker on low 6-8 hrs, or high 3-4 hrs, or on the stove top at least 2 hrs. Thirty minutes before soup is done cooking add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook for 30 more mins. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

And yes, I did make the lovely and delicious soup in the photo to your left. Best part? Since its full of good-for-you veggies, its good for the body and the the soul!

 

And now for your listing pleasure: (In no particular order)

I suggest you top all this off with a warm, candle lit bath, and a piece of chocolate.

That’s my plan, anyway.

Near Scrap-tastrophe October 19, 2008

This morning I offered to make breakfast for my weekend company. First off, I’m not the domestic sort- in any sense of the word. I’m not really the greatest cook, but I do give it my best effort. Generally, it’s either dead on, or dead wrong. Secondly, it wasn’t really the breakfast time of day- probably closer to a timely lunch, but whatever, technically I was breaking my fast, so it’s all the same in the end.

I had some real, honest-to-goodness homemade scrapple in my freezer that was yearning to be cooked. (If you are not from SouthEastern/South Central PA and have no idea what the heck scrapple is, I suggest you click here. I also suggest you try it before you knock it.) I threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt, and headed to the local Acme to pick up the rest of what we would need for our breakfast.

Upon return to my apartment, I told my company that I had never cooked scrapple before, but I thought to myself it couldn’t be all that hard. You just slice it and put it in the skillet, right? I told my company to sit tight in the living room and relax, while I whipped up the food.

About ten minutes in, amidst various other culinary mishaps, the scrapple began to become disfigured and form a gelatinous blob in the skillet. I continued to cook it, figuring that it would all work itself out in the end. Again, how hard could it be? Admittedly, I was a little concerned. It just wasn’t looking right, and I was getting that old familiar feeling in my gut I was doing something wrong.

My company came into the kitchen to check on the status, and upon seeing the ruination exclaimed, “What are you doing??” I reminded him that I had aforementioned I didn’t know how to cook scrapple, and at this point I was willing to accept assistance- which is huge. I affectionately call myself the Kitchen Nazi; I either need total control, or none at all. It was at this point I handed over the spatula, and with it all control of the meal.

My company fixed my poorly cooking eggs, my unevenly browned pork roll, and went to work on the wad of scrapple, all while I nursed my burnt fingertip. 

After the pork roll, egg and cheese sandwiches were assembled and the scrapple was finished, we dined right there standing in the table-less kitchen. It was quite good, I must admit. Better than I would have ever managed, to say the least. 

So thank you, my dear friend. Thank you for saving breakfast. I’ll take care of the dishes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I knew that’s what it’s supposed to look like,

I just didn’t know how to get it to look like that.”-Me