Lentil Salad

Lentil Salad

I found this recipe in the April/May 2013 Vegetarian Times.  I thought it sounded like a great dish to make ahead of time and take to the lake this weekend.  It was really great - I will make this again and again!

I started by cooking a bag of lentils in broth.  They only take about 15 minutes.  I drained them and scooped out 4 cups worth, keeping the rest for another use.

While the lentils were cooking I asked Brennan to make up the vinaigrette of Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar (you could also use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar), olive oil, Kosher salt, and pepper.

This recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped vegetables like carrots, fennel, celery, or radishes.  I went with carrots and radishes, dicing them somewhat.

Add the lentils, vegetables, diced cucumber, fresh parsley, and season with Kosher salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for up to a day and top with more fresh parsley before serving at room temperature.

 

It was a great accompaniment for the brats, sweet corn, fruit salad, tomato salad, chips, and Gouda and apple appetizer that Brennan made for us! 

 

 

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Enjoy!

Rice and Lentils

Rice and Lentils

 

When I took cooking classes with Sandy earlier this year, she made this dish for us to eat with our yummy herb-inspired dishes.  It is one of those dishes that she just tossed together and it was so good.  I hadn't "just tossed it together" yet for my family, but had been meaning to.

 

I always have cooked grains in the fridge, to make school night dinners that much easier to pull together.  We really like lentils, so this was a no-brainer.

 

When I asked Sandy for her "recipe", she had to think about what she did that so inspired me.

She shared that she used brown Basmati rice, green lentils, fresh rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt.  Seemed easy enough for me!

I pulled out brown Basmati from the fridge and warmed it up just a little in the microwave.
Then I cooked lentils on the stove according to the package directions. 
Instead of plain water, I used vegetable broth and a bay leaf to flavor the lentils as they cooked.
Lentils cook much more quickly than rice.

 

 

Once tender, I combined the rice, lentils (minus the bay leaf), chopped fresh rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, and celery salt.

 

This dish has a great mild flavor, and is perfect as a main dish, or as a side dish with meat and vegetables.

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Enjoy!

 

 

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad

 

I found this recipe in this month's Southern Living and decided to try it for our Oktoberfest-themed wine club last night.

 

I found a very similar recipe online from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, near Germany.  The lentils were a great addition to a traditional warm German potato salad.  David and I really liked this dish, and I'm sure the boys will too.

 

I assumed this dish would take longer than it actually did.  I think you could cook and make up the entire dish in less than 30 minutes.

 

Cook 1/2 c of French green lentils in salted water for 20 minutes, then drain.

Clean red potatoes and halve or quarter them, cooking them in salted water for 15 minutes.  Drain.

 

Combine the potatoes and lentils in a serving dish.

 

 

 

While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, cook the remaining ingredients in a small skillet.

 

 

 

Cook bacon and crumble it, leaving the oil in the skillet.

Add sliced celery, chopped garlic, and finely chopped shallots and cook for 3 minutes.

Stir in red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Gently stir potatoes, lentils, and dressing and top with chopped fresh parsley just before serving warm.

 

 

Really great German potato salad!

 

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Guten Appetit!

 

Red Lentil Sauce

Red Lentil Sauce

Here is a recipe that is just crying out to be modified and used in a different way.

This dish comes from the book Eat to Live and the sauce is intended to be drizzled onto vegetables.

We made the dish according to the book, and liked the flavor, but really think it should be made in a different way.

Maybe thicker - more like hummus that you can eat with pita bread.

Maybe much, much thicker - more like a dip for veggies and crackers.

Maybe on top of fish or chicken instead of on vegetables.

Again - the flavor is great, but you might want to consider different ways to use the sauce.

This dish is simple to make.

You boil red lentils, chopped onion, garlic, and carrot juice, then cover and simmer the lentils for 20 minutes until they are tender.

Then you blend the lentils with a vegetable broth bouillon cube, cumin, and a little bit of Balsamic vinegar.

Transfer to a dish and serve!

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Enjoy!

Lentil Stew

Hearty Lentil Stew

I have been meaning to make a lentil stew or soup for awhile now, but I had so many different recipes that I just hadn't decided which one to use.

So I read them all out and made my own.

This was an absolutely delicious stew, served with fresh baked crusty Italian bread.
A great appetizer, or even a meal in itself.

I combined 5 different recipes to create this stew, many of which were very similar.
The only ingredient common to most of the recipes that I did not use, was 2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes.  Since my boys aren't big tomato fans, I just omitted this ingredient - although I'm sure it would be a great addition.

I started by sauteing garlic cloves, chopped onion, carrot, potato, and celery in olive oil for about 10 minutes until the vegetables were tender.  I seasoned with garlic powder, sea salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and Italian seasonings.  I then added soy sauce and let it heat through.

Then I added in 8 cups of vegetable broth and the lentils and let it boil. 
I reduced the heat to simmer and partially covered the pot, letting it simmer for 40 minutes until the lentils were soft.

I believe everyone had seconds, and the warm bread with the soup was just perfect!

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Enjoy!

Warm Red Lentil Salad

Warm Red Lentil Salad

I purchased a large bag of red lentils when I was at Jungle Jim's international market in Cincinnati a few months ago.  I was looking for good red lentil recipes and found this one in Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat cookbook.  I simplified it quite a bit from the original, but it turned out to be a really great recipe.

Red lentils soften up quite a bit more than green or brown lentils, which stay pretty well intact after cooking. We like them all around here.

This recipe is designed to be served over mixed salad leaves.  Instead, I served it over brown rice, and it was great.  I think it's a really versatile dish that you could customize depending on what you have and how you're going to serve it.

You place 4 oz of red lentil in a saucepan or frying pan with vegetable bouillon, garlic powder, and then cover with water.

I use this bouillon that I get from Kroger.

Then you bring the lentils to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes until they are tender.

Drain away any excess water (I probably didn't use enough water to start with, so I didn't have any excess to drain away), but the texture was great.



And serve.

Again, I think this would be great over greens, but it was terrific with rice, and sooo easy!

Delicious!!

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Bon Appetit!



Bob's Red Mill Soup Mixes

Bob's Red Mill

Soup Mixes

I really like Bob's Red Mill packaged foods.

I find them in our health store and in Kroger locally.

They are all natural and taste great.

Tonight I made this Vegi Soup Mix for the first time.

It is full of lentils, split peas, barley, and tiny pasta.

And it couldn't be easier to make.

I brought 8 c of vegetable broth to a boil and added 2 c of the soup mix.

Then I let it simmer on low for an hour.

Served with heated crusty bread - it was a great starter for tonight's meal!

Enjoy!