Lentils - your life is not complete without them

Note to self: Lentils do not photograph well

Note to all of you: Do not let that stop you from trying this recipe.

Seriously, this is the best lentil soup recipe EVER!  I would like to make a public service announcement that everyone in the world should eat more lentils.  You really won't regret it.  The basic recipe was found here, and then I made a ton of adjustments based on the comments people made.  So I consider the following a bit of a masterpiece in my personal culinary history.

1 onion, chopped 

1/4 C olive oil

4 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, choped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 C dry brown lentils

1 C dry red lentils

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

4 C broth (chicken, vegetable, whatever you want to use)

1/2 C spinach, thinly sliced (sometimes I add more - just depends on my mood)

2 Tbs basalmic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots and celery.  Cook and stir until onion is tender.  Stir in garlic and all the spices.  Cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the lentils, add tomatoes and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour.  When ready to serve, stir in spinach and cook until it wilts.  Stir in vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add whatever else you think it needs to be delicious!

Summer Garden Couscous Salad

You should hurry and make this recipe before summer is over.  You won't want to miss it - it's really that good.  If you want to make yourself feel extra good, try using some produce from your local farmer's market or your very own garden. Hurray for summer!

Recipe from Taste of Home

*some small instructions altered by me

1 C corn (we like to cook fresh corn first, let it cool and cut it from husk - we've also used frozen corn thawed when fresh wasn't an option)

1 C chicken broth

1 C uncooked couscous

1 medium cucumber, halved and sliced

1 1/2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 C crumbled Feta

1/4 C chopped red onion

3 Tbs minced fresh parsley

3 Tbs olive oil

3 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cook the corn and set aside (if using frozen, just add it later with the other veggies)

In a small saucepan, bring broth to boil

Stir in couscous, remove from heat, cover and let stand 5-10 min or until water is absorbed

Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly

In a large bowl combine cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, onion, parsley and corn

Stir in couscous

In a small bowl whisk the oil, lemon, and seasonings

Pour over couscous mixture, toss to coat

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until chilled

I know it looks long, but really - it's simple to make and SO worth it.  Hope you all enjoy!  Leave me a comment and let me know if you ended up making it.

Recipes from me to you

I have mixed feelings about March.  Most of the time March makes me extremely happy - especially compared to January and February.  The days start to get longer, the sun is brighter, and every once in a while there's even a warm day thrown in.  It's blissful.

But then there are the other parts of March when the wind is biting cold and you feel that you will never break free of winter's cruel grasp.  In an effort to be more optimistic, on these days I think, "Why don't I make a nice chili?  Once spring and summer come, chili will be long gone, so I should take advantage now."  And for that reason I'm sharing these two AMAZING chili recipes with you today.

Also, I feel like I should mention that these are vegetarian recipes.  I mention it 1) because good veggie chili seems like an oxymoron but these recipes prove that it's not and 2) because I like to tell people I cook vegetarian meals because it makes me feel fancy and cool.  Just being honest here.

Moraccan Chickpea Chili

image from here.

This is a recipe first brought to my attention by my friend Ariel and we LOVE it!

ready in 35 minutes

Ingredients

 2 tsp. olive oil

1 C chopped onion

3/4 C chopped celery

1/2 C chopped carrot

1 clove minced garlic

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

pinch of pepper

pinch of salt

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

1 1/2 C water

2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes.  Stir in cumin and next 7 ingredients (through red pepper); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add 1 1/2 C water, tomato paste, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir in cilantro and juice.

* I know the ingredient list looks long, but it's mostly spices and they are so so so good!  Also, a tip for success is to prepare everything before you heat up the oil.  I like to combine all my spices into one small bowl and get all the canned goods opened and the veggies chopped.  That way, once you start to cook it moves along very quickly.

Sweet Potato Chili Bake

This MINDBLOWING chili comes from Taste of Home.

Thanks again to the amazing Debbie Hardie!

prep time: 30 min, bake: 20 min

Ingredients

2 C cubed peeled sweet potato

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 C vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

4 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

3 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 package (6.5 oz) corn bread/muffin mix

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese and chopped seeded jalapeno pepper

Directions

 - In an ovenproof Dutch oven, saute sweet potato and red pepper in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes, broth, beans, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

-  Meanwhile, prepare corn bread batter according to package directions; stir in cheese. Drop by tablespoonfuls over chili. 

 - Cover and bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with toppings of your choice.

*FYI - when we made this recipe we were out of chili powder so we used ground red pepper (cayenne), and just cut it in half.  Boy was it spicy!  But still very very good.

It's really hard to spell "zucchini"

Let me preface this post with a 2 part confession:
1. I do not like to cook.   
Yes, I realize this could be considered a problem as my current profession is that of home maker. I clean, I rear a child, I decorate - I don't really cook.
2. I am not a food photographer.  (see above photo)
If I were a food photographer I would hire a food stylist, take these photos in a studio, and have my friend Alpha give me pointers.  She's awesome!

Whew, it feels good to have that off my chest.

That said, if you ever see a recipe on this blog you can be assured of 2 things:
1. That it is suuuuuuper simple because I just don't do involved recipes

and

2. That it is so so so delicious that I took the time to photograph it poorly, write up the recipe and post it here for you to see.  I risked embarrassment to bring you this recipe.

And now, after that long and list-y preamble, here is the recipe for Southwest Zucchini Boats

4 medium zucchini
1 lb ground beef*
3/4 C salsa
1/4 C dry bread crumbs
1/4 C minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp chili powder (maybe less - our first batch made us a bit teary)
1/4 tsp ground cumin (I just do a pinch, otherwise it tastes like a taco)
dash of pepper
1 C shredded monterey jack cheese

Cut zucchinis in half, hollow and place in microwave safe dish
Cover and microwave for 3mnin or until crisp-tender.  Drain and set aside
Meanwhile, in a large skillet brown beef and drain, remove from heat
Stir in all ingredients and 1/2 C of the shredded cheese
Spoon into shells and sprinkle remaining cheese over top
Microwave uncovered 3-4 min until sprinkled cheese melts

* in our house we prefer to cut the meat portion in half and supplement it with rice instead - very delicious.

                                           This recipe is brought to you in part by Taste of Home magazine.

It makes cooking a little more enjoyable.