Lentils and Squash Soup (Serves 6) 1 cup (250 mL) green lentils ½ cup (125 mL) carrots, diced ½ cups (125 mL) sliced green beans 1 -2 cups squash (or potatoes or sweet potatoes) 1 cup (250 mL) chopped onions 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp canola oil 1 tsp turmeric ½ tsp masala 1 tsp curry powder ½ - ¾ tsp crushed chillies ½ tsp whole coriander seeds ½ tsp whole cumin seeds ½ tsp black pepper ground ½ tsp fenugreek salt to taste 1. Clean and wash lentils. Soak for 2 hours in 5 cups water. Drain and rinse. 2. Prepare squash by steaming for 20 minutes until soft; mash and set aside. (If using potatoes or sweet potatoes as alternatives, these need to be peeled and diced into ¼ cubes.) 3. Simmer lentils and turmeric in 4 cups of water for 1 hour. 4. Add squash (or diced potatoes, if using them), carrots and beans (if fresh). Bring to simmer and cook for another 30 minutes. 5. Grind fenugreek, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds using mortar and pestle or electric grinder. Add crushed chillies, black pepper and curry powder. Set aside. 6. Sauté onions in oil until golden brown. Add garlic and continue to sauté until deeply golden. Add spice mixture and sauté for 1 minute more. Add mixture to lentils about 15 minutes before end of cooking. Add lemon juice and add beans at this time if using frozen beans. Reestablish simmer. 7. Adjust seasonings, especially salt. Add masala at the end. More water can be added if a thinner soup is desired
Ooooh, Joe - sounds wonderful, but I'll have to increase my spice cabinet repertoire a bit before I tackle it.... thanx...
Hearty Barley-Lentil Soup from Everyday Cooking With Dr. Dean Ornish 5 c vegetable broth 1 c canned diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes 1 c diced onion 1 c diced potato 1 c diced celery 3/4 c dried lentils 1/2 c diced carrot 1/2 c diced green beans 1/2 c pearl barley 1 c diced zucchini 1/2 c dried elbow macaroni salt & pepper In a large soup pot combine 5 cups of broth, tomatoes, onion, celery, potato, lentils, carrots, green beans, and barley. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover, adjust heat to maintain a slow simmer and cook 30 minutes. Add zucchini and macaroni. Cook, uncovered, until macaroni is done, about 15 minutes. Add additional broth if soup is too thick. This soup is kind of like the kitchen sink variety - put in what you want and delete it if you don't have it. Lentils are really good if you add a few to brown rice. The 40-45 min. cooking time needed for brown rice is plenty of time to cook the lentils; just put them both in the same pot to cook. You can get lentils in both a brown and a salmon colored. It makes for variety in how things look.
French Lentils with Onion & Carrot Serves 4 * 1 TB olive oil * 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped * 1 carrot, peeled and diced * 3 cups water * 1 cup lentils, rinsed * 1 bay leaf * 1 tsp dried thyme * sea salt, to taste * ground pepper, to taste In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasoning and serve.
Fartle Soup ------------- two cups white chablis 2-4 cups chicken broth (or water) five bay leaves two chopped garlic cloves 1/8 cup olive oil package of lentils two carrots cut into dollars ham chunks (optional) 1/2 teaspoon each of dried: marjoram, oregano, parsley, cilantro Salt to taste (optional) Pepper and fresh lemon juice chopped fresh Kale leaves sour cream simmer carrots and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, then add broth and wine. Pour in rinsed and sorted lentils. Stir in dried herbs and bay leaves. Add ham chunks. simmer until lentils are tender but still whole (20-35 minutes, medium heat). Stir in chopped kale leaves at the last minute, so they wilt. Serve in bowls, top with dollops of sour cream and fresh ground pepper and fresh lemon juice to season. This should not be a watery dish, but more like chili or beans. Nice with hot buttered corn bread! (don't eat the bay leaves) EMISSIONS: Prepare for fartles to emerge about an hour after serving. Do not serve this dish to people you don't know well, who are going to stick around. Do not serve within a few hours of important social occasions, or before long car trips.
I'm looking longingly at the lentil recipes. They all sound wonderful. I've been on lentil restriction since "The Great Lentil Incident of 1999" when I managed to drop a four quart sauce pot filled with lentil stew while transferring it less than two feet from refrigerator to stove top to reheat for lunch. Lentils went e v e r y w h e r e! They were stuck on the floor, wall, dishwasher, across the kitchen, on the window blinds. You get the picture. A few years later more lentils turned up while remodeling the kitchen. Doh! After being thoroughly razzed by family and friends I haven't had the courage to make lentil stew since.
I JUST ADD THEM TO THE VEGTABLE SOUP THAT I MAKE WHICH IS LOW SODIUM CHICKEN STOCK AND ADD FROZEN MIXED VEGGIES, GARLIC, 1 CAN OF LOW SODIUM CHOPPED TOMATOES AND SIMMER FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES AND THEN ADD THE LENTILS AND COOK FOR ABOUT 15-20 MORE MINUTES. I SERVED THIS OVER SOME CRUSHED UNSALTED TORTILLIA CHIPS AND WE LOVE IT. YOU CAN ADD A SPOONFUL OF SOUR CREAM AND CHOPPED AVOCADO ON TOP IF YOU LIKE. HOPE THIS HELPS. "TWINKLE"
