Kichadee

My cousin, Bri P., introduced this recipe to me. She says it is one of her staple foods. It was tasty and hearty. Here is my version.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (about 1 cup uncooked)
• 2 cups cooked red lentils (about 3/4 c. to 1 c. uncooked)
• 2-3 c. finely chopped sweet potato
• 2-3 c. finely chopped kale (if you want it less chewy pull it off the stem first)
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/4 c. butter or ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.  Get the rice and red lentils cooking in separate pots, according to the directions on their packaging. 
2. Brown spice seeds in the butter or ghee for a few minutes. Add the powdered spices. Then add all the veggies and stir till combines. Saute with the lid on, occasionally stirring, until veggies are soft and cooked through. 
3. Combine the cooked rice, cooked lentils, into the veggie mixture. Add salt and lemon juice and mix well. Let sit 10 minutes and then serve.

Notes about this recipe:

• You can also add fennel powder in with the spices, I just couldn't find it at my grocery store.
• If you want to try making your own ghee use 1/4 lb butter, unsweetened and unsalted. Heat over medium heat until fat separates on top and bottom. Continue at a gentle boil until a large mid portion is clear (about 20 min.) Strain with superfine mesh into a mason jar.
• With the spices you can go up to 2 Tb. depending on how spicy/flavorful you want it.

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup Adaptation

Since my last post I've had a chance to try out the soup recommended by Jessie at Prevention.com.

I made some adaptations when I tried it out. And when you adapt a recipe then you can post it without copyright issues.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tb fresh ginger, minced
• 2 Tb curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black  pepper
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 c. dried lentils
• 1 quart water
• 14 oz rice milk
• 2 tsp imitation coconut flavoring
• About 3 c. small chopped sweet potato
• 3/4 c. green beans, cut into thirds
• 1/2 c. chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook till soft about 3-5 min. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 more min. Stir in curry powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 1-2 more minutes, till fragrant. 
2. Mix the imitation coconut flavoring into the rice milk. 
3. Stir in tomatoes, lentils, water, and rice milk/coconut mixture. Bring to a boil. Partially cover and reduce heat. Let simmer about 15 min.
4. Add potatoes and cook 10 more min.
5. Stir in green beans, cover completely and let cook another 10 minutes till lentils and potatoes are soft. Add cilantro and serve.

Notes about this recipe:

1. You can just use coconut milk in place of the rice milk/coconut extract mixture if you'd prefer.

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

 This recipe was sent to me by Jessie K. She said had to share it because it "is just that good." Sadly, the content is copyrighted and I have been waiting for over a month to get permission to post it. In the meantime, please head over to Prevention.com to check out this delicious soup!

Veggie Lentil Soup

This is another meal my mom, Tracy G., made for us while she was in town meeting the newest grandbaby. We needed something to supplement our salad and rolls, and we had some left over lentils from a different meal. This was delish! She whipped it out of no where so that is why some of the ingredients have a range in the measurement; just add how much you prefer!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
• Herbs/seasonings of your choice, to taste
• thyme
• sage
• oregano
• salt
• cracked pepper
• 2-4 cups vegetable broth or water, depending on how thick you want your soup
• 1 can of green beans (no salt added), or frozen
• 1/2 can of corn, or frozen
• 3-4 potatoes, cubed
• 1-2 carrots, sliced
• 1 or 2 cans of diced or stewed tomatoes
• Your choice cooked legumes, about 1 cup
• lentils
• black beans

Directions:

1. Peel & cube potatoes and carrots. Cook in a pot of boiling water till just cooked. Set aside.
2. Blend tomatoes in blender till smooth.
3. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in a tiny bit of olive oil till onion is clear. Add herbs and seasonings of your choice. Cook for 1 more minute, then add vegetable broth/water, green beans, corn, cooked potatoes and carrots, blended tomatoes, and legumes. 
4. Simmer about 15 minutes.

Lentil Tacos

 (Photo from A Couple Cooks)

I found this recipe at A Couple Cooks, and just tried them out. My hubby says out of all the veggie taco meat replacements we've tried this one was his favorite. We both agree that the consistency of the lentils is the closest to taco meat.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups brown lentils (8 ounces) 
• One red onion 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 3 1/2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning mix 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup 
• Whole grain tortillas 
• Toppings of your choice: Lettuce, fresh tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream

Directions: 

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 1 3/4 cups salted water to a boil. Add 1 1/4 cup lentils, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer covered for about 20 to 25 minutes, until most of the water has been absorbed.

2. If you haven’t already done so, mix up the taco seasonings. Prepare the toppings by washing and chopping the lettuce and fresh tomatoes, if using.

3. Finely dice a red onion and two garlic cloves. Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet; add red onion and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute more.

4. Turn off the heat and add the lentils. Stir in around 3 to 3 1/2 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix and about 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup, to taste. Add more seasoning if desired.

5. To serve, add lentils to a warmed tortilla; top with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Fold and enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Notes about this recipe:

1. We used regular white tortillas, although I'm sure the wheat are just as yummy.

2. We also served it with avocado slices.

3. I used their homemade taco seasoning recipe, but I think if there is a different mix you prefer that would also work, just as long as you have enough to really flavor the lentils.

 

Lentil Barley Soup

(Picture from Karen Madsen)

This recipe was sent to me by Aubrey B. She says it is a family recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. lentils
• 1 c. barley
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (crushed would work too)
• 1 c. onion, chopped
• 1 c. celery, sliced
• 2 T Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dill weed (or your favorite spice blend)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 10 c vegetable broth (I usually do just 8 cups broth, and two cups water)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water if soup becomes too thick. Serves 10 normal eaters (or 4 if you have a Kevin [her hubby] eating it).

To make it into a stew, mix flour and water together and add to the soup until it reaches the thickness you desire. Wonderful served as a "gravy" over mashed potatoes.

Super Veggie Lentil Taco "Meat"

(Photo from The Ordinary Vegetarian)

This recipe was sent to me by Aubrey B. She said it has fabulous flavor and texture. She found it at The Ordinary Vegetarian.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 large bell pepper, chopped (any color)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (any kind) (I left this out, since I didn't have any on hand, it worked just fine.)
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 2 ribs of celery, sliced
• 1-1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• dash cayenne
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Heat 1/4 cup water in a large skillet. Saute onion for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. If the pan starts to dry up and the contents start sticking, add a tablespoon or two more of water. Add in the lentils, carrots, celery, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne, and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture starts drying out, add 1/4 cup water or broth. (I ended up putting in about 1/2 a cup extra water)

Remove from heat and carefully drain off any extra liquid (a little bit of liquid is fine, excessive liquid is not desirable). Remove bay leaf and stir in tomato paste and lime juice. Transfer to food processor or blender and pulse a few times, until a crumbly texture is achieved--do not puree. Serve hot.

Makes six 1/2 cup servings (about 3 cups), which could be used to make 12 tacos, 6 burritos, 6 taco salads, or 6 nacho platters.

Lentil Stew

This recipe was sent by Whitney H. She made a post about it on her blog and found the recipe at All Recipes. She made her own adaptations based on the comments others made on the original recipe, and considers the following recipe a masterpiece in her personal culinary history. She says of the 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."

Ingredients:

• 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

Directions:

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!

Tarka Dhal

This recipe is adapted from a cookbook called Best Ever Indian Cookbook. I actually took this picture the first time I made it, a few months ago. Tonight when I made it I changed some things but it still looked the same.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. red split lentils (also called masoor dhal)
1/4 c. yellow split lentils (also called mung dhal)
2 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp canned green chilis
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the Tarka:
1-2 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tomato, diced

Directions:

Bring the lentils, water, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and green chilies to a boil. Simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until soft.

Mash the lentils with a fork (or you could use the end of a wooden rolling pin, or a glass jar; I actually just used the back side of my wooden mixing spoon) until it is a creamy constancy. Some of the lentils will still look whole. If the mixture seems too dry, then add water and mix.

For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and tomato for 2-5 min. (until onion is translucent).

Pour the tarka over the lentils and garnish with cilantro.

I serve it up with brown rice, and some bread/veggie/fruit (any or all).

Notes about this recipe:

1. You could use all red or all yellow lentils.
2. You could use fresh green peppers (serrano) if you like.
3. You could add more crushed red pepper flakes if you want it to be hotter. I prefer mild, which is what the above recipe is.

Lentil & Veggie Tostadas

This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 to 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 tostada shells
• 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (such as broccoli, tomato, zucchini, and/or yellow summer squash)
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan stir together water, lentils, onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and cumin. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to mash the cooked lentils.

2. Spread the lentil mixture on tostada shells; top with the vegetables and cheese. Place on a large baking sheet. Broil tostadas 3 to 4 inches from the heat about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition facts

Calories269; Total Fat (g)9; Saturated Fat (g)3; Monounsaturated Fat (g)0; Polyunsaturated Fat (g)0; Cholesterol (mg)16; Sodium (mg)595; Carbohydrate (g)34; Total Sugar (g)3; Fiber (g)8; Protein (g)16; Vitamin A (DV%)0; Vitamin C (DV%)0; Calcium (DV%)22; Iron (DV%)13; Starch (d.e.)1; Milk (d.e.).5; Vegetables (d.e.)1; Lean Meat (d.e.).5; Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Notes about this recipe:

1. I was able to stretch it to make 6 tostadas.
2. I liked it better when I sauteed the veggies before putting them on the tostadas, and I thought the summer squashes tasted better than the broccoli.
3. Still delish even if you need to omit the cheese.
4. Watch them close under the broiler, they burn fast!