I try to keep the language clean and family-friendly around these around these parts. I never know who might decide to stop by and check out my little piece of the internet – don’t want to scare anyone off, of course. Not that I’m a total potty mouth or anything. I just like to keep it safe enough for my Grammy or my mother-in-law to read. I imagine you’d do the same.
That being said, it is with some difficulty that I describe today’s recipe to you. Stan’s exact words were, “This is freaking phenomenal.” Except he didn’t say freaking. I’ll let you use your imagination to guess what he really said. (Yeah, so maybe he’s the potty mouth in the family.) Language aside, Stan was right. These lentils are, indeed, freaking phenomenal.
This recipe is one of my favorite kinds – those that take little time and little effort and produce huge flavor. Dinner can be ready in 15 minutes (plus however long it takes water to boil where you live). When it’s done you will have bowls of warm, fragrant lentils, redolent with Indian spices, and studded with chunks of juicy stewed tomatoes. Ladled over rice or served with Naan, this healthy meal will have you going back for seconds… and possibly having to watch your language, too.
For the last few days, Nashville has been gray. All day. The sky is pretty much the same color from sunrise to sunset – and let me tell you, it is not such a pretty color. Where is the warm and sunny South I’ve come to love? I tell you, I think it’s hibernating for the winter. And really, that’s what this weather is making me want to do too. Put on some sweats, cozy up under a pile of blankets with the remote control, and hibernate ‘til spring.
Since giving up on leaving the house for the next few months isn’t really an option for most of us, I offer you up the next best thing – a warm and cozy meal that will help you through these chilly nights and give you lunch leftovers to look forward to on an otherwise dreary day. My cure for the gray-day doldrums? Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard.
Stan and I just got back from a lovely visit with his family in Cleveland, Ohio. While the wisdom of traveling to the land of lake effect snow in January is debatable, finding $60 roundtrip tickets is a rarity that makes braving the cold a little more tolerable. (You read that right - $60 roundtrip! We caught a crazy Southwest sale back in October and jumped on those prices in a flash.)
To keep us warm and spoil us rotten, Stan’s parents cooked all of our favorite Russian foods, turning our visit into a four-day feast. (I’ve told you before that Stan is Russian, right? He didn’t move to the U.S. until he was eleven, and his family still speaks Russian at home.) Russian food is the perfect winter belly-warmer. It’s hearty and homey enough to fortify you through those Arctic Siberian winters – or January in Cleveland.
However, while we love traditional Russian foods and Stan’s parents’ excellent home-cooking, back in Nashville we are feeling the need to lighten things up while we recover from the feasting that embodies our family get-togethers. When it comes to eating healthier, lentils are an excellent choice. They are inexpensive, high in protein, and very filling.
Me thinks it’s time for something a little bit healthier. Not that there’s anything wrong with cakes and cookies, but I figure we all need a few deliciously healthy recipes to balance out our seasonal indulgences. You know, so we can fit into something besides our seasonal sweatpants.
Today’s salad is the perfect way to lighten up your fall cooking. It’s an addictive combination of smoky, spiced butternut squash, hearty French green lentils, creamy goat cheese, peppery arugula, and crunchy pumpkin seeds. The flavors, colors, and textures balance each other beautifully and will leave you marveling over how just a few ingredients can come together to make something so incredibly tasty. Filling enough to be served as a vegetarian entrée, this salad would also be a fantastic first course at a dinner party – and maybe Thanksgiving, too.
Pretty much everyone seems to like lentil soup, but I wonder if everyone knows how easy it is to make homemade. Like, I wish someone had told me this years ago, easy. Plus it’s made with ingredients you probably have on hand all the time, except maybe the lentils. But since those can last a long time in your pantry, you can keep those on hand too.
I don’t know about you, but I like recipes that I can throw together with odds and ends pulled from the deep recesses of my fridge and pantry – especially on chilly winter days when we’re pretty much out of groceries and don’t want to brave the cold to get more. I know I know, I shouldn’t complain about Nashville winters – I used to live in Cleveland. But let me tell you, warm weather spoils a girl! Until spring comes, I guess I’ll just have to make to do with a big bowl of steamy, homemade lentil soup.
Vegetables… vitamins… healthy food… please!!
No, this is not an early New Year’s resolution. This is merely what my stomach would be saying, could it actually speak to me. After a week in Ohio visiting the family, not only for Thanksgiving, but for two birthday celebrations, my poor stomach needs a break. I imagine many of you feel the same way. Not that family feasts aren’t fabulous – but there’s definitely a waist-pinching downside to the holiday season.
Enter the mighty salad. Now, don’t worry, this isn’t some little leafy thing, destined to cause your stomach to go into shock from its rapid culinary about-face. This is a hearty, healthy, filling meal on a plate (or bowl). It’s sort of a jazzed up tabouli.
For those of you unfamiliar with tabouli, it is a Middle Eastern salad composed of wheat bulgur, parsley, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, and a host of other random ingredients. It is light and refreshing, but not particularly filling. This particular recipe includes the basic tabouli ingredients and kicks it up a notch with the addition of some extra veggies, salty feta cheese and olives, and high-protein lentils. You can serve it as an entrée with some pita chips or as a side dish with any number of dishes.
