Curried Red Lentil Spread -VEGAN

Sorry for the long pause, our family grew this summer and has been blessed with another beautiful baby girl named Mariza.

Ok, down to business!

Last week I attended an outdoor Autumn potluck with the task of creating something healthy, and orange to share. I'm not vegan, but having grown up being at times vegetarian, beans and lentils find there way into almost every meal at our house. This is a quick, inexpensive and healthy snack that's also great to bring to those winter gatherings.

Curried Red Lentil Spread

2 C red lentils
2 Bulbs roasted garlic
1/2-1 t yellow curry powder
3 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Water to thin if needed

Slice tops off bulbs of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, close in a foil pouch and bake at 425 until you smell their yummy goodness, remove from oven, allow to cool in pouch and squeeze out cloves. Wash and cover lentils with water, simmer until soft, remove excess water and allow to cool. Puree lentils, garlic, curry powder and olive oil. Add salt to taste and water as desired to achieve desired consistency. Serve with tortilla or pita chips as a spread for bread or on sandwiches.

Energy & Time Saving Tip:

Avoid heating the oven up just to do the roasted garlic, instead why not do big pouches of them while baking something else and freeze them, that way they are always on hand.

Rosemary Potatoes

Sorry I have been MIA the past couple months, who knew chasing after a toddler would be so time consuming? Lets ease back into things with an easy yet fantastic side for dinner, brunch or all on it's own! These go like wildfire around here and store well for re-heating, so if you can, why not make a double or even triple batch?

Rosemary Potatoes

6 large potatoes, scrubbed & chopped into bite-size chunks
4 T olive oil
1-2 t sea salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped (dried can be substituted)
2 cloves garlic, minced


Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together. Pour onto a large baking pan, bake for 15 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven and turn over. Reduce heat to 400 and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Great for brunch served with french toast and quiche or whatever pleases you!

Garbanzo bean salad

One of my favorite salads, healthy, easy and flavorful. We eat it all summer long at my house and I guarantee you'll fall in love, especially if you like the zing of lemon.

Garbanzo bean salad

4 cups garbanzo beans (cooked and cooled) - canned may be substituted
1 bunch parsley finely chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 red onion chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
2 lemons (pulp & juice)
3 T extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Combine all ingredients except feta cheese in a large bowl add salt and pepper to taste, if possible allow to marinate for 30 minutes. Serve alone or on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with feta cheese.

Great with falafel & hummus or whatever pleases you!

Medicinal FAQS: Parsley is one of the most versatile medicinal plants around and is absolutely a must have in any well stocked herbal garden. Parsley is high in iron content and rich in vitamins A, B, C and trace minerals. Leaves, seeds, and roots all have medicinal value in the treatment of diseases of the bladder and kidneys, rheumatism, arthritis and sciatica.

Spanish Rice

A friend asked me this week for a Spanish rice recipe and this is any easy one I make quite often. As with many of my recipes it has been changed to meet my taste needs. I believe a true Spanish rice probably has no cumin, but since I am a cumin worshiper, its in mine, but feel free to omit it if that pleases you.

Spanish Rice

2 C long grain white rice
1/4 C olive or canola oil
1 yellow onion roughly chopped
1 bell pepper diced
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tomatoes diced
2 t salt (more to taste if desired)
1 T cumin powder
1 t crushed red pepper
2 3/4 C chicken broth
3/4 cup of frozen mixed vegis

Fresh cilantro for garnish

In a large skillet heat oil until it sizzles, add onions and garlic allowing them to brown, add rice and allow to brown slightly. Add remaining ingredients except for chicken broth and give them a good stir. Add chicken broth and allow to boil. Once boiling, reduce to lowest setting, cover and keep covered for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with tacos, enchiladas, mole or whatever pleases you!

Refried Beans

Easy, Yummy & Healthy! What more could you want?

Refried Beans

1 lb pinto beans (soaked overnight)
8 cloves garlic
2 T cumin
1 T olive oil
Salt to taste

Boil beans until soft, strain (keep strained water to thin beans as needed), process beans, garlic and cumin in food processor, adding water as needed to reach smooth consistency. Heat oil on medium heat for 1 minute, return mixture to pan, add salt to taste and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Double batch and freeze too!

Sprinkle with cheese & serve with rice, Mole with chicken, Enchiladas, Tacos or whatever pleases you!

Guacamole

The origin of the name "guacamole" lies in the Aztec word ahuacatl, which the Spanish conquistadors transliterated as aguacate/avocado, and in the word mole/sauce or mixture. There are many variations of guacamole but this spicy version is definitely my favorite.

Guacamole

3 Ripe avocados
1 Ripe tomato (finely chopped)
1 Lime
1 Jalapeno pepper (finely minced)
1/2 Red Onion (finely minced)
1 T Cumin
1 t Salt

Mash avocados with juice & pulp of lime, stir in remaining ingredients. Serve with chips, tostadas, tacos or whatever please you!

Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Soup

For those of us lucky enough to be smack dab in the middle of squash season, this is a hearty, easy and delicious soup that can be made in big batches, frozen and eaten the rest of the winter. Defiantly a favorite at my house.

Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Soup

2 Butternut squash
2 Bulbs garlic
2 C Water
1 T Salt
1 t Olive oil

Garnish (optional)

1 T Heavy cream per bowl
A few Toasted walnuts


Slice tops off garlic bulbs and drizzle with olive oil, seal them tightly in a aluminum foil pouch. Roast squash whole in 350˚ oven for 40 minutes or until it softens to touch, roast garlic the last 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice squash in half, spoon out seeds & hairs and remove skin. Remove garlic from its skin. Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add more water if needed to reach a consistency slightly thicker than gravy. Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a boil, add more salt if needed. Transfer to bowls and garnish if desired.

This soup is great for lunch with fresh bread and roasted garlic olive oil (roast a couple extra bulbs, add some olive oil and salt for an easy and fantastic spread) or served with a big meal for those special occasions. And no one has to know how easy it was!

Cilantro Salsa

You either love it or hate it, and I could bathe in it!

Cilantro is versatile, high in vitamins and tastes fantastic! This is a quick and spicy salsa that might just keep you from ever buying over-processed, bland store-bought salsa again.

Cilantro Salsa

2 bunches cilantro (stems removed)
1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes (substitute 16oz can if desired)
2 jalapeno peppers
1 green bell pepper
1/2 red onion
2 limes
1 T cumin
2 t salt

Finely chop cilantro and all vegetables, put them in a large bowl, add juice and pulp of limes along with the salt and cumin, stir and serve or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Serve with chips, tacos, tostadas or whatever pleases you!

Tabbouleh Salad

This is the last but not least of the sides that goes great with the earlier Kibbe ball recipe. This is a healthy, tangy side that is one of the most popular middle eastern salads on the planet. Also a great dish for you RAW foodies!

Tabbouleh

1/2 C Fine grain bulgur
2 Lemons (juice and pulp)
1 1/2 C Finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 C Finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 C Finely chopped scallions
3 C Finely chopped parsley
1 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
1/2 t Allspice
1/2 C Finely chopped red onion
3/4 C Olive oil

Rinse bulgur and cover with 3 C water and let soak for 30 minutes, drain and squeeze out excess water. In a large bowl, combine the all ingredients and stir, add more salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with Kibbe balls, falafel and hummus or whatever pleases you!

Orzo pilaf

Cool weather has arrived and some are in need of belly warming side dish ideas. Its time to put down the Lipton and Uncle Ben's and create our own yummy home-made Mediterranean treat.

Orzo Pilaf

1/3 C butter or olive oil
1 C rice
1 C orzo pasta
4 C chicken broth
1 finely chopped white onion
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 t ground black pepper
1-2 t salt
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T allspice
1/2 c raisins

In a large sauce pan, melt butter, add onion and garlic and saute over med-high heat until onions are translucent. Add rice and orzo, saute and stir constantly until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to lowest setting. Keep covered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir and serve.


Serve as a side with kibbe balls, shawarma, moussaka, or anything that pleases you!

Hummus

It has been requested that the accompanying dishes served with the Kibbe Balls be given, so I'll begin with one that is a staple at my house. Versatile, tasty, high in fiber and inexpensive to make. Another spicy one, so adjust to your heat level if needed.

Hummus

16 oz dried garbanzo beans (soak overnight and boil until soft) alternatively you can use drained, canned beans
1/2 C tahini
2 lemons (juice and pulp)
6 cloves garlic
1 t dried cayenne powder
1/4 C olive oil
1 T salt, less if you use canned garbanzo beans
1/8 - 1/2 C water as needed to reach desired consistency

In a food processor, process garlic, add garbanzo beans and process until they are the consistency of a coarse meal, add remaining ingredients except water and process until smooth, add water to reach desired consistency.

Great with pita or whatever pleases you!

Artichoke Dip

In celebration of her granddaughters first tooth that appeared this morning and her new road to food enjoyment, this first recipe is for Grama Murp.

This one is NOT for those of you scared of fat or heat!

Artichoke Dip

1 16oz can or jar drained artichoke hearts (quarter if not already quartered)
2 finely chopped red chilli peppers
8oz Grated fresh parmesan cheese
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 425

Mix all ingredients
Spoon into a baking dish or ramekins (don't cover)
Bake until top is brown

Serve with warm baguette or whatever pleases you!

Love you mom :-)