Meatless Monday: Moar lentilz plz!!!

Okay, okay, so I know there are a lot of jokes going around about lentils.  Namely because they are often used by the well-meaning folks as a cure all for the problems of the poor, fat, and hungry.

I.E.  "All the poor fat peoplez should eat all the lentilz because they're healthy and cheaper than a Big Mac!!"

All ass-hattery aside, I really think people should eat more lentils.  They are healthy, cheap, and insanely delicious!!!  The only downside as far as I can see is there lack of, shall we say, visual appeal?

Honestly, this is actually a pretty good picture of lentils.  If you want to see them in their total paradoxically ugly/ delicious form, see this post here on Sausage with Lentils.

Where was I?

Right, lentils are delicious (if somewhat disgusting looking), and I really could eat them any day of the week.  (Mr. greenhorngourmande still remains somewhat unconvinced of this all lentil diet.  That's okay though, because that just means more for me.)

Seriously though, I'm pretty in love with this tasty little legume.  As seen in a recent photo of me daydreaming of this particular lentil dish, Mujadara.

I can haz all the lentilz!?!?!

I do have to admit that this particular dishes appeal lies not so much in the lentils, but rather the copious amounts of caramelized onions contained within.  This dish is hearty, savoury, and ready in about 45 minutes.  Give it a try, and maybe you too will find yourself as a member of #teamlentilz4life.

Mujadara

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp garam masala
2 cups brown lentils, rinsed
1 cup long grain rice
4-6 cups liquid (veg. stock, chicken stock, water etc.)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Directions
1.  In a large pot heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the diced onions.  Cook until softened and add the garlic and garam masala, cooking until fragrant.
2.  Add the lentils and 4 cups of liquid.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes until lentils are beginning to become soft.  Add the rice and enough liquid to cover by about an inch.  Stir together, cover, and cook over low heat until rice and lentils are completely cooked.
3.  While lentils are cooking in step 2, melt the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan.  Add the onions, salt and pepper, and cook until caramelized.
4.  Stir caramelized onions into the cooked rice and lentils, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mom's Potato Cheddar Casserole- 50th post!

I find that everyone has some special dish from childhood that holds a special place in their heart.  Usually something simple, warm, and comforting.  I was lucky, my mother was and still is a wonderful cook, so I have quite a few childhood favorites.

One of these is my mom's hamburger and potato casserole.  A quintessentially American dish that my grandmother used to make for my mom.  The tangy tomato sauce loaded with lean ground beef is a perfect match with the tender yet firm potatoes.  The cheddar makes the dish feel extra homey, and the extra crisp bits of cheese on the sides are quite possibly the best part.

I'm sad to say that while I've always been interested in eating, the cooking part of the whole process was quite foreign to me until a few years ago.  While my mother was performing magic in the kitchen, I was elsewhere.  So when I have a craving for an old favorite, I call my mother and try to squeeze the recipe out of her.

Don't get me wrong, she loves it when I call to ask for a recipe, but she is one of those skilled and experienced cooks that hardly ever follows a particular recipe.

Fortunately for me, I was able to recreate this dish (with a few small changes) that was almost as good as the real deal.

I replaced the classic orange cheddar with some extra sharp white, and I traded in a mix of red and green lentils for the lean hamburger (don't tell mom!).  The casserole tastes almost exactly the same, but the texture was a little off.  Lentils just can't compete for the delightful chew of ground beef.  At any rate this recipe is delicious, and makes a wonderfully hearty vegetarian meal.

Lentil and Potato Casserole

Ingredients

4 large yellow potatoes, sliced into 1/3in. circles
2 tbsp salt
3/4 cup green lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over
3 cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
1 tbsp oil (olive, canola, bacon grease, etc.)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/2-3/4 cup ketchup (one made with sugar is preferred)
4 ounces extra sharp white cheddar, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.  In a large bowl place sliced potatoes, 2 tbsp salt, and cover with cold water until all slices are submerged.  Set aside.  In a large non-stick pot place all of the lentils and 3 cups of your liquid of choice.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until the lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes.  By this point the red lentils will have lost their shape, and the green will still have a slight bite.
2.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  In a large sauce pan heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the chopped onions.  Saute until softened, and then add the minced garlic.  Continue cooking until garlic is fragrant.  Add the lentils, tomato paste, water and 1/2 cup ketchup.  Stir until combined and taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and ketchup to taste.
3.  In a large baking dish (I used 9x13x4) place 1/3 of the lentil mixture.  Top with half of the potato slices in a uniform and single layer and cover with half of the remaining lentil mixture.  Repeat with the remaining potatoes and lentils for a total of two layers of potatoes.  Cover the entire casserole with the cheese and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.  Let cool slightly before serving.

As my title suggests, this is my fiftieth blog post!!  I have to say that I'm a little surprised to have continued with my blog so long.  Thank you to everyone who has ever left me a comment, or visited my blog!

Check out this fun blog party!

WIAW 12-I can has lentilz?!?!

Teh kitteh wishes you a happy WIAW.  Also, wants you to stay away from it's lentils.

Sadly, my cat doesn't actually eat lentils.  Even more sadly, my cat isn't really mine anymore (she lives with my mom *sad face*).  

If you hadn't guessed it, I had lentils this lovely Wednesday (i.e. Tuesday), delicious, delicious, Parmesan and Fire Roasted Tomato Lentils.  Read on for the recipe and to see teh eats!

Indian Red Lentil and Chickpea Stew

In today's WIAW post I mentioned that I would post a recipe of my lunch:

While the photo may not be awe inspiring, I assure you this recipe is worthy of your admiration and appetite.  It's a spicy, flavorful, and a bright way to shake off your January blues.

It was created from an amalgamation of various Indian recipes I have tried over the past couple of months.  I actually made a dish similar to this one lazy afternoon, but stupidly failed to write down my creation.  This time I made sure not to make the same mistake and took meticulous notes.

Ingredients

1 med yellow onion, diced medium

1 jalapeno, diced small (seeded if you like)

1 tbsp ginger, grated or minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp canola oil

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

2.5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 cup red lentils

1-2 cups cooked chickpeas 

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp madras curry powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cayenne

salt to taste ( I used about 1 tsp)

Directions

1.  In a large sauce pan or deep frying pan heat up the canola oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and allow to soften slightly, then add the jalapeno and ginger.  Cook a few more minutes, until onions are soft, and add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

2.  Next add the tomatoes and their juices.  Allow the tomatoes to cook for about 5 minutes until they have released more of their juices.  Now add the chicken stock, lentils, spices, and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and let cook 15-20 minutes until lentils are almost done. 

3. Add the chickpeas and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until lentils reach desired consistency.  Salt to taste.

I served mine with brown basmati rice; it's slightly springy texture was a nice contrast to the soft lentils and chickpeas.  If you've only ever had short grain brown rice, I insist that you try one of it's long grain cousins.  I find that it is less nutty and chewy, and they're an overall more relatable replacement for white rice.

Happy hump day!

WIAW ten- Happy New Year!!!

Happy first WIAW of 2012!

Thanks for being an awesome hostess Jenn!

This year I've hit the ground running, and I'm already making headway into my resolutions blogolutions.  This year I'm going to try and post more frequently (posted yesterday ), and really tighten up the focus of my blog.  I've also already added a recipes page!!! Check <<it>> out!  I'm amazed at how many recipes I've managed to post in the three months since I've started writing this blog.


Alright, enough blatant self promotion.  Let's get on with the eats!

Are you a food voyeur?

I most definitely am.  I spend an embarrassing amount of time on foodgawker, so imagine my delight when I discovered What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) over at peas and crayons.  The concept is very simple; write a post photographing what you ate on any given day.  Then every Wednesday there is a "party" post on peas and crayons linking to everyone else's WIAW.

This appeals to me for a number of reasons:
1.  Food porn,
2.  Links to a bunch of really interesting blogs, and
3.  The chance to be a food exhibitionist.

Anyway, without further ado I present my very first WIAW.

Frittata with potato, bacon, orange cherry tomatoes, and banana pepper.  Coffee and water.

Breakfast:

Half a Mutsu apple.  Also known as 'King' apple.

Lunch:

Sausage and Lentils with a Garlic Red Wine Sauce (A.K.A last night's dinner.  Recipe avaialble here)

Snack:

Smoothie: Almond milk, greek yogurt, frozen strawberries, banana, honey, and spinach.

Dinner:

Red Wine Spaghetti (Recipe available here.)

After Dinner Refreshment:

At $2.50 for 4x16 ounces, how could I refuse.  (Not my photo.)

So that was my (last) Wednesday: a boozy hump day celebration.  What did you eat?

Red Red Wine....

Make me forget!!!  No, but seriously.

Make me some fucking amazing food.

As a lover of all things alcoholic (I'm looking at you St. Ides), cooking with booze really appeals to me.  So this past week I made not one but TWO dishes featuring my favorite colored vino, red wine.

Both dishes were delicious, however there was a clear front runner.

Sausage and Lentils with a Garlicky Wine Sauce.  SO GOOD!  I literally licked my plate.  (I know TMI, but seriously- it's plate licking good.)

The other was a beautiful Red Wine Spaghetti.  The spaghetti is cooked in a mixture of water and wine which imparts a beautiful burgundy hue to the pasta, as well as a very unique taste.  This dish was good and I probably will make it again, but only if I ever happen to have leftover wine.  Seriously though, this thing took a whole 750ml bottle which = no remnants to drink.

Anyway, I'll let you be the judge on the alcohol vs. delicious food dilemma.

P.S.  Scroll to the end for a festive surprise.

Not the most beautiful girl at the dance, but boy is she tasty.  (Hmmm.  I may need to rethink my metaphors.)

Lentils and Sausage  (Adapted from Nigella Lawson)
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp bacon grease  (you can sub. olive oil)
• 1 yellow onion, small diced
• 8-10 ounces French lentils ( you can sub. green/brown)
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock (aprox.)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 4 Hot Italian sausages
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup water
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot heat up your bacon grease.  Add the diced onions and sprinkle with salt and cook until softened.  
2. Next add the lentils, bay leaf, and enough chicken stock to cover the lentils.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer until tender and most or all of the liquid is absorbed.  Remove bay leaf.  Set aside and keep warm.
3. In a large pan heat up 1 tbsp olive oil.  When hot add the crushed garlic and cook about a minute until fragrant.  Add the sausages and brown on all sides.
4. Carefully add the water and wine.  Reduce heat and cover pan.  Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes until sausages are cooked through.
5. Remove sausages from pan and place in pot with lentils.  Mash garlic cloves in the liquid and pour over the sausage and lentils.  Mix until sauce is incorporated; salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot with remaining wine.

Wine waster/Great taster

Red Wine Spaghetti  (Slightly adapted from here.)
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 750ml bottle dry red wine (I used 2-buck-chuck shiraz)
• 16 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot pour all but 1/4 cup of the wine.  Add about 2-3 cups of water to have a sufficient amount of boiling liquid.  Bring liquid to a boil and generously salt.  (Be careful this step can cause boil over).  
2. Add the pasta and cook until just before al dente.  Strain and reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
3. In a deep pan heat up the olive oil.  Add the garlic and red pepper; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the remaining wine and reserved cooking liquid; bring to a simmer.
4. Place the pasta in the pan and slowly stir until liquid is absorbed.  Toss with the parmesan, sprinkle with black pepper, and serve.

As promised:

UB40 performing Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine."  Enjoy.