Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound green lentils
3 medium-large onions, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped carrots
3 quarts vegetable stock
¼ cup tomato paste
Parmesan cheese

What to do:

Be warned -- this makes a ton of soup.

Boil water and pour over the lentils, allowing them to soak in the hot water for 15 minutes.

Combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin. Using a really big pot, sauté the onions and leeks in the olive oil mixture for 20 minutes. Add the carrots and the celery and sauté for another 10 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth, tomato paste, and lentils. Bring the mixture to a boil, covered, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour

Drizzle with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Easy Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp butter (or oil)

2 eggs

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup edamame

1/2 cup broccoli

1-2 cloves garlic

2 cups cooked rice, cold

1/4 cup soy sauce

1. Scramble the two eggs with the salt and pepper in a small bowl. Melt the butter (or heat oil) in a large skillet/wok. Add the eggs and scramble until cooked but not dried out. Place in a separate bowl and wipe the skillet clean.

2. Heat the oil in the clean skillet. Add the onion and simmer for about 4 minutes over low to medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for another two minutes. Then add the broccoli, edamame and garlic. Continue to sauté for 3 or 4 more minutes or until the broccoli is tender.

3. Add the rice and cook for about another 3 or 4 minutes. Add in the soy sauce. Cook another 4 minutes or so and then add in the egg. Cook for one more minute and then remove from heat.

This is listed as gluten free but only because I used gluten-free soy sauce. Most is not gluten free.

Jeremy's Risotto

Jeremy makes this and it is so yummy. He walked me through it and I tried to recreate. I didn't measure, so the amounts below are estimations.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp oil

1 shallot

1 cup arborio rice

~ 1 carton stock, maybe a little less

1/2 cup of white wine

1 lemon

~ 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large pan and add the oil. Add the minced shallot and saute for a few minutes. Add in the rice and mix until completely covered in the oil and shallot mixture.

2. Add a bunch of stock, about 2 or 3 cups, and the white wine. Bring to a boil and then simmer - stirring continuously the entire time so that the rice can absorb the liquid. Keep adding stock as it cooks down. Simmer for about 20 minutes - again, stirring very frequently.

3. Add the lemon juice and the parm. Simmer for a few more minutes while stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until it is no longer runny.

Bubble and Squeak

Ingredients:

(Left over) mashed potatoes

Butter

Oil

Veggies of your choice. I used:

1 carrot, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 handful green beans, cut into half inch pieces

1 tomato, diced

Either make mashed potatoes or use leftover ones.

Boil the green beans, about 4 or 5 minutes.

While the green beans are boiling. Melt about a tbsp of butter with a tbsp of oil in a pan. Cook the leeks, carrot and onions together. Once they are cooked, add in the green beans and the diced tomato.

Add the potatoes and fry in the pan flipping every few minutes.

Apple Butter

Ingredients:

6 apples

1/3 cup apple cider

2/3 cup maple syrup (or dark brown sugar)

2 tsp spiced rum (or vanilla)

1 tbsp lemon juice

cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves to taste

Peel, seed and cut up the apples. Pull all the ingredients into a pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the apples are easily squished. Remove from heat and use an emersion blender to puree until smooth.

Chick peas with tomato and onion

The general outline of this recipe came from my friend Saman whose family is from Pakistan.

Ingredients:

~3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds

4-5 cans of chickpeas

4 tomatoes, chopped

3 onions, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp salt

~1 tsp cayenne pepper (add slowly and test for spiciness)

tamarind sauce (recipe below)

Tamarind Sauce:

1 tbsp tamarind sauce (at Whole Foods)

4 1/2 cups water

bunch of crushed red pepper

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp sugar

Rice:

3 boil-in-bag rice

1 tbsp butter (optional)

~ teaspoon lemon pepper

pinch of garlic powder, salt

Start with the tamarind sauce. Bring the water to a boil and add all the ingredients. This needs to boil down for about an hour. After about a half an hour, start the chickpeas.

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add cumin seeds (seeds should sizzle so test one first). Let them sizzle until they start to brown and then add the chick peas. Fry the chick peas for about 5 minutes.

2. Add everything else! Start a pot of water to boil the rice for 10 minutes.

3. Cook on high heat for about 20-25 minutes and then add about half of the tamarind sauce, which should be down to about a half a cup. Reduce to medium heat and cook for about another 20-25 minutes, depending on how mushy you want the chickpeas to be. Add the rest of the tamarind sauce during that time. They should cook until there isn't any liquid anymore, stirring periodically the entire time.