Lentil Tacos

These are quick, easy and delicious!
Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
8 oz extra sharp cheese (“seriously sharp” cabot is my favorite)
flour tortillas
tamari or soy sauce
salsa verde *
Directions:
1.  Bring lentils to a boil (in about 4 cups of water).  Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
2.  Drain the water out, then add about 2 tbs tamari to the lentils and let sit for a few minutes.
3.  Lightly butter 1 side of the tortillas and put buttered side on a griddle. 
4.  Sprinkle 1/2 the tortilla with cheese.  Add two scoops of lentils on top of the cheese and spread evenly over 1/2 of  the tortilla.  Sprinkle the lentils with a little more cheese, then fold the other half of the tortilla over and grill until crispy.
5.  Serve with salsa Verde *

*Green salsa, made with tomatillos instead of tomatoes, is essential to this meal!  Ortega’s is the best, but its very difficult to find.   I just tried it with Goya salsa verde and the flavor was great, but a little too spicy for me.
Tomato soup goes great with this!

Sausage and Lentil soup

My husband LOVES Carraba's Sausage and Lentil soup, and I was trying to duplicate it.  I came across this Rachael Ray’s recipe for “Hungarian Stoup”, and it looked like it could be a winner- and it was!

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 lbs hot Italian sausage (I ‘ve used turkey sausage the last couple times I’ve made it and it turns out great!
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 portabella mushrooms (I’ve made it with or without this)
1 cup carrots chopped or shredded
1 cup lentils
1 large potato chopped (I’ve made it without this, and my hubby liked it even better)
salt, pepper, bay leaf
2 tsp smoked paprika *
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dry)
1 14 oz can fire roasted chopped tomatoes (hunts makes these)
6 cups chicken stock
4 cups kale, chopped
*make this yourself by combining 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 3/4 tsp paprika and pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Heat oil, brown and crumble sausage (removing casing first if using real sausage)
2. add garlic, onion, mushrooms and cook for a few minutes
3. add everything else, EXCEPT the kale, cover and boil for 15 minutes.
4. Add kale and let stand 5 more minutes.  Take rosemary stems out.

Dhal Curry

Note: I've labeled this dinner "quick and easy", but you do have to plan ahead a little to include simmering time.  It's not nearly as quick as it is easy.
 
My kids have grown accustomed to lentils.  Some of them love lentils, while one of them used to hate them, but doesn’t mind them so much any more.  I make sausage and lentil soup, sweet and sour lentils, lentil tacos, lentils with onions, so they have gotten used to eating this kind of stuff. 
My husband loves Indian food, and this is one of his favorite lentil dishes, from Extending the Table.  It is very easy to make, but you have to plan ahead, because it simmers for about 35 minutes, then you remove the lid to let it thicken for over an hour, stirring occasionally until it is the consistency of refried beans (though sometimes we don’t have enough time to let it get to this consistency but it still tastes fine.)
I usually serve this with a salad and/or creamless cream of tomato soup.
Directions:
Fry in 2 T. oil until golden brown:
1 onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 tsp ginger root, finely grated (optional)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
Add:
1 cup dried lentils or split peas
2 1/2 cups hot water
1 tsp salt or to taste

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
Remove cover and simmer over very low heat, stirring frequently, about 1 hour, until lentils are mushy and thick, about the consistency of refried beans.  Garnish with onions, thinly sliced and browned, or a squeeze of lemon.  Serve with rice.

Delicious Indian dinner with mango Lassi for dessert!

Mulligatawny soup

Mulligatawny soup (America’s Test Kitchen)

When my husband saw this recipe in the 10 year addition of America's Test Kitchen cookbook, he wanted me to make it ASAP primarily because of the soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld, which helped make Mulligatawny soup famous!  It really is delicious and the kids love it too!

 

Spices
1 1/2 t. garam masala (McCormick is a good brand)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground turmeric

Soup
3 T. unsalted butter
2 medium onions, minced
1/2 c. sweetend shredded or flaked coconut
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
4 t. grated or minced fresh ginger (doing this on a box grater works well)
1 t. tomato paste
1/4 c. flour
7 c. low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if you prefer)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 c. brown or green lentils (not red!)
2 T. cilantro, minced
Plain yogurt, for serving

1. Combine spices in a small bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the spices and saute until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the onions and coconut and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes. Sitr in garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until combined, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth.

2. Stir in the carrots and celery, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20-25 minutes.

3. Puree the soup in a blender in batches until smooth and return to a clean pot. Add the lentils and return to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt. Soup can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Mujaddara with spiced yogurt

We eat a lot of lentils (well, at least once a week which seems like a lot for the average American family).  I found this recipe online and everyone loved it (although my 2 year old didn't like the texture of the long onions, so I pureed his portion a little and he loved it.)

It is basically just lentils with onions, but I guess the way you cook the onions makes it SOO flavorful!  (especially the next day or 2-3 days later!)

http://food52.com/recipes/8565_mujaddara_with_spiced_yogurt

These lentils went really well with tomato soup  and naan (Indian flatbread) or just regular bread.