get kinda excited about a big pot of tasty carbs!

Yeah, this is a weird recipe. It's got a ton of steps, it uses up every freakin' burner on your stove and then it has the gall to use up another, plus it's not even that pretty too look at. After all this work, you don't want to serve this to guests unless they love you like the dickens. This recipe is adapted from Gourmet and it sucked me in with Francis Lam's snappy writing. The good thing is that while this meal may ask for your first born child, it is tasty comfort food and I'll make it again.

I made this meal a couple of weeks ago when it was cold and dreary outside and it looked like spring would never arrive. But now it's short-sleeve wearing & bare legs in skirts kinda weather so I probably won't make this again until next winter, but it's here waiting like a good friend.

The flavours are solid and hearty and I added the kale for brightness and extra nutrition points, but the tastes in your mouth won't take you on a wild roller coaster ride. Instead, they are subtle and I bumped everything up a notch with a squeeze of my favorite hot sauce and a dollop of chutney. I felt it needed a bump or two.

So are you going to make this after all my warnings? I think you should. So there. Oh, and a few other things of note. This site is listed along with a whole bunch of other wonderful food blogs on Gourmet's list of favorite food sites. Oh my!!! As well, I have a new post up on the Food Network Canada site about my new favorite breakfast place, Deacon's Corner. Please note that all the crazy over-zealous bolding was not done by me.

big pot o' carbs
(adapted from here)
3 large onions, sliced thin
3/4 c dry lentils de puy
1 c alphabet pasta (or other tiny shapes)
2 c brown rice
4 c water (for rice)
2 sticks cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
1 t toasted cumin seeds, lightly crushed
1 t coriander
1/2 t chili flakes
1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

1. Caramelize the onion in a large cast iron pot. Cook 'em slowly in the olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons), sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and let them get brown and glisten-y. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, cook the lentils in enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, turning down heat to med-high until tender. Drain and set aside.

3. Get another pot out and put in some more olive oil...about 2 tablespoons worth and heat over med-high heat. Add in cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and let it get fragrant. Throw in rice, cumin, and chili flakes and saute for a few minutes until about half the rice turns opaque. Add in water and cover. The rice should boil almost immediately so turn down heat to med-low and simmer until rice is done.

4. Get out another small pot (aren't you glad you have a 4 burner stove??) and cook up the pasta. It won't take long since it's so tiny. Drain and set aside.

5. In a large pan or pot, add in some more olive oil...just 1 tablespoon and add garlic. Saute until it smells good and add in the kale and some salt. Cook down until tender.

6. Dump everything into the caramelized onion pot and give it a good stir. Heat everything up if need be, but otherwise grab a few bowls and dig in. Serve with chutney and hot sauce for added goodness.

a little bit of sunshine: coconut ginger lentil soup

This lovely coloured soup works well for dreary rainy winter days. Just look at it! It will put a smile on your face and its heavenly curried coconut scent helps to add a bit of lift to your step. It's like sunshine in a bowl...or at least the next best thing.

Now, about the ginger. For this recipe, I used a few diced bits of candied ginger (not to be confused with the ginger candy I used in the banana bread recipe). Using candied ginger along with the coconut milk made the soup slightly sweet. If the sweetness thing isn't for you, scratch the candied ginger and just use the fresh grated kind (or the powdered kind if it's all you have). Both my husband and I really liked this soup, and the sweetness provided a nice counter-balance to the hotness of the curry and chilis. This one is a definite keeper.

coconut ginger lentil soup
1 T vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 t red chili flakes
1 t cumin seeds, freshly ground using a mortar & pestle
1 T grated ginger root
1 T curry paste (I used Patak's Balti)
1 c red lentils, rinsed
3 c water or vegetable stock
1 tiny can coconut milk
1 T candied ginger, diced
yogurt (optional)

In a large soup pot, heat up the oil and saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the cumin, chili flakes, ginger root and curry paste and saute for another minute. Stir in the lentils and add in the water or stock. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until lentils are somewhat soft. Add in the coconut milk and the candied ginger and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

warm up with winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry

It's definitely winter-ish outside.The air is crisp and cold and it rains more often than not. Yesterday I wore my winter coat for the first time and while I was glad for the warmth it also was a bit of a bummer. Oh how I would have loved to tuck into a bowl of this warming, spicy curry when I got home from my bike ride. It would have been just the thing to warm up my bones. Too bad for me that I had made this a week or so ago, and all I've got are delicious memories of curries past.

This lentil curry uses up some of that winter squash that is so plentiful right now. I used kabocha, but any squash from butternut to buttercup would work well here. The squash definitely adds a touch of sweetness to an otherwise spicy dish. I even threw in a block of diced tofu and it was a wonderful addition adding in a nice texture and extra protein to the dish. This meal will definitely be making the dinner rounds again. It's nothing fancy, but it's easy to make, very nutritious and a perfect warmer to these colder evenings. Serve over brown rice, top with yogurt or mango chutney and enjoy.

winter squash, red lentil & tofu curry
1 T canola oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 inch knob of ginger
2 stalks celery, diced
1 t salt
1 heaping T of garam masala curry paste (or use regular curry/garam masala powder)
1 T ground cumin
1/2 small kabocha squash (or any other winter squash), diced
1 c red lentils
5 c veggie broth or water
1 block of tofu, diced

In a large heavy pot, heat up oil over med-high heat, add in onions, garlic, ginger and celery and saute until soft and fragrant. Sprinkle in salt, cumin and curry paste and stir until spices coat vegetables. Stir in the squash and lentils. Add in water or broth, lower heat and cover pot. Simmer for 15 minutes and then stir in tofu. Let simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are soft, about another 5 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

warm lentil & butternut squash salad with tahini dressing

Normally when autumn arrives, it arrives with a shove. There's rain every day and grey skies day in and day out. However, this fall, we Vancouverites seem blessed. It's sunny, there's a nip to the air that I find refreshing, and the leaves have just been so incredible lately. Oh, the colours! I'm finding beauty in almost everything. Even the humble butternut squash.

I saw this recipe for a warm chickpea and butternut salad with tahini dressing on Molly's blog and it sounded too perfect. So I cut the squash, put it in to roast and noticed that I didn't have a can of chickpeas after all. Instead, I took out a can of lentils and hoped all would be well. After I had mixed all the ingredients and poured myself a glass of wine, the mess in the bowl did not look very pretty and it certainly it didn't look as composed as Molly's photo. I had my fingers crossed as my husband took his first bite. But I had no need to worry, he loved it (and he normally doesn't even like squash!) and so did I. It was tangy and had a lovely lemony bite that worked so well with the nuttiness of the tahini. This recipe is a keeper and even if it's not a beauty on a plate, it definitely will make this fall seem sweeter.

warm lentil & butternut squash salad with tahini dressing
(adapted from Orangette)
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 ½ lb.), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 t ground cumin
½ t red chili flakes
½ t ground allspice
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper
One 15-ounce can lentils (or chickpeas), drained and rinsed
¼ of a medium red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley (or cilantro) leaves
½ t sumac

For tahini sauce:
2 garlic cloves, finely minced with a pinch of salt
juice of 1 lemon
3 T. tahini
2 T water
2 T olive oil, plus more to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, toss butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, allspice, cumin, garlic and red chili flakes. Once it's all well coated, dump onto a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes until soft and golden.

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and whisking until smooth. Taste and add more water or olive oil if needed.

3. To assemble the salad, gently toss the lentils, the warm roasted squash, red onion, and parsley in a serving bowl along with most of the dressing. Reserve the remaining of the dressing to serve at the table.

happy new year: pasta with sausage, kale and lentils

In some cultures, it's traditional to eat lentils on New Years day for good luck, but I decided to get my lentil luck on a little early early and end 2007 off right. I found this recipe on epicurious but changed it to add in some greenery in place of some of the sausage. The kale went really well with the dish and it's definitely something I'll make again. It's the makings of a new year's staple, I think!

For the cheese in this dish, I used an organic Parmesan that I bought at a pretty amazing Vancouver market, Tosci & Co. It's the oldest Italian market in Chinatown (and I'd venture to say in this whole city) and I had always been afraid to step inside since you have to ring a bell to be let in. I must have been crazy to worry about that because it's pretty much my favorite store now. I wrote a post about it over at Bazaar on the Food Network Canada site. Take a look and leave a comment!

pasta with sausage, kale & lentils
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped
3/4 c dry red wine
2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled
1 can of lentils, drained & rinsed
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
500g pkg of short pasta (I used bowtie pasta)

1. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, peppers and sausage and stir about until the sausage is brown. Add in the kale and saute until softened. Add wine and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in lentils and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Return cooked pasta to pot. Add sausage-lentil-kale mixture, cheese and toss to coat. Add enough reserved pasta cooking water to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional cheese if needed.

35 days in europe and all i got is a bowl full of lentils

It's pretty difficult to recap such a tremendous vacation...a very incredible, exciting and best-vacation-ever kind of vacation (35 days worth of photos have been uploaded onto flickr, in case you are interested) into some kind of meaningful post. I'm afraid I can't do it justice. Cologne was great, as were Brussles and Brugges. Rotterdam was cool to the max and London was uber expensive but wonderful and I was so thankful to discover that all the major galleries and museums were free! We stayed 8 nights in Berlin and had a blast...it was our last stop on our European Vacation® that it was so hard to leave. Foodwise, the butter in Europe is amazing and I wished I could have smuggled over a pound or two...no wonder the babies in Europe seem so creamy! Favorite country? Hands down, Lithuania. Who knew? I mean it's my fatherland but I wasn't expecting too much. How wrong I was. The food was of the hearty peasant variety and I loved almost everything I put into my mouth. Really, how can you go wrong with bacon, sour cream, meaty dumplings, potato pancakes, and well, more bacon? Actually, not all the food we ate was traditional...we had some pretty wonderful international fare too. If I fell in love with a country on this trip, it was Lithuania that stole my heart. The photo above? From a bridge in the capital city of Lithuania, in the arty 'hood of Uzupis, where young lovers lock padlocks on the bridge and throw away the key into the river below as a symbol of their undying love. Romantic, no?


Now, with that teeny-tiny recap, it's on to the present. Well, last weekend to be exact. On Saturday I whipped together this plain ol' lentil salad to take over to a friend's house. Based on the recipe, I knew it would be good, but I didn't think it would be over-the-top wow. I was wrong. This is the kind of salad that I could eat for days on end and not get sick of. I made a few changes from Clotide's recipe, choosing to use canned lentils to save time and adding in some red onion and red peppers for extra crunch. Don't forget to add the red onion as it works so well with the crunch of the tart Granny Smith. All my friends raved. Enjoy!

apple, red onion and lentil salad
1 can of lentils, drained
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, diced

dressing:
1 t ground cumin
1 t garlic powder
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste

In a medium sized bowl, gently toss together salad ingredients. Mix dressing and add over top salad. Gently toss and refrigerate for 2 hours to let flavours meld. Serve and eat.