OK, so I'll eat and make lentil soup because I know it's a good, healthy, low-fat, high-fiber meal. And especially since we're absolutely into the autumn season, I will have soup in the frig every day (I'm a soup-addict.....I'll eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, year-around). But lentil soups in general just don't "float my boat." And then I discovered French lentils. What a difference!!!!! Instead of turning to mush like traditional lentils do, these still keep a bit of a "snap" to them.
This is a fabulous recipe I ran across several years ago. I wish I could remember when I first discovered French lentils. Regardless, I will never turn back. No more of those other awful things which give health food a bad name. Switch to these. You won't be disappointed.
FRENCH LENTIL VEGETABLE SOUP (Serves 4-8, depending on cup or bowl size)
1/2 pound French green lentils
2 cups chopped sweet onions
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (1 leek)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp EVOO, plus more for drizzling
2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp coarsely-ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried (I used fresh, plus added another 1/2 Tbsp after cooking)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups medium-diced celery (about 4 stalks)
1 1/2 cups medium-diced carrot (about 4 small carrots)
1 1/2 qt chicken stock
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly shaved Parmesan
In a bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit at least 15 minutes. Drain.
In a stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the EVOO, S&P, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through (don't let 'em get mushy!) Check seasonings. Add additional thyme if you'd like. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled with Parmesan.
Enjoy!
NOTE: Since Jim is on outage, I'm not fixing dinner every night so there won't be such frequent postings as usual. I'll have to try to step up my baking for the office and will try to keep up on my soups and salads to keep things around for myself. I should be back on track by the first of the year.
I hope you're all enjoying the autumn temps and colors as much as I am! Our thoughts are with our friends on the East Coast.....stay safe!
These chocolate chip cookies don't have brown sugar as most chocolate chip cookies do. They are flavored with almond extract as a nice variation from the usual. Use your choice of chocolate chips: semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate. I used milk chocolate this time. Also, these are small, bite-sized cookies using just a teaspoon of dough. Make 'em bigger if you'd like, simply adjust the cooking time.
ALMOND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (makes approximately 4 dozen at this size)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 tsp almond extract
1 1/3 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and almond extract..
Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoonfuls 2" apart onto a parchment-lined or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
I love tabbouleh. And I love quinoa. But I've always eaten it with the traditional recipe, with bulghar wheat. I had lunch downtown the other day and was of their side options of "Quinoa Tabbouleh." I am so bad about thinking outside the box. I hate that I've been making this for decades and not tried this. This will definitely be my "Go-to" tabbouleh recipe from here on out.
QUINOA TABBOULEH (6-8 servings)
1 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove minced (1 tsp), or more to taste
1/2 cup EVOO
Freshly ground black pepper
1 English cucumber, or 2-4 pickling cucumbers, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Bring quinoa, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduced heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with S&P.
Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill.
Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with S&P. Drizzle dressing over.
Recipe Source: www.bonappetit.com
OK, so I don't have a sweet-tooth, and I have a great dislike for strawberries. But I gotta tell you, these cupcakes are THE BOMB!!! I don't know how I stubbled across this website, but thank heavens I did. Easy, peasy, delicious, 4 ingredients (ok, more with what you need for the cupcakes and pudding).
And lastly, they are GORGEOUS!!! One contributor suggested dipping the strawberries in chocolate first to give another texture dimension. Someone else suggested making them to reflect different holidays: white cake mix with pink-tinted pudding for Valentine's Day, or even blue-tinted pudding for 4th of July (Red, White, and Blue). Regardless, they all wonderfully tasty.
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with STRAWBERRIES (makes about 24)
1 package cake mix, chocolate
1 package strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 package pudding, chocolate (I used instant)
Fresh mint sprigs, optional but awesome
Prepare cupcakes according to the package and let cool. Using a paring knife, cone out a well down into each cupcake for your strawberry to fit into. Prepare your pudding according to the package. Let set until nice and pudding-y (solid-wet gloopy pudding will ruin the cupcakes, so don't be in a rush, let the pudding firm up!)
Stick the strawberry pointy-side down into your cupcakes. Take the piece of the cupcake that you cut out, and smush that on top of the strawberry, after you push it down into the cupcake.
Top liberally with pudding in lieu of frosting.
Add a sprig of mint if you like. I adds a certain something.
If possible, cut each cupcake in half and set on a plate because presentation is everything with these suckers. They are DELICIOUS and super easy.
Recipe Source: instructables.com or littlemomprairie.blogspot.com
Here's a twist on a traditional Ranch Salad Dressing. You'll use green onions or chives, parsley, and cilantro. Of course you can make this according to your personal taste. I have found when making mayo-based dressings or dips I use half regular mayo and half low-fat mayo (and only Hellmann's!) If I use just light mayo, within a few days it becomes very watery. Made half-and-half, it will hold it's consistency. This recipe uses a different technique.....light mayo and olive oil. And after one week, it is still emulsified and thick.
It's a slightly different version of what you're use to, but still so good. As soon as this batch runs out, I'm going to try a copycat recipe of the Jalapeno Ranch that they serve at Big River Grill.....and that stuff is good, too!
HERBED RANCH DRESSING (Makes approximately 3 cups)
3/4 cup light mayo
3/4 cup light sour cream
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4-1 cup buttermilk
4 green onions (only the green parts) or 1 small bunch of chives
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced, 1 tsp (I double this amount)
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Start with 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and blend for 10 seconds. Check the consistency and taste and blend in additional buttermilk as desired. Add more buttermilk for dressing and less for dipping vegetables. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This is such an easy, delicious, non-catfishy catfish recipe I've had in a long time! The recipe was published in our local paper and is courtesy of a local chef, Ginny Gaines of Signal Mountain. I'll have to found out where she works, because if her restaurant menu is this good, I'm sure I'll be planning a trip!
BAKED LEMON DILL CATFISH (Serves 4)
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp freshly chopped or dried dill
1 garlic clove, minced (about 1 tsp)
4 (4-6 oz) catfish fillets
1 tsp salt, or less to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I use Panko)
Stir together mayo, buttermilk, lemon rind, lemon juice, dill, and garlic. Place half of mayo mixture in another small bowl to serve with fish, and chill.
Rinse fillets, and pat dry. Brush fillets evenly with remaining half of mayo mixture; sprinkle evenly with S&P. Dredge fillets in breadcrumbs. Arrange on a lightly greased rack in a pan lined with aluminum foil.
Bake in a preheated 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork and is opaque throughout. Serve with chilled mayo mixture.
OK.....this has to be one of my all-time favorite salads. Where in the world did iceberg lettuce get such a bad wrap? Crisp, crunchy, cold.....be still my heart!!! And oh, so simple. Add on top of this the most lucious homemade bleu cheese dressing you'll ever taste.
So here's what you need to do. Core your head of iceberg lettuce (do this by hitting the core of the lettuce on the edge of your sink.....the core will immediately come loose. Run cold water through the opening, let it drain in your sink for an hour or so to make sure all the water is drained, then wrap it in a dish towel, put it in a plastic grocery bag, and let it chill for several hours for a perfectly crisp head of lettuce).
When completely chilled, slice a wedge of the iceberg lettuce, spread crumbled bacon (cooked or the stuff you can find in your salad dressing aisle), and add some halved graped tomatoes (sorry......the regular toms don't work for me.....only grapes or cherries have the flavor I desire). Then plop some of the best Bleu Cheese Dressing that you'll ever taste on top. This recipe came from The Chart House Restaurant which is a chain I believe on the West Coast (I used to live in California and there were several there). There is no better Bleu Cheese dressing in the world, in my book. Again, crisp, crunchy, cold, and OH MY!!!! So delicious. A meal in itself in mind.
CHART HOUSE BLEU CHEESE DRESSING
Place in a mixing bowl:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
scant 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
scant 1/3 tsp garlic powder
Blend 2 minutes at low speed. Add:
1 1/3 cup mayo
Blend 1/2 minute at low speed. Then blend 2 minutes at medium sped. Crumble:
4 oz imported Danish bleu cheese (I used gorgonzola) into very small pieces.
Blend at low speed no longer than 4 minutes.
Important: Makes a bit difference if you let this sit at least 12-24 hours. Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups. This recipe can easily be but in half.
