Lentil and Golden Beet Salad with Gremolata

Vegetable Tuesdays has been on hiatus but that doesn't mean we (ahem the Robber) haven't been cooking. I had a baby. And am having another one in December! And in this exact moment, am in a weird decluttering moment where I want to purge my house of everything unnecessary... but it's hard. So I am going to blog some Italian recipes I found in some newspapers given to me by Angela at La Biscotteria in Redwood City. I might never make them. But then I can throw the newspapers away in peace.

So here: Lentil and golden beet salad with hazelnut gremolata. Sounds like something my oldest sister would make. From Our ItalianTable.com.

Ingredients

1 C Puy or French green lentils
2 C water or chicken broth
1 garlic clove, peeled or lightly smashed
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
8 small golden beets
1 candy cane beet, peeled and thinly shaves on a mandolin slicer
A mild Pecorino cheese such as Pecorino Toscano
Bunch of watercress or baby arugula, trimmed and washed
Zest of 1 lemon, reserving lemon for dressing
5-10 sprigs of Italian parsley, finely minced
1/2 C roasted and hulled hazelnuts, cooled and finely chopped

Directions

1. Place the lentils, broth, thyme, garlic and bay leaf in a small pot. Bring to boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are al dente. Cool briefly and drain in a colander.

2. Place the beets in a heavy-bottom pot with a steamer insert. Fill the bottom with water and place the beets in the steamer. Bring to a boil and steam for 1 hour. When done, let cool enough to handle. Peel them with your hands and slice into quarters or smaller.

3. Zest 1 lemon into a work bowl and add the finely chopped parsley and hazelnuts. Season with salt and pepper and stir in a Tbsp of good quality olive oil.

4. Juice half the lemon into a bowl and add twice as much olive oil as lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Vigorously whisk. Mix the beets and lentils in a bowl and add a small amount of the dressing. Lightly toss and return to the refrigerator.

5. Lightly toss the watercress or arugula with some salad dressing and place on the serving place. Top with beet/lentil mixture. Scatter with slices of candy cane beets. Top with slices of pecorino cheese. Sprinkle with the parsley/hazelnut mixture and serve.

Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes And Swiss Chard

So the Robber makes these amazing lentils and I asked him where he got the recipe from and he sent me this link which I kept to try out... but truthfully the Robber's lentils aren't really much like these at all, and are actually better. Which is not to say these are not good. They are really good, and I was surprised how much I liked the Swiss chard. Who knew Swiss chard? Anyway. If you have a good peeler and can get around the annoyance of chopping sweet potatoes, and if you like pea soup, these are for you. Perfect for a cold Rochester day when I want something warm and healthy and feel good. Would be good with some pita.

Note: I didn't have garam masala and I think it would have made a difference in bringing this from good to great. Also, self, try using chicken broth next time instead of vegetable stock.

Adapted from the NYTimes by Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/

(Note again to self: the above link has a link to this blondie recipe you want to try...)

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced (I omitted this)
4 to 5 C. vegetable broth as needed
2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 C. dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lbs. Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (I used 2)
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 C. finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional)
1/4 C. chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

Yield: 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

Curried Red Lentils

The Robber's second Vegetable Tuesday post! He's just taking over this sweet blog. Sweetly. p.s. These are just like heaven-- soooooul satisfying.

Note to self: The Robber is having a hard time remembering exactly. So if you make these next time and they are not quite as good, then figure out what is different, fix it, and then edit this post. But for now, let's trust the Robber.

Ingredients:

2 C. red lentils

4 C. water

4 tsp. chicken bouillon

1/2 onion, diced

1 T. minced garlic

8-10 red creamer potatoes, halved or quartered (not peeled)

1/2 -1 carrot, sliced

1-2 diced Roma tomatoes

Curry powder to taste, minimum 4 tsp.

Note: You can adjust amount of vegetables to taste.

Directions:

1. In large pot, saute lentils in small amount of olive oil with garlic and onion until onions become translucent. Add in water and bouillon cubes and curry powder. Bring to a boil.

2. Add in potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add in carrots when approximately halfway done and tomatoes towards the end.

3. Taste and add more curry powder, if needed. Serve warm-- I like to eat this by itself, like a pea soup, but the Robber eats it over brown rice.

Mediterranean Squash Stew

The thing that is different from medical school and high school is that in medical school you NEVER get to choose your lab partner. NEVER. EVER. But fortunately I landed some pretty hip kids for "Fun With Food" (organized by the ever-so-enthusiastic M.J.) anyway.

Too much studying this week to cook vegetables on my own, so fortunately this cooking lab came up to fill my vegetable requirement for the week. This recipe from Cooking Together Family Meals, a publication of the Finger Lakes Region and Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University.

The idea is that this can be modified to fit any dietary restrictions imaginable. Vegan. Diabetic. High Cholesterol. Maybe even phenylketonuria. Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups diced butternut squash
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 tsp fat
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
2 cups grain

Directions:

1. Wash and peel squash; cut in half, spoon out seeds, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Wash kale and remove tough stems; roll and slice into shreds or chop finely. Chop onions. Mince garlic.

2. Heat oil in frying pan on mediu. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

3. Stir in squash, tomatoes, lemon juice, brown sugar, mustard, oregano, and salt. Cover pan and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until squash is tender. Add water, as needed.

4. Add rice/grain and kale. Cover and cook another 5 minutes.


We modified as follows:

-- Tripled the garlic
-- Used olive oil for fat (lots of mono unsaturated fats like omega threes, lowers your LDL (bad cholesterol) maybe raises your HDL (good cholesterol))
-- Doubled the mustard
-- Doubled the oregano
-- Doubled the salt
-- Added some pepper
-- Used 1 C. lentils and 1 C. couscous
-- Added finely chopped sweet potatoes
-- Stole Mrs. Dash (2 packets) and hot sauce (2 packets) from cafeteria, added cayenne pepper stolen from Mexican-patient table, and stirred. Soup so much more delicious. Yum yum. Oops, cheated on the assignment, but what good soup!

Seriously, this soup was surprisingly healthy and delicious. Our soup got all eaten up fast. If I ever had... kale? and squash? at the same time?.... I would totally make this soup again. (But with some cumin. Definite lack of cumin. And maybe minus the hot sauce.)