Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup

One of my all-time favorite cookbooks is a book I got years ago called healthy 1-2-3. Its by Rozanne Gold and I like it because it isn't about fancy cooking its about functional food. Yet, the recipes are delicious, which helps.

Last weekend I was asked to make a Vegan Soup for an event down the street at my neighbor's house. I decided to make a lentil soup with coconut milk and scallions. You might have missed it, but that's it. Those were the 3 ingredients. Super simple.

I made a HUGE pot of this soup by doubling/nearly tripling the recipe. I'm going to give you the basics and then tell you what I added, but let me tell you it is all about taste. One of the biggest tricks to good soup is seasoning. Seasoning is best done after you cook the soup. Then you can add whatever bits are necessary.

I do not have a picture of the end result as I was having "one of those days" where I wasn't sure if the soup was really all that great. However, that HUGE pot of soup was empty early in the evening (even though there was LOTS of other things to eat). It was a hit. That made my heart smile a bit!

Anyway here is the recipe and a picture of the soup before it was finished.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 - 2 cups of Red lentils
• 2/3  - 3/4 cup of Coconut Milk
• 2 - Bunches of Scallions (chop them up and reserve the very green pieces for garnish and the light colors for the soup)
• 5.5 cups of purified water

My Optional Items:

• Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves sliced or more if you love the stinking rose
• 2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil 
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt - to taste
• Ground Pepper - to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse lentils well with cool water (look for small stones)
2. Saute sliced garlic and scallions in extra-virgin Olive Oil on low for 5 minutes
3. Add lentils and 5.5 cups of water in a pot 
4. Bring the pot to a boil
5. Lower heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes - stirring occasionally to keep the lentils from sticking 
6. Once the lentils are very soft turn off the soup and let the steam release
7. Then using a Vita-Mix blender (a super star blender) start adding the soup in batches for blending.
8. Depending on your preference you can leave the soup somewhat chunky
9. Add coconut milk to the soup
1. If the soup is super quick add some water
10. Season the soup - add more salt, pepper, garlic, herbs, etc
11. Ladle into bowl and drizzle the reserved coconut milk over the top and sprinkle with the green onions
12. Enjoy!

SERVINGS - Approx 6. or try double or tripling this recipe for a big party.

If you are interested in the Vita-Mix then use this Coupon Code for free shipping (US and Canada) =06-00503

Gourmet Burger Class

Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a healthy cooking class. I focused on the health benefits of incorporating certain foods to create truly magnificent gourmet burgers.

The class turned out to be a ton of fun (of course!).

If you have spent any time reading this blog you will know that I am not a vegetarian, but that I love to eat loads and loads of veggies. There are so many vegetarians out there that do not get the benefit of a tasty, satisfying burger. Instead, the option is a veggie patty that usually comes out of a box and has little to no nutritional benefits (blah!). I wanted my class to have an easy option that would be quick and delicious to show their guests that they really care.

This recipe is great for on or off the grill

Portobello Burger

Ingredients:

• 4 Portobello Mushroom Caps (small enough to fit on a bun if you prefer, reserve stem)
• 1 Tbsp of Dijon Mustard
• 5 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• A few cranks of Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Sea Salt
• A crank of Pepper
• Optional - Dash of Balsamic Vinegar
• Optional Minced Garlic

Directions:

1. Clean the portobello mushrooms in cool water or use a damp cloth as these mushrooms can be delicate
2. Cut the stem off the mushroom and reserve the stem (you can cook them up too - yum)
3. Put all other ingredients in a bowl and mix
4. Then brush the mushrooms with the marinade/paste so that they are covered
5. Let them sit for 15-30 minutes
6. If you are cooking these mushrooms in a saute pan then put a bit of extra oil in a medium heat pan
7. Once the pan is hot - add the mushrooms, turn the heat down to medium/low
8. Watch the sides of the mushrooms and when the bottom looks like it is shrinking then flip it over
9. Cook the mushrooms on low-medium for about 5-10 minutes (depends on your range)
10. If you like you can top the mushrooms with sauteed leeks (again seems so fancy!)
11. Slice up the leeks and saute them in extra virgin olive oil
12. When the leeks are translucent spoon them on top of the mushrooms and enjoy

  Serving - 4 burgers
Now you are ready to enjoy these burgers on a bun or over mixed greens. Personally a meal isn't a meal without the greens so load up!

Lovely Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard is a veggie that many people do no know anything about. Swiss Chard is a dark green leafy vegetable that dwarfs regular salad lettuce in the nutrition game. Dark leafy greens are so good for you for a multitude of reasons. But, the main reason I want to share is that most people don't eat dark leafy greens. They are the #1 most missing veggie in American diets. Why don't people eat these lovely veggies if they are so good for us? Well, I think it is because they are seen as somewhat exotic or scary. There is also the aspect that many people have never heard of these veggies because they are not usually sold at fast food restaurants and many Americans do not have their own home gardens.

So if you have been missing out on this fabulous dark leafy (or others) go pick up a bunch or two at your grocery store or local farmers market. Ask someone where to locate it if you do not see it. Trust me! Most of my clients come to love dark leafy greens with a passion! They even eat them with breakfast - that's how amazing these veggies make you feel. They change EVERYTHING.

Ingredients:

• 2 Bunches of Swiss Chard
• 3 Shallots
• 3 small purple onions
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2+ tbsps. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Dash of celtic sea salt
• Toasted walnuts
• Parmigiano-Reggiano or other cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Remove Swiss Chard leaves from the stem and rip them into pieces and set aside
2. Chop the stems into small pieces
3. Chop the shallots and onions (use less onion if you think it is too much)
4. Mince the Garlic
5. Heat a large pan on the stove with a small amount of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
6. Toast the walnuts in the toaster over or in a pan briefly (avoid burning)
7. Add the onions/shallots - cover for a few minutes (2 min) and stir
8. Add the chopped stems - heat for a few minutes (2 min) covered - note if you enjoy crunchy vs. soft veggies cook longer if you want them soft.
9. Add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes 
10. Add the leaves, toss in the sea salt, stir and cover and let the steam heat the leaves
11. Cook for another minute or two
12. Remove from heat and place in a beautiful serving dish
13. Add the walnuts 
14. Grate cheese into the dish and toss (cheese isn't necessary, but can be fun)

This makes enough for a dinner party or potluck. Otherwise, half the recipe. I like making a lot so I have leftovers!

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think.

Note - Mix it up try using pine nuts, pecans, slivered almonds or try different types of cheese. You could also try using kale, spinach, collard greens, bok choy, cabbage - whatever. These are slightly different greens so the cooking of the greens is a bit different.

Broccoli Casserole without the broccoli or the casserole

Well at least that is what this dish tastes like to me. Or maybe now that I have taken another bite it tastes more like stuffing. Which is good, but a bit weird. Hmmm.

As I am always experimenting it isn't unusual to have a dish that is a bit different. The only person that has to eat it is me and I don't mind since it has all sorts of fabulous healthy ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Bok Choy
• 3 Potatoes
• 2 Celery Stems
• 1 Clove Garlic (I would have used more, but that was all I had)
• 1 Leek
• 2 Turnips (red)
• 4 cups - Chicken or Veggie Stock (for a vegetarian version)
• If you use less stock - 2 cups it will be more of a side dish then a stew
• 1 tbsp of Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (vegan version)

Directions:

1. Chop the garlic, leek, celery
2. Heat your pan with some butter or oil
3. Toss in garlic, leek, celery
4. Quick saute then add the stock
5. Chop potatoes (I left the skin on)
6. Chop turnips (took the skin off)
7. Add potatoes & turnips to pot
8. Toss in some herbs (rosemary, sage, bay leaf, salt & pepper, whatever you have)
9. Check the potatoes & turnips with a fork (maybe 10 minutes). You can tell they are ready if the fork can easily mash (or if you want a firmer consistency that works too)
10. Chop bok choy & toss into pot with a bit of butter or olive oil
11. Let the greens wilt a bit. Cooking for about 3 more minutes. If you have not added salt to the pot this is a good time to do it so that the greens keep their vibrant color.
12. Turn off the heat
13. Stir and taste to determine if you want to add any other seasonings to the pot. 
14. I added a bit more sage, rosemary and I debated if I wanted to add more liquid to make it more soupy or if I wanted to puree it. I decided that if I pureed it the color might be funky so I left it as is.

Note - If you use less water it will be more of a side dish. The 4 cups of broth make it slightly stew like.

One other detail I would like to mention. While I was peeling the turnips I peeled off a bit of skin from my finger - ouch! This seems to be a bit of a recurring theme. Last night I splashed boiling water on my hands. Seriously I have never been this accident prone. Both of these incidents hurt and I decided to try using lavender essential oil to deal with the pain. In both cases it did the trick! The burns are not visible and the pain from the cut was gone as well as the bleeding lessened. Woo Hoo.