Quick Red Lentil Soup

Quick Red Lentil Soup

• 1 1/3 c red lentils, picked through and rinsed well
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3/4 t fine sea salt, or to taste
• Lemon wedges and chopped mint for serving (optional)

In a large pot, combine lentils, broth, onion, carrot, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cayenne and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables and very tender and lentils begin to fall apart, about 25 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and carefully blend about half the soup in a blender, but use caution when blending hot liquids: blend only in small batches, hold the lid down firmly with a kitchen towel, and begin blending on low speed. Serve with lemon wedges and mint if desired. 

My kiddos ate this UP, and wanted it in their lunch the following day. It was delicious and satisfying on a chilly night.

Lasagna & Spaghetti? Yes, please...

Birthday time, and the kids requested Spaghetti & Meatballs. Again? I kinda whined on the inside....yep. Again. So, I suggested that we try some Lentil Meatballs this time, using their favorite Lentil Burger recipe, and they nearly jumped out of their skin with excitement. And it worked! It was so delicious!
So, for Meatballs, take this recipe, and instead of making patties, make balls. Cook for a little less time and voila!

The sauce I used was the following:
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
10 large button mushrooms, chopped or sliced
1 cup grated carrot
2-3 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 quart diced tomatoes
1/3 cup spaghetti sauce mix
2-3 cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste

In a large pot, lightly saute chopped veggies in olive oil add garlic and saute a bit longer. Add remaining ingredients.  Slowly bring to a simmer stirring frequently.  Add any wanted seasonings to taste

4 tsp. vegetable broth powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. crushed fennel

1 tsp. sea salt or to taste

1/2 tsp. pepper

Simmer at least 1 hour. Add meatballs and gentle stir. Serve over your favorite pasta.

 

 

Save 2-3 cups sauce prior to adding the meatballs for lasagna later in the week, or to freeze for later.

Lasagna

15 sprigs fresh parsley, take leaves off and finely chop

1/4 lb fresh spinach, finely chopped

3 c ricotta cheese

16 oz Italian cheese mix (mozzerella, asiago, romano, provolone)

3/4 c Parmesan

2 t dried basil (or finely chopped fresh basil)

2 t oregano

1 t fennel

1 t sea salt

1/2 t fresh pepper

9 lasagna noodles, cooked

Sauce

Mix together all ingredients except noodles & sauce. Place 3 noodles in sprayed 9x13 pan. Top with 1/2 cheese mix. Top with 3 more noodles and rest of cheese mix. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes covered in foil. Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan and bake uncovered for 15-20 more minutes until bubbly. :)

Lentil Burgers

I never believed I would prefer another burger to a hamburger, but these have definitely snagged my preference! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, but made a few modifications:

3 c dried lentils

8 c water

4 t vegetable broth powder
1 c uncooked brown rice

4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 c minced dried onion (or a little bit of fresh if you prefer fresh)

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced-if you love garlic like me
1/2 t pepper

1 c fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
olive oil

Rinse the lentils & brown rice. Combine the lentils, water, and vegetable broth powder. Bring to a boil and then add the rice; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45-55 minutes. Mash a little for consistency, then pour into a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, pepper, and Parmesan, mixing well. Form the mix into patties, about 14-15.

Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place the patties on the foil; drizzle more oil on top of patties. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, turning once to brown each side.

We serve these alone (no bun) along with a large salad. My 3 older kids all said, "Wow, these are REALLY filling!" Yep, they sure are! This made enough for our family plus leftovers for the hubby the next day. These also store nicely in the fridge and are good several days later.

Lentil Soups

Soup season is upon us, and my family eats a LOT of soup when the weather cools off. Here are a few new ones that we tried and LOVED! I don't have pictures for these. They disappeared much too fast! :)

Green Lentil Soup

1 lb. green lentils, rinsed well
1 C brown rice, rinsed well

2 large onions, diced

8 stalks celery, diced
5 carrots, diced

5 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1⁄4 C coconut oil
1 Tbsp. sea salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. cumin
3 qt. vegetable broth

1 can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
grated Parmesan cheese 

Cover the lentils and rice with boiling water and let sit for 15 minutes, then drain. In a large stockpot, sauté the onions with the coconut oil and seasonings until the vegetables are tender. Add the carrots and celery and sauté another 5-10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, garlic and lentils/rice.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for one hour. Add the vinegar and serve with grated Parmesan. This recipe makes a LOT! Tastes even better the next day.

Lentil Chili

8 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
8 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped 
1 1/2 t oregano
1 1/2 t sea salt
4 t chili powder
2 1/4 cups brown lentils
2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro


Bring 3/4 cup broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and pepper is tender. Stir in chili powder and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lentils, tomatoes, garlic and remaining 7 1/4 cups broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in cilantro and serve.