Zesty Spiced Lentil Salad

Did you know that pregnant women need 60-70 grams of protein EVERY day?! While I eat meat, I have never been a real carnivore. I am also one of those strange people that doesn't like eggs and whose body can't tolerate large amounts of cheese. Needless to say, it has been a battle getting enough protein worked into my diet.

I recently won a wonderful vegetarian cookbook from Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free. I have been using it to get inspiration for alternative ways to get the right amount of protein. This is one of the recipes I came up with. It is actually quite simple and you can substitute any veggies you have to make it even easier. I also cooked up extra lentils to make into Lentil Burgers (recipe to come soon).

4 cups lentils (cooked)
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 carrots, diced
4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, diced
4 radishes, sliced
2 Serrano chilies, finely chopped (to taste)
juice and zest of two limes
¼ c. of fresh orange juice (I had those little satsuma ones on hand and they worked great)
¼ c. of olive oil
1T. cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste, this does make it quite spicy)
½ c. of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook lentils on the stovetop with a bay leaf based on package directions. They should be tender but firm, do not overcook them. Drain well and let them cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper, spices and oil. Add the chilies and red onion. Mix to combine all the ingredients.

In a salad bowl, gently combine the lentils with the carrots, radishes, tomato and cucumber. Stir the dressing; pour over the lentils and vegetables. Gently toss together and garnish with the cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

Zucchini Blueberry Pancakes

2 cups shredded zucchini
1/3 cup milk
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
blueberries, fresh or frozen

Whisk together zucchini, eggs, and milk in a large bowl. Add salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and whole wheat flour. Mix.

Pour batter onto hot griddle. Sprinkle blueberries on top (after doing it this way, I would mix them into the batter next time). Cook until bubbles appear on upper surface (these take longer than conventional pancakes).

Flip and cook until done. Makes 8 6" pancakes.

Calamari with Tomatoes and Capers over Quinoa

3 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 pound calamari, cleaned and slived in 1/2 inch slices
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
2 T. capers, rinsed and drained
1 lemon, zested
Salt and pepper
2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 c. quinoa

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Season the calamari with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Saute, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, capers, and lemon zest until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook the quinoa from package directions. Place in a large bowl.

Transfer the calamari mixture to the serving bowl. Pour in the dressing and gently toss until all the ingredients are coated. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Posole

When we lived in Southern California I became hooked on this soup. The company we worked for had a cafeteria and they provided lunch every day. Every Wednesday was Mexican day. I remember all of my coworkers getting so excited for this soup I had never heard of. Well once I had tried it (with all the proper toppings as I was instructed) I understood. Below is my best rendition. Enjoy!!

• 4 dried ancho or New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed and cut into (1/2-inch) pieces
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups broth
• 1 T. cumin
  
• 2 T. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 29 oz. can white hominy, undrained
• Sliced radishes
• Chopped green onions
• Minced fresh cilantro
• Chopped cabbage
  
• Lime slices

Combinechiles and 2 cups boiling water in a bowl; let stand 10 minutes or until soft. Place chile mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes or until onion is browned, stirring frequently. Stir in pureed chiles, cumin, broth, sugar, salt, and hominy; bring to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes or until pork is tender. Serve with toppings.

Thanksgiving Recipe Wrap-up

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a great day with wonderful food. Below are the recipes for the dishes served this year at the Larson house!

*We also had mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans but I don't think they really have a "recipe"

Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts

2 slices bacon cut into thin strips
10 oz. Brussels sprouts (about 18 medium sprouts), trimmed and halved or quartered
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 T. unsalted butter
Kosher salt

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the fat behind. Have ready 1/2 cup water. Arrange the sprouts cut side down in a single layer in the pan. Cook undisturbed until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes. When the sprouts are browned, add the water to the pan, cover immediately, and simmer until the sprouts are tender when poked with a fork or skewer, about 3 minutes. (If the water evaporates before the sprouts get tender, add more water, 1/4 cup at a time.)

Return the pan to medium-high heat and if any water remains, let it boil off. Add the balsamic vinegar and a few grinds of pepper. Boil the vinegar until it’s reduced to about 2 Tbs. and looks lightly syrupy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the butter, and stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and more pepper and serve.

Gingered Cranberry Sauce
1 1/2 lb fresh or frozen cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 1/4 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh orange zest

Stir together all ingredients in a 4- to 5-quart deep heavy pot and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil sauce (adjust heat if sauce spits too much), stirring frequently, 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Cool about 30 minutes and chill at least 1 1/2 hours.

The Perfect Turkey

1 turkey defrosted (ours was about 17 1/2 lbs) brought to room temperature
2 T. canola oil
1 lemon, halved
1 large rosemary sprig
4-5 sprigs thyme
2-3 sprigs sage
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks shopped
1/2 onion chopped

Rinse and throughly try turkey inside and out. Place herbs and vegetables inside cavaty of bird. Coat entire bird in oil. Place in 500 oven and roast for 20-30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue to roast for 2-4 hours basting every 45 minutes. Remove from oven when thermometer inserted into thigh reads 180. Let sit for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Giblet Stock for Gravy *from a Martha Steward Recipe*

Giblets, (heart, gizzard, and liver) and neck reserved from turkey (for some reason mine didn't have the neck and I didn't use the liver (ewwww))

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 celery stalk, with leaves, stalk cut into 1/4-inch dice, leaves roughly chopped
1 small onion diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery and leaves, and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water, bay leaf, gizzard, heart, and neck (do not add liver; it needs to be cooked separately or it makes the stock bitter). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a high simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, or until gizzard is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

After the 45 minutes of simmering, the liquid should reduce to about 3 cups. If it has not, increase the heat, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more.

Strain stock. Set aside until needed for gravy.

Apple Pie

Dough for a double crust 9-inch pie (I used refridgerated)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
3 1/2 cups peeled, chopped cooking apples
1 (16-ounce) jar applesauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with half of dough. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in apples, applesauce, and lemon juice. Spoon apple mixture into pie pan and dot with butter. Cut remaining crust into strips; arrange in a lattice design over top of pie. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for about 45 minutes, or until crust and topping are golden brown.

Raising Baby Green: Call for ideas

I have realized that making this a weekly column may have been too ambitious. While there are lots of great topics to discuss, I also have months to go! I am thinking I will switch to posting monthly, or bi-monthly as the due date gets sooner. If you have ideas of what I should discuss, especially ways you have gone green with your pregnancy or raising your child, please leave me a comment!! :)

Pasta Fagioli

I was inspired by Stephanie's version of this soup at A Year of Slow Cooking. I have made her version before. However, this morning when I was getting everything into the crockpot, I realized I was missing a lot of the ingredients, so I had to adapt. This is what I came up with, and it was great!

1/2 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. bell pepper, choppped
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes (mine had oregano and basil)
1 c. garbanzo beans
1 c. white beans
2 c. beef broth
1/2 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 T. hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time

Directions:

Brown and drain the beef. Chop up the carrots, onion, and bell pepper. Add it to the empty crockpot. Drain and rinse the beans (if you are using canned), and add them. Add the can of tomatoes (I used my kitchen shears to cut them up a little), and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and hot sauce. Stir in your meat.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another half hour on low, or until the pasta is tender. It will swell quite a bit.