Archive | March, 2008

Thanks to my SIL Autumn for sharing this recipe! We tried it last night and it is delicious! If you use split peas, it must be cooked all day, or else blend the full contents in the blender to break down harder peas. That has worked for me. I like how it combines some other vegi’s to give it excellent flavor. I increased the cumin and salt to my taste. This makes enough for 3-4 meals in our house. Nice for the freezer!

Spicy Lentil Soup

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 large parsnip, or two carrots (I used carrots and rutabaga)
2 celery stalks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (UPDATE: this makes it extremely spicy in my book, I elliminate it)
1/4 teaspoon salt (increased to about 1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 cups water
2 1/3 cups dried lentils
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
42 ounces chicken or potato broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
Sour Cream (you can also use kefir)
Cilantro sprig (optional)

Preparation: Soak lentils overnight in water. Drain and rinse lentils. Heat oil in a large pot oven over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables; sauté for 3 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, red pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add water, lentils, cilantro, broth, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour. (I found it took more like two hours for my peas, so definitely start earlier than I did to make sure they are completed in time for dinner!)

Reserve 2 cups lentil mixture. Place half of remaining mixture in blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with other half of remaining mixture. Stir in reserved 2 cups lentil mixture. Garnish with 1 tablespoon sour cream and a cilantro sprig, if desired.

11 servings. (serving size: 1 cup)

I love using stainless steel, and not having to worry about the aluminum in most cookware these days that can seep into your food, but I haven’t been able to solve the problem of getting them fully cleaned. I have used a hard scrubby numerous time, soaked them, put them in the dishwasher, boiled with baking soda, etc. but the black stains still remain. Any suggestions? I have only had my set for almost 2 years and they already look like they have endured 10!

Secondly, is it possible to cook omeletes/crepes in stainless steel? I have not found a solution to them sticking terribly to the pan and ending in a lovely mess no matter how much oil I put in. I would love to hear anyone’s alternative to this! Do you use cast iron? If so, how do you season these pans? This is new to me.

Thanks!

It’s backwards day at Works for me Wednesday!

This is a light, yummy and healthy coffee cake to serve with a smoothie! I made it this morning with some more healthy changes and it was scrumptious.

Continue Reading →

For all of those who have been curious as to the current status of our homemade sauerkraut…I mark it a success! I tried it after 5 days or so, and it was quite flavorful. I let it sit another few days before putting it in the back of the fridge, until ready to use. For all of those who tried this recipe previously without success, may I suggest that you really must not like sauerkraut, because this is what it tastes like! I like it the most on a hot dog! Yum!