Middle Eastern Red Lentil Soup

This is seriously one of the best things I've ever made.  It's one of those "wow this is so good I can't believe I made this" moments.  It's crazy flavorful and it's easy to make.  Proof that amazingly delicious good food doesn't have to be complicated with fancy schmancy ingredients and techniques.  One of my secrets to this is a good vegetable broth.  Some have zero flavor.  I happen to love Edward and Son's Not-Chick'n bullion cubes that I get at Whole Foods.  I use one cube dissolved in three cups of water for this recipe (package says one cube in two cups water but I reduce the sodium).

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Serves 3-4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

5-6 baby carrots diced (that's what I always have on hand or use 1 carrot)

3 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

1 Tbsp tomato paste 

3/4 cups red lentils

3 cups vegetable broth (see note)

Juice of half a lemon (about 1 Tbsp)

Salt and black pepper to taste

Crushed red pepper for heat (optional)

Method

Add olive oil to saucepan and heat over medium-low.  Add onion and carrots with a dash of salt and cook 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and cook 2 minutes.  

Stir in the tomato paste and the lentils, then add the broth and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil then reduce to low and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.  

Season with salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper to taste.

Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender.

Note: recommend using a quality, flavorful broth such as Edward and Son's Not-Chick'n bullion cubes. Dissolve one cube in three cups hot water for this recipe.

Grilled Avocado Sandwich

Tomato soup has a new BFF and doesn't have cheese.  Glorious avocado steals the show in the tasty grilled sandwich.  Yea, yea grilled cheese sandwiches are awesome but this isn't trying to replace it.  It is its own kind of awesome and it also pairs exceptionally well with tomato soup.  Of course you could add other things to the sandwich but I like to keep it simple, just a little S+P, maybe a dash of garlic powder, and all that rich, buttery avocado. Pair with some of this yummy tomato soup and enjoy!

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Makes one sandwich

Ingredients

2 slices of bread

3-4 Tbsp mashed avocado (about 1/4 of an avocado)

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash of garlic powder (optional)

Earth Balance vegan butter spread, room temp

Method

Heat skillet over medium heat (I use a cast iron skillet). Mix your mashed avocado with salt, pepper and garlic powder if using.  Spread butter on a slice of bread, on the other side spread on your avocado.  Place the other slice on top and spread with butter.  Cook in skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Maple Cinnamon Twice Baked Sweet Potato

Simply sweet potato its best.  Try this with a garnet yam (which is really a sweet potato!), my personal favorite.   The only difficult part of the this recipe is waiting for the sweet potato to bake, but rest assured it is well worth it.  After the wait is over, all you have to do is mix the sweet potato flesh with a few other tasty ingredients and bake again for just 10 minutes.  The applesauce adds a nice little tang but it can easily be left out.  Love it extra sweet?  Add a touch more maple syrup, or try a sprinkle of brown sugar on top.  Definitely do splurge and a the vegan butter as it adds just that little bit of richness.  Let's also not forget about the wonderful health benefits of the sweet potato, that bright orange flesh is a sure indicator of all the beta-carotene packed in this tuber.  They also deliver a nice dose of vitamin C, vitamin B and iron, so eat up!

Confused about the difference between a sweet potato and yam?  It's really just because sweet potatoes are often mislabeled as yams.  Check out this article for more clarification. 

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Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato, washed

2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp maple syrup

1-2 tsp Earth Balance vegan butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Pinch ground ginger

Pinch salt

Chopped pecans for garnish

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Pierce sweet potato a couple times with a fork.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Remove from oven, cut a slit down the center of the sweet potato, and scoop out flesh into a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients except pecans, a mix thoroughly and until creamy.  Make any adjustments to taste.

Spoon back into the sweet potato skin, sprinkle with pecans, return to baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. 

Falafel Spiced Roasted Chickpea Tacos

I really love falafel.  So much in fact that at one point I created a baked falafel recipe in my early days of blogging.  I've been meaning to revisit this recipe to see how I could revamp it, but to have to bust out the food processor, form little patties, and all that, just hasn't been something I've had time for.  So I had this brilliant idea to take all those spices and flavors and just coat the chickpeas in them, then roast them.  I do love roasted chickpeas. I substitute onion for onion powder, fresh garlic with garlic powder that way I wouldn't have to worry about it burning in the oven and the flavors would be all combined.   It worked like a charm!  I got my falafely goodness without the work. Yep, I'll pat myself on the back for this one.  It's pretty freakin' good.

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Makes 4 tacos

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
Diced tomato
Diced onion
Diced dill pickle (yes this goes very well with falafel)
Lettuce
Tahini dressing (I love the one from Trader Joes that you can find by the hummus or try my recipe)

Taco size tortillas

Method

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Chickpeas to a bowl and add olive oil and lemon juice.  Give it a toss to coat.

In a small bowl, mix all the spices together.  This is important so that you have an even flavor throughout.  Add the spices to the chickpeas along with the fresh herbs and lastly the salt and pepper.  Toss to thoroughly coat.

Spread chickpeas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes (depending how crispy you want them).

Southwest Black Bean Burger

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Makes 4 large burgers or 6 small

Ingredients

1/2 small onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne (optional)
1/3 cup pepitas
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Flour for dusting
Oil or cooking spray

Method

Add onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, chipotle powder, and pepitas to a food processor.  Pulse several times until it all comes together.  Add remaining ingredients and pulse again until it comes together.  Do not over blend or the mixture can become too wet.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate 20-30 minutes to chill.  Once chilled it will be easier to handle. 

Shape into 4 patties.  Lightly dust both sides of each patty in flour. 

Heat lightly oiled skillet over medium heat.  Once hot, add burgers and cook a few minutes on each side until browned and heat through.