Delicious Knowledge

I’ve proclaimed my love for lentils before: lentil stew, lentil tacos, lentil-walnut loaf, the list could go on for days.

Inexpensive, high in protein, fiber, folate, iron, and almost fat-free. I eat them almost every day. Recently, I’ve been bored with our usual lentil dishes and decided to experiment with some new flavor combinations. Totally hooked.

This is one of those big pot meals you can make and eat throughout the week. Delicious over rice, on naan or by itself, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

What’s your favorite way to eat lentils?

Red Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

2 cups red lentils
1 cup diced onion
2 tbsp. red curry paste
2 tbsp. Indian Curry Powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. minced ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can tomato puree
1 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Brown rice, cooked

Directions:

Rinse the lentils very well until water runs clear. Add lentils in a pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until lentils are tender.

Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large skillet or pot. Add the onions, a pinch of salt, and cook until reduced and caramelized. Reduce heat to low and stir in the maple syrup.

While the onions are cooking, mix together the curry powder, paste, cumin, chili powder, turmeric, pinch salt, garlic, and ginger.  Increase the heat on the onions back to medium and add the spice mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often being sure not to burn.

Add the tomato puree, stir together and cook another 2-3 minutes until warm. Add drained lentils and stir together. Stir in chopped cilantro and serve over rice.

Serve this to your friends and watch their faces.

I recently gave this to BL and really enjoyed his reaction.

No, I am not serving you bugs. It’s chia seed pudding! Delicious and quite weird looking.

Trust me on this when I say it’s the perfect summer dessert. Light, refreshing, and low in fat and calories I created this recipe when I was making my Lemon Chia Cupcakes; as I always do when I am baking, I had quite a few spoonfuls of the raw batter before baking.

It’s somewhat like a tradition. And also the reason I can only get 11 cupcakes out of a recipe that makes a dozen. Another highlight of vegan baking, the batter taste almost as good as the final product (and you can eat it without worrying about Salmonella).

The olive oil and maple syrup might seem like an interesting combination, but they pair perfectly with the lemon juice. If you’ve never had chia seed pudding before, try it! It taste similar to tapioca, rich in amino acids, zinc, fiber, calcium, and B vitamins.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. maple sugar (can use regular sugar)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup non-dairy milk, I prefer either coconut or almond milk
1/4 cup chia seeds

Blend together the olive oil, maple sugar, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, and almond milk. Add chia seeds, whisk together and let sit for 15 minutes until jelled.

Have you ever tried chia seeds before? What do you think?

At first glance you might be thinking “She brought a dip and bread to a potluck?”

And you would be right, until you taste it. This is so much more than a dip. It’s everything hummus wants to be: spicy, complex & perfect with just about anything.

Dipped into crusty bread? Check.
Poured over pasta? Check.
Spooned onto roasted vegetables? Double check.

I double dog dare you to find something this dip doesn’t go well with.

Ok, I’m sure that this would taste horrible on ice cream, but you get the point.

I’m bringing this delicious dip for two reasons:
1. I know what a winner it is at potlucks
2. We will be in Barcelona by the time this is posted, a happy coincidence to share with you!

Think of this at the Spanish version of bruschetta; a simple appetizer that if done right is really, really, good.
Done wrong, and it’s nothing but stale bread and tomatoes.

The ingredients need to be of quality, I prefer making this in the summer with heirloom tomatoes, but any in-season kind will do.

On a completely unrelated note, I am beyond excited to be apart of this vegan potluck! If this is your first time here, grab a drink and be prepared to hop spend the next few hours drooling over plant-based favorites. The Virtual Vegan Potluck is a collection of 168 blogs with 8 courses! 168 bloggers and 8 categories! Whew. We are going to be full. And Happy.  Each blog is linked up to the next so you can hop from one recipe to the next.

Cheers to a fun event and thanks again Annie, Somer, and Jason for hosting this. I look forward to many more events and get-together’s.

Spanish Romesco Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 slice  stale french bread, cubed
1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 15oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 jar (8 oz.) roasted red peppers
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan; add the bread and almonds and stir frequently, cooking until they are golden brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté another 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Place the can of tomatoes in a food processor, with the juice. Drain the jar of roasted red peppers and place in the food processor. Pulse a few times until chunky. Add the salt, paprika, vinegar, and almond-bread mixture. Puree until smooth.

Pour the sauce onto the pre-heated baking pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Remove from oven, cool slightly and pour into a bowl.

There are a few foods that I’m pretty sure I could out eat anyone in:

1. Guacamole, or just avocados in general. I don’t discriminate.
2. Salad. It’s slightly embarrassing when we head to Fresh Choice. I really do love leafy greens.
3. Hummus.

Quite possibly one of my favorite foods, I have never been able to stick to the 2 tbsp. serving size rule.

I’m not proud of the fact that I can singly handlly consume the entire 8 oz. tub on one sitting but facts are facts. In fact, it’s one of the big reasons I started making my own. Those $3 tubs quickly add up in my weekly habit.

Over the years, I’ve made a million variations of hummus adding and tweaking ingredients here and there, but this is hands down my favorite hummus recipe. I adapted it from the Barefoot Contessa.

At first glance you might think that 3 cups is too much hummus to have around, but once you taste it you’ll be glad you have that much. Maybe next time you’ll even consider doubling it. It really is delicious on everything: roasted vegetables, salads, tossed with hot pasta, sandwiches, or just eat by the spoonful.

The other great thing about this hummus? It’s essentially oil-free. I don’t understand recipes that call for almost a cup of oil. That kind defeats the point of hummus, don’t ya think?  You could drizzle olive oil on at the end like I do for more flavor and presentation but you don’t have to.

Homemade Hummus

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini
7 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. reserved chickpea liquid, or water
6 dashes hot sauce
3 ice cubes
2 tbsp. olive oil (optional)
Paprika garnish