Warm Lentil & Mushroom Salad

This salad is easy, tasty and good looking, particularly if you need a side dish for a party or just generally want to be gassy. It was only a few years ago that I was introduced to French lentils, a type of lentil that retains its shape and chewy texture, making it a good addition to casseroles and salads. Historically, the lentils I knew were added to soups or dahl and had a mushy texture. I appreciate the French version for their heartier dimension.

If you've got feta or another bold cheese on hand, crumbling a little overtop of this recipe would be a great addition.  Otherwise, just serve as is and enjoy!

Adapted from: http://www.deliciouseveryday.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup French lentils
• 1 lb mixed mushrooms (I used Portobello and button)
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t chili flakes
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 3 cups mixed greens
• olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

Prepare the lentils by rinsing them thoroughly and putting them in a pot with 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. The lentils should be chewy and still intact. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes if you prefer a more tender lentil. Remove from heat and drain if any water remains.

In a pan, sauce the mushrooms in two batches, with a tablespoon of olive oil each, stirring until they've softened; about 4 minutes for each batch. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic and onions. Add the chili flakes and stir until the onions have softened, about 2 minutes. Return the mushrooms back to the pan and combine well with the onion mix. Add salt, pepper and the lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a bowl, add the greens and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Dill Salmon with Creme Fraiche and Beluga Lentils

Ruedi and I have made this dish a handful of times now for ourselves and guests. It's dead easy, but presents as a sophisticated work of art and is so, so tasty. Beluga lentils also wind up being a neat alternative to rice or potatoes and since these lentils don't get mushy like their green or yellow brothers, their texture is a good balance for that of the salmon.

Beluga lentils are called such because they look like beluga caviar when cooked. As with other lentils, they offer folate, fiber and a good dose of protein. A half cup of cooked beluga lentils contains about 12 grams. These particular lentils, however,  also have anthocyanins, the same antioxidants in blueberries and blackberries have that help to prevent cell wall damage which can lead to cancer and heart disease. I typically pick these up at Bulk Barn. If you can't find them, try using French lentils instead which are more readily available.


From: www.thegourmetgourmand.com

Serves 4

For the salmon and sauce

• 4 salmon fillets (I had one large piece)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil (if searing/baking salmon as per Option B)
• 2 T shallot, minced
• 1 T butter
• 2 t dijon mustard
• 6 T creme fraiche
• 3 t dill, minced
• 2 t fresh lemon juice

For the lentils

• 1 cup beluga lentils
• 1 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 t salt
• 1 shallot quartered
• 3 peeled, whole garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 1 heaping handful arugula/spinach

Method

Option A: Barbecue instructions for the salmon
Preheat your barbecue to medium-high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and wrap each of the fillets in tin foil. Place the fillets on the bottom rack for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, unwrap and check the thickest part of the salmon to ensure it is cooked through. If not, wrap up the salmon and return it to the barbecue for a few minutes.

Option B: Oven instructions for the salmon
Preheat oven to 350F. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a skillet to medium heat and add about two tablespoons of oil to the pan. Sear the salmon for two minutes on both sides. Place skillet in the oven and cook salmon for about 5-7 minutes until done to your liking.

The sauce
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Stir for a few minutes until the shallots soften. Turn down the heat to avoid burning the butter. Whisk in the dijon and then follow with the creme fraiche until smooth. Add the lemon juice and dill and a little more salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately with the lentils and salmon.

Beluga Lentils
On medium heat add the butter and olive oil in a saucepan. Once melted, add the lentils, tossing well to coat with the butter and oil. Add the chicken stock, garlic, shallot, salt and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then turn heat to low. Cook covered for about 35 minutes or until lentils are tender. Once fully cooked, drain the excess liquid and add a tablespoon of vinegar to the lentils, mixing well. Remove the garlic, shallot and bay leaf. Add a handful of fresh arugula/spinach and serve.

Winter Panzanella & Roasted Red Pepper & Lentil Soup

A belated happy new year to you! May your pots not stick and your belly be full. That is as wise a saying as I could come up with.

I am, like everybody else, back on the good-for-you-food bandwagon. I have traded my party shoes for runners and swapped trips to the wine bar with trips to the yoga studio. Actually I still hit the bar, but after yoga.

This year however, my partner in crime, Ruedi has gone walkabout for six months and while I'm excited for him,  I am missing my food Hoover. Nobody can suck back leftovers like Ruedi. In my haste to get groceries this week, I neglected to downsize these first recipes of the year in consideration of his absence. I should have known when the original recipe for the salad below called for six, count 'em, six freaking beets that I would wind up with way too much food!

So...while I was able to freeze the soup, I will never make the panzanella again. I ate this dish a total of eight times this week. It was great the first time, lovely the second time and doable the third time. After that, I felt like I was just choking it down to rid myself of the leftovers. I know Ruedi will be surprised that I ate all of the leftovers, because I rarely eat an item more than three times after I've made it. Well Ruedi, I did it. 

So, enjoy these lovely dishes, because despite the fact that I'm over them, they are great recipes and healthy ones at that. The panzanella has so many options for variation. If I was to make it again, I'd play around with different kind of vegetables, throw in some roasted cashews or seeds and cheese would of course make a good addition too. When doesn't it?

As for the soup, the tanginess of the peppers combined with pesto gives it a zing I really enjoyed. The original recipe calls for basil, but I couldn't find any nearby. I had loads of pesto on hand, so I opted to throw that into the soup instead.

Winter Panzanella

From: http://blog.kj.com


Ingredients

• 6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 6 medium beets. peeled and cubed
• 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
• 2 cups butternut squash chopped
• 1 shallot minced
• 4 cups bread, cubed
• 2 cups kale, finely chopped
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350F. Toss the bread cubes with a generous amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Combine the carrots, fennel, beets and squash in a bowl and toss with more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place the vegetables on another baking sheet and roast them for about 30 minutes or until the edges are browned.

In a large bowl, combine the bread and roasted vegetables with the kale, shallots, parsley and apple and pour a generous amount of balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the mix. Add some coarse salt and fresh ground pepper and toss the salad well. Serve immediately.





Roasted Red Pepper & Lentil Soup

Note that you'll need to prepare the roasted red pepper sauce as part of this soup recipe. It can be made a day in advance if needed.

Adapted From: http://cali-zona.com


Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

• 4 large bell peppers
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T pesto
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/2 t paprika

Method

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the peppers in half and remove their seeds. Place them face down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the skin begins to blacken and bubble. When cooled, peel the skin off of the peppers.

Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in a pot of boiling water for about a minute. Once removed and cooled, peel the skins from the flesh.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and let it flavour the oil for a few seconds. Follow with the onion and shallots, sautéing until translucent. Add the wine and simmer until reduced and syrupy in texture.

In a food processor or blender, combine the peppers, tomatoes, onion mixture and pesto and puree the ingredients. Pour the mixture back into the pan and add the lemon juice, pepper and paprika. Allow the sauce to simmer for about ten minutes and season to taste with coarse salt.

The Soup

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups red lentils
• 1 batch roasted pepper sauce (recipe above) 
• 8 cups water
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 t hot paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a strainer, rinse the lentils well. Add them to a large pot with the eight cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium to allow the lentils to cook for 25 minutes. Once the lentils are soft add the remaining ingredients and allow to cook on medium heat for another 5-10 minutes.

Bean Week: Crushed Lentils with Tahini and Cumin

And this is part two! I even had a third bean dish on trial this week, but its recipe will have to wait for another day. This lentil dish is divine and an easy weeknight meal for those looking for a dish to prepare on a meatless Monday or any evening where time is tight.

If you are preparing this dish on a weeknight, prepare the lentils in advance and store them for another meal. I do the bulk of my cooking on Sunday and soak beans and/or prepare lentils for use later on in the week. By Wednesday or Thursday, the Sunday leftovers are gone, so the beans and lentils get thrown into salads, casseroles or dishes like this. These little numbers tide Ruedi and I over until the weekend.

From: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried french lentils
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 t cumin
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 T lemon juice
• salt and ground pepper to taste
• 1/3 of a small red onion, sliced
• 4 eggs, boiled
• smoked paprika to garnish each serving

Method

To prepare the lentils, soak a cup of lentils in three cups of water for an hour, then simmer the lentils in the water for thirty minutes. Drain the lentils and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a fry pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and cumin, allowing the garlic a chance to scent the oil. Toss in the tomatoes, half the cilantro and the lentils, stirring them to coat them in the oil and spices.

Stir in the tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper and allow to simmer for two minutes. Serve the lentils with boiled eggs on the side.

Feta & Lentil Salad

Lentils: as cheap and easy as it gets, but always the supporting actor...until now. Never have I seen lentils take centre stage as I have in the last few years. Perhaps the focus on reducing meat consumption and the rise in vegetarian and vegan diets play parts in this trend.  I haven't been as successful as others in making lentils interesting, but this lentil salad seems to bring all the right flavours together. Once the lentils are cooked, the salad takes only minutes to prepare and assemble. I typically double or triple the volume of lentils I cook so I can add them to other dishes throughout the week.

Loosely inspired by: http://blog.meaningfuleats.com


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry french lentils
• 3 cups various lettuce leaves
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

Fill a large pot with 1 1/2 cups of water and the french lentils. Cover pot and soak for one hour. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

I opted to prepare each serving individually and arranged the lettuce on individual plates, followed by the lentils, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes and avocado slices. Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad and season with salt and pepper.

Lentils with Roasted Cashews & Goat Cheese

Roasted cashews with lentils and goat cheese

From: http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com/

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup French lentils
• 1 1/2 cups water
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• soft goat cheese, to serve

Vinaigrette

• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 t walnut oil
• pinch of sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat your oven to 400F. Place them on a roasting tray and roast for about 10-15 minutes. Set the cashews aside.

Rinse the lentils and place in a small saucepan with the water. Bring to boil, then let simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain off the excess water then place back in the saucepan.

Mix together the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Pour the mixture into the saucepan with the lentils and mix through. Add the cashews and the parsley and spoon into a bowl. Top with soft goat cheese before serving.

Pan Seared Halibut with Lentil and Sun-dried Tomato Ragu

More recipes!! I was on a cooking mission at the end of March, but with all this cooking, I ran out of time to post my experiments. I enjoyed this dish and made a few changes to it from the get go. For starters, I bought halibut steaks as opposed to filets. Why? Price. Halibut filets were and arm and a leg at our local seafood store, so the steaks appeared to be a good compromise. I also modified the recipe slightly by using rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes in lieu of semi-dried ones. 

Next time (and there will be one), I'd halve the amount of onion in this dish. It ended up being a bit onion-heavy. The directions below have already been modified to suit this preference.

Adapted From: http://www.projectfoodie.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Ragu:

• 2 cups cooked french lentils
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in hot water
• 2 sprigs of thyme leaves, chopped
• zest and juice of two lemons
• 3 T olive oil
• bunch of flat leaf parsley, loosely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the Halibut:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 halibut steaks (approximately 5 oz each...although I opted to purchase one mother of a steak instead)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 T pesto

Method

In a saucepan on low heat, mix the lentils, mustard, onion, tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest and juice. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and let heat for 5-6 minutes to blend in the flavours. Once the ragu is warmed through, remove it from the heat and add the chopped parsley.

For the fish, heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and place the steaks into the skillet. Season the surface of the fish with salt and pepper, and when the pan-side is a golden brown, flip over the fish and pour the lemon juice on to the cooked surface. Turn the heat down to low and let cook through (should take anywhere from 3-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish).

Spoon the lentils on a dish and and place the halibut steak on top. Serve immediately.

Lentil, basil, pinenut & heirloom tomato salad

This salad is not unlike a lentil salad I made earlier this year, but the addition of toasted pine nuts and celery change the dimensions a bit. We enjoyed this with the chicken soup I just posted and last night's leftover cheesecake. 


Adapted from: www.thecrosbykitchen.com


1 cup dry french lentils
1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, sliced in quarters
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 T chopped fresh basil
2 T olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup mozarella cheese cut into cubes


Cook lentils according to package instructions. Rinse and let cool. Combine all ingredients and serve immediately.

Lentil, eggplant & feta salad with a balsamic vinaigrette

Yummity, yum, yummers. This salad just rocked my world! The combination of fresh basil, cilantro and feta from a local Greek market makes for a fresh and tangy bite. I have to add that if you have access to the variety of niche markets that cover this great city, take advantage of them. The kalamatas and feta I get at Hella's food market off 124th Street, taste quite different from the ones I pick up at the local grocery store. It's worth making the extra trip if you've got the time.

Adapted from http://www.gourmantineblog.com


Serves 6

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes here, but any other type will do just fine)
• 1 eggplant
• feta cheese (according to taste)

Vinaigrette

• 1 garlic clove
• pinch of dried chili 
• 4 T good quality balsamic vinegar
• 4 T extra virgin olive oil
• Handful of basil
• Handful of cilantro
• salt and freshly grounded pepper

Bring the stock to boil, add the crushed garlic, lentils and cook for 15-20 minutes. When ready, remove the garlic and drain.

Slice the eggplant lengthways and chargrill for a few minutes on each side. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then cut in equal size pieces. Toss together with lentils, halved tomatoes and feta cheese.

For the vinaigrette, in a pestle mortar grind together garlic, dried chili and half of basil leaves until you have a paste, then add the balsamic vinegar and continue to stir around till well combined, then stir in the olive oil to have a homogenous vinaigrette. Finish by adding finely chopped cilantro and the rest of basil.

Serve the salad either warm or cold with some vinaigrette on top.