Comforting Curry with a Kick

We had one really brisk week here, so I was inspired to make a bunch of warm, comforting meals. This Fall Vegetable Curry was one of them. It was quick and easy, not to mention healthful and delicious.

Fall Vegetable Curry with Cashew Basmati Rice (Cooking Light, October 2010)

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 tsp. Madras curry powder
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-oz.) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato to pan; saute 3 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring mixture constantly. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cilantro; serve with yogurt.

Cashew Basmati Rice

Cook 1 cup basmati rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Stir in 1/4 cup unsalted cashew pieces and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Bananas Fosters Bread

Apparently, I haven't been eating my bananas fast enough. But, that's ok because this month's issue of Cooking Light has several recipes for banana bread. It must be fate. I always remember my dad making bananas foster as an ice cream topping for special occasions, so I was immediately drawn to the Bananas Foster Bread. The bread didn't retain the true bananas foster taste, but it's definitely a nice way to use ultra-ripe bananas in a slightly different way.


Bananas Foster Bread (Cooking Light, October 2010)

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
6 Tbs. butter, melted and divided
1/4 cup cognac or dark rum, divided
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 large eggs
6.75 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
cooking spray
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 Tbs. butter, and 3 Tbs. cognac in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.
4. Combine remaining 1 Tbs. melted butter, remaining 1 Tbs. cognac, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over warm bread.

Boating Bliss

One of Adam's co-workers and her husband took us out on their boat for a day of fun in the sun and water sports. Although I wasn't so great at water surfing, I had a ton of fun. To feed us on the fabulous day, I made a Curried Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Mint Raita that was perfect for the hot day. The warm flavors of the curry melded wonderfully with the cool mango and cucumber yogurt. Take advantage of this salad on the next (and maybe last) warm day of the year.


Curried Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Mint Raita (Cooking Light, September 2010)

1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Madras curry powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 diced peeled ripe mango
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. currants [I used dried cranberries instead.]
1/4 cup finely diced peeled English cucumber
2 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1 (6-oz.) carton plain low-fat yogurt
1 (5-oz.) package fresh baby spinach

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add curry and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add quinoa and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 16 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in salt. Cool completely.
2. Add mango, diced celery, thinly sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and currants to cooled quinoa; toss gently.
3. Combine 1/4 cup cucumber, 2 tsp. mint, and yogurt in a small bowl, and stir well. Divide spinach evenly among 6 plates, and top each serving with about 3/4 cup quinoa mixture and about 2 Tbs. raita.

One of the Best

This was a meal that was absolutely fabulous. We actually deemed it one of our best meals that we have made recently. And, to top it all off, it was pretty fast. We changed the recipe ever so slightly to Salmon and Tofu with Mint-Yogurt Sauce instead of Arctic Char with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce, but we still accompanied it with the Red Pepper-Coconut Rice that Cooking Light suggested and sauteed broccolini. Delish! Definitely worth trying this week.

Arctic Char with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce (Cooking Light, September 2010)

1/2 cup 2% Greek-style plain yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled cucumber
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. olive oil
4 (6-oz.) arctic char or salmon fillets, skinned
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
lime wedges (optional)

1. Combine first 5 ingredients; chill.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fillets with 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Add fillets to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Serve fillets with sauce and lime wedges, if desired.


Red Pepper-Coconut Rice

Bring 1 cup jasmine rice, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, and 1 (14-oz.) can light coconut milk to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper; cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Sugar Beet, Um Um

My parents and I went to the local farmers' market while they were here. We wanted our dinner to be inspired by the freshest of fruits and vegetables. At the market there was an abundance of artichokes and beets. In addition, my mom had brought a recipe for a beet soup with her all the way across the country. With beets being wildly abundant, and having a recipe in hand, how could we resist the Sweet and Savory Beet Soup with Orange Juice and Yogurt? When my parents and I ate it, we steamed artichokes and made a vegan hollandaise sauce to accompany the soup. In truth, we were a little full to eat much of the soup, but it came in handy later for another meal. The second time we ate the soup, we paired it with foccacia, cheese, and cucumbers. This soup can be eaten warm, room temperature, or cold so it is perfect for any meal any time of the year.
Sweet and Savory Beet Soup with Orange Juice and Yogurt (One Straw Farm; The Washington Post, April 21, 2010)


3 large (3 1/2 to 4 lbs.) beets, trimmed and scrubbed
2 cups orange juice, preferably fresh
5 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
1/2 tsp. salt, or more as needed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or as needed
2/3 cup plain whole or low-fat yogurt, plus more for garnish (may use Greek-style yogurt for a thicker soup)
carrot strands, for garnish (optional)

1. Combine the beets, orange juice, broth, onion, salt and pepper in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Cook for about 1 hour, or until the beets are soft. Remove from the heat.
2. Remove the beets; peel them under cold water (changing it once or twice as needed so you can handle the warm vegetables), then cut them into quarters.
3. Place half the quartered beets in the blender, along with half of the contents of the saucepan. Remove the center knob of the lid and place a dish towel over the opening so that steam can escape. Puree until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining beets and contents of the saucepan.
4. Add yogurt to the beet puree and stir to incorporate thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot, chilled or at room temperature; garnish with a dollop of yogurt or carrot strands, if desired.

Middle Eastern Monday

Middle Eastern food is fresh, light, and perfect for a warm spring evening. And this meal was exactly that. The Spicy Chicken Shawarma was easy to change into a vegetarian dish by substituting the chicken with tofu. Both the chicken and tofu versions were absolutely delicious, especially for a quick and filling weeknight meal.


Spicy Chicken Shawarma (Cooking Light, April 2010)

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. coriander
5 Tbs. plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, divided
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. tahini
4 (6-inch) pitas, halved
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
1/4 cup prechopped red onion

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in 1 Tbs. yogurt, 1 Tbs. juice, and 2 garlic cloves. Add chicken; toss to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture to pan; saute 6 minutes or until browned and done, stirring frequently.
2. While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1/4 cup yogurt, remaining 1 Tbs. lemon juice, remaining 1 garlic clove, and tahini, stirring well. Spread 1 1/2 tsp. tahini mixture inside each pita half; divide chicken evenly among pita halves. Fill each pita half with 1 Tbs. cucumber, 1 Tbs. tomato, and 1 1/2 tsp. onion.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

My brother-in-law makes a bunch of soups out of cauliflower and squash. We received this odd cauliflower-like vegetable from the farmers' market when my parents were here and didn't know what to do with it. So, we decided to roast it and make a soup with it. We added regular cauliflower to the roasting mix, then boil all of the vegetables together with vegetable broth, salt, and a bit of curry powder and pepper. Next, we blended it all together with an immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend the soup in a regular blender, making sure the top has a vent to allow the steam to escape. Then, we sauteed portobella mushrooms to top the soup along with plain yogurt and scallions. I know this soup sounds too simple and delicious to be true, but you should give it a try.

Spice is Nice

Adam picked out this meal. And, I must say that he picked a mighty good one. This Halibut (or tofu) with Spicy Mint-Cilantro Chutney was fantastic! The chutney was creamy and spicy all at the same time; I couldn't get enough of it. To round out the meal we roasted some sweet potatoes and broccoli in the oven on 400 for 30 minutes. For lunch the next day I piled the chutney on top of the extra veggies to get the most possible chutney I could.

Halibut with Spicy Mint-Cilantro Chutney (Cooking Light, November 2009)

To make vegetarian, simply substitute tofu for the halibut. Adam and I each loved our respective versions.

1 serrano pepper, halved
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt
4 tbs. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. salt
4 (6-oz.) skinless halibut fillets
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 Tbs. butter

1. Remove seeds from half of serrano pepper; leave seeds in other half of pepper. Place both pepper halves in a mini food processor; pulse 5 times or until minced. Add cilantro and next 9 ingredients (through garlic); process until smooth. Stir in mint.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine garam masala and 1/4 tsp. salt; sprinkle evenly over fish. Add oil and butter to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve chutney with fish.

Tandoori Twist

I really like to look through the appropriate month sections of the Cooking Light cookbooks to find meals. They typically use more seasonal ingredients, which I always want to take advantage of. While flipping through the July section, I found a recipe for Chipotle Tandoori Shrimp Wraps that intrigued me from the get-go. Adam ate the meal as it appears in the recipe. I simple created a veggie version by substituting tofu slices for the shrimp. The only other aspect of the recipe we changed was that we broiled the shrimp and tofu. We would have grilled them, but we ran out of propane for our grill. Oh well. They were quite delicious regardless!


Chipotle Tandoori Shrimp Wraps (Cooking Light, July 2006)

1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, divided
2 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. adobo sauce
2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 1/2 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
cooking spray
8 (7-inch) flatbreads (such as Flatout)
1 cup diced peeled mango
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 thinly sliced fresh jalapenos peppers
8 lime wedges

1. Combine 1 cup yogurt, ginger, and next 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal bag. Toss well to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
2. Prepare grill.
3. Remove shrimp from bag; discard marinade. Thread shrimp evenly onto 8 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 2 minutes on each side or until done. Let shrimp stand 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from skewers. Divide shrimp evenly among 8 flatbreads. Top each serving with 2 Tbs. mango, 1 Tbs. onion, 1 1/2 tsp. cilantro, and 1 Tbs. yogurt. Divide jalapeno evenly among flatbreads; roll up. Serve with lime wedges.

The Most Perfect Pasta Salad

For some unknown reason, we keep receiving Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. I decided to flip through it and found this amazing looking pasta recipe. It was even better than I had anticipated! The recipe calls for shredded chicken. To make it vegetarian-friendly, we simply omitted the chicken and added sauteed portobella mushrooms and spinach to the mix. The yogurt, raisins, and almonds combine perfectly with the whole wheat pasta, parsley, spinach, and mushrooms to make a satisfying and complete meal.


Pasta Salad with Chicken, Raisins, and Almonds (Everyday Food: A Martha Stewart Magazine, July/August 2009)

coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz. whole-wheat penne rigate (or other short pasta)
2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
2. In a large bowl, stir together pasta, chicken, yogurt, raisins (if using), parsley, almonds, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Thin sauce with pasta water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. (To store, refrigerate, up to 1 day.)

Indian Feast

I know, I know. It's been a while. But, I've been having fun laying in the sun on the east coast, spending time with wonderful people. Before we left we did have a fantastic Indian meal made totally from scratch that I have to share. We started with samosas, which, although we froze for a week and baked without looking at the directions, came out pretty well. I had them again baked correctly and they were even better. We then completed the meal with curried parsnips and a lamb curry over rice. Adam said the lamb tasted just like it does in Indian restaurants. Not too bad for a first try!

Samosas (The New Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen)

Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
extra flour, as needed

1. Place the flour in a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the salt.
2. Make a well in the center, and add the buttermilk or yogurt. Mix first with a spoon and then with your hand, to make a smooth dough.
3. Add extra flour, as needed, to keep the dough from being sticky. The dough will be quite soft. Knead in the bowl for about 5 minutes. Cover tightly and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the pastries.

Filling
2 large potatoes (the size of a large person's fist)
1 Tbs. butter
1 cup finely minced onion
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. dried coriander (if available)
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked green peas (frozen, thawed = fine)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
cayenne, to taste

1. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1-inch pieces. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, and boil until very soft. Drain and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Mash and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, coriander, and salt. Saute over medium heat about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are quite soft. Add this to the mashed potatoes, along with the remaining ingredients. Mix well, but try not to smash the peas. Cool for at least 15 minutes before filling the pastries.

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt

1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Heat to boiling, then let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. It will reduce slightly.
3. Serve warm or at room temperature with hot samosas.

To assemble and bake
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Generously oil a baking sheet.
2. Keep a small container of flour, a fork, a small bowl of water, and a pastry brush close at hand. Flour a clean surface, and, one by one, roll 1-inch balls of dough into 5-inch circles, using a rolling pin.
3. Place approximately 1 1/2 Tbs. filling in the center of each circle, and fold over, just like a turnover. Brush the inside edges of each circle with a little water, and fold the edges together to make a small hem. Crimp the edges firmly with the fork.
Note: If you are storing the samosas to bake later on, place them on a heavily floured plate or tray, dust the tops with more flour, and cover tightly. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until baking time.
4. To bake: Place the samosas on the oiled baking sheet. Brush the tops with oil. Bake 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 375 and bake for 10 minutes more. For maximum crispiness, turn the samosas over when you turn the oven down.
5. Serve within 15 minutes of baking, with dipping sauce. A nice way to serve the sauce is in individual saucers or tiny bowls, so each person can hold both samosa and sauce directly under his or her face while eating, and the sauce bowl can catch the drips. (It does drip, but that's one of the charms of this ritual.)


Curried Parsnips with Yogurt and Chutney (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison)

We made the chutney that this recipe calls for from scratch, the recipe of which will be posted below. However, the rest of this dish is simple and if you want to make it in a hurry, pre-made chutney will work perfectly fine. Serving this dish over sauteed spinach and rice makes for a hardy and complete meal that satisfies all of the different taste buds.

1 1/2 lbs. parsnips, peeled and chopped into even-sized pieces
2 to 3 Tbs. butter or canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 tsp. curry powder
salt and freshly milled pepper
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup Apricot and Dried Fruit Chutney or a commercail mango chutney
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1. Steam the parsnips until barely tender, about 7 minutes. Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a medium skillet. Add the onions, apples, and curry powder and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add the parsnips, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes more with the additional 1 Tbs. butter to help them brown. Turn off the heat, then stir in the yogurt, chutney, and cilantro and serve.


Apricot and Dried Fruit Chutney (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison)

This chutney was also delicious with the samosas.

1 1/2 cups whole dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
3 1/2 cups apple juice or water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, preferably unfiltered
2 Tbs. julienne strips of ginger
1/2 tsp. fennel or anise seeds
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
pinch salt
balsamic vinegar to taste

1. Put everything except the balsamic vinegar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the fruit is soft but not mushy and the liquid is reduced to a syrup, about 45 minutes. Stir in 1/2 tsp or so balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve right away if desired, but the flavors will merge as it sits. Stored in the refrigerator, the finished chutney should keep for many weeks.


Classic Lamb Curry (www.myrecipes.com, Cooking Light)

cooking spray
2 lbs. boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
5 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 Tbs. ground coriander seeds
1 Tbs. paprika
2 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp. Garam Masala
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups finely chopped plum tomato (about 1/2 lbs.)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add lamb, and cook for 5 minutes on all sides or until browned. Remove lamb from pan.
2. Heat the oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients (onion through cinnamon); cook for 4 minutes or until onion is browned. Stir in coriander and next 6 ingredients (coriander through garlic); cook 1 minute. Add lamb, tomato, water, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until the lamb is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro. Serve over rice; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.

Savory Napoleons

We are still trying to clean out our fridge from all of the Thanksgiving festivities. Pulling from what we had, I came up with this idea to make a sweet potato Napoleon. We took sliced sweet potato, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta cheese and baked them all together. To top it all off, we mixed together a concoction of yogurt, thyme, lemon juice, and cayenne and drizzled it over the Napoleon. Although we should have sliced the sweet potato a bit thinner, these sweet potato Napoleons were restaurant-quality (almost, at least).


Sweet Potato Napoleons

I am not going to add any quantities for the ingredients because they can be used in any quantity. Roasted red peppers or spinach would be amazing additions to the Napoleon if you feel like straying from what we used.

sweet potato, sliced thinly into rounds
tofu, sliced thinly into rectangles about the size of the sweet potato slices
mushrooms, sliced
sun-dried tomatoes
feta, sliced or crumbled
plain yogurt
lemon, juiced
cayenne
fresh thyme

1. Steam the sweet potato by placing it in a microwavable bowl and microwaving for approximately 7 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender. Broil the tofu by placing it on aluminum foil, spraying both sides with cooking spray, and placing under the broiler until slightly crisp and brown.
2. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat.
3. In a baking sheet, layer the sweet potato, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta, starting and ending with sweet potato. We used 3 sweet potatoes per Napoleon. Bake in a 425 oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Mix together the yogurt, lemon, cayenne, and thyme (in your preferred portions) in a small bowl.
5. When the Napoleons have baked through, place on a plate and drizzle with yogurt mixture. Serve immediately.

Lentil Burgers/Patties

My sister Melissa turned me on to this food blog (by a fellow San Franciscan foodie) called 101 Cookbooks. It is absolutely fantastic with healthful, interesting recipes. I ran into this recipe for Lentil Burgers and decided to try them out. In this recipe, the lentil burgers are actually used instead of bread--sort of an inside-out burger. We stuffed them with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cilantro yogurt. They were so delicious; even Adam, who is a bit skeptical of lentils, absolutely loved them. As a side, we had a Grapefruit, Red Onion, and Spinach salad, whose freshness paired perfectly with the heartiness of the lentils. (Sharon: here's another way to use your lentils!) Enjoy!

Vegetarian Lentil Burgers (www.101cookbooks.com)

The recipe calls to cut the burgers in half, but we just used two patties to make our burgers rather than going through the hassle of cutting them. Also, we used brown lentils instead of the black lentils. Perhaps ours were a bit mushier than they would have been using black lentils, but the flavor was quite delicious. A fork and knife are necessary to eat them though.

3 cups cooked black lentils
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup toasted fine (whole-wheat) bread crumbs
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

1. Combine the lentils, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a runny yet textured hummus - it's o.k. if many of the lentils remain whole (see photo). Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the onion. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a very moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. I err on the moist side here, because it makes for a nicely textured burger. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately.


Cilantro Yogurt

The cilantro yogurt was essential to these burgers. In the blog, it suggests using saffron yogurt, but since we didn't have any saffron, we decided to try out a cilantro version. I suggest using a non-fat Greek yogurt because it is thick, creamy, and extra delicious. Greek yogurt also has a high protein content, which is especially important for us vegetarians. We mixed the yogurt with frozen cilantro cubes from Trader Joe's. They sell little cubes of herbs that are frozen and can be popped out in small portions for your convenience. They don't have as much flavor as fresh cilantro, but they work well for us because we always have them on hand and we don't waste large amounts of fresh cilantro. Be creative with the yogurt; I'm sure there are many combinations that would go wonderfully with the burgers.

Grapefruit, Red Onion, and Spinach Salad

This salad is so refreshing and easy. It's perfect for an exciting lunch or dinner side dish.

1 grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
2 sliced red onion, diced
2 cups spinach
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Plate the spinach and top with the grapefruit sections and red onion. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper to taste.