Italian Spaghetti Squash and Lentil Soup
Posted: October 11, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: farmers market, lentils, soup, spaghetti squash Leave a comment »Finally I am back with an edition of Farmer’s Market Tuesday!
It has been really warm in Maryland lately but we have a lot of rain in forecast and Fall + rain = soup in my book.
I love all squash in the fall and I usually make the spaghetti variety as yep, spaghetti. Tonight I wanted to try something different and man did it work out!
What you will need:
- 1 small to medium spaghetti squash
- 1 large can of fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups veggie broth (or chicken/beef)
- 1 onion diced
- 1 clove of garlic pressed
- 2 tsp dried thyme or fresh to your taste
- 2 sprigs of rosemary de-stemmed or 1 tbsp dried
- dash of hot pepper flakes
- 1/2 bunch kale
- 1/2 cup uncooked lentils
- pepper (no salt needed due to tomatoes and veggie broth)
I started by cutting the squash in half lengthwise and roasting it for 45min in the oven. While it was roasting I cooked down the onion and garlic then added everything but the rosemary, thyme and kale. 45min late pull out the squash to cool and add the herbs and kale to the pot to cook for a few min while you pull out the spaghetti.
Now, the squash can be really hot and I don’t like waiting so I usually wear an oven mitt to get things going. Add the squash to the lentils and stir before serving.
I seriously have not made something this good since I made butternut chili before the wedding.
The herbs really came out in this and I loved the addition of a different squash.
I just wish I could have slurped up some of these “spaghetti” noodles!
What is your favorite way to eat spaghetti squash?
Coconut Aminos
Posted: June 19, 2011 Filed under: dinner | Tags: coconut aminos, dinner, lentils, wheat berries 1 Comment »Do you like soy sauce? Do you not like how much sodium is in it and are looking for a delicious alternative?
Try Coconut Aminos!
I found out about this stuff at a raw dinner Nick and I attended and I thought I would give it a try. It is just coconut sap with added sea salt. It costs about $5 for a bottle which I believe is more than regular soy sauce but I think your blood pressure will thank you.
I used the coconut aminos in a lovely lentil wheatberry bowl with summer squash and zucchini.
I also mixed in some carrots, onions, basil and parsley.
The verdict? Delicious! I loved how the squash absorbed the flavor and I didn’t feel like I was eating a salt block as I do with soy sauce.
A final wedding note – I was very giddy to find this milk bottle yesterday!
(For those who don’t know N’s last name is Warner!)
The Temperatures Are Rising
Posted: May 2, 2011 Filed under: dinner | Tags: chopsticks, dinner, lentils, spinach 1 Comment »The temperatures are going up and down around here with crazy rain storms and winds. These are not the best conditions for my little baby plants in the garden and Sissy is not helping matters by eating my bean plants!
She loves the balcony but she has taken a liking to all things bean, pepper and lettuce – this is not going to fly. I think I will just have to put her favorites up on stools so that she can enjoy the outdoors without consuming my vegetables. Maybe she is telling me she wants to be a vegetarian?
Speaking of vegetarian I whipped up a simple lentil summer salad to ring in the warm weather.
Cooked lentils with sautéed onions and mushrooms mixed with roasted red peppers and spinach.
I added feta to the top of this after the photo shoot and it was delicious!
I also ate it with chop sticks – I love them!
Incase anyone was wondering where my workout reports went I am still working out but it is completely different than when I was training. There is something wrong with my knee that I do not have time to deal with right now. It isn’t getting any worse but I can’t run at the moment. I am working out 4-5 times a week with the elliptical, weight lifting, biking, swimming and yoga. I miss running but at least I can stay marginally fit while I plan a wedding and try to stay sane!
Better In Plan Than Construction
Posted: March 14, 2011 Filed under: dinner | Tags: chard, dinner, lentils, recipe, wrap 2 Comments »I have seen chard leaves used a wrappers for many things around blogland so I thought tonight would be a good time for me to try it out!
I bought a giant bag of carrots this weekend so I knew I wanted to use them in the wrap, now I just need a protein – enter the lentil!
First I washed the chard leaves and cut them in half (these are massive).
I peeled two carrots and filled the leaves with them equally.
After the carrots I added the lentils and a special sauce.
Nutritional yeast, tomato sauce and hot chili sauce – this is where I went wrong because this sauce is too watery. Next time I would use tomato paste instead of sauce.
Wrap it up and serve it up!
I would like to roll these a little better next time. Ashley seemed to have a lot of luck with her breakfast chard leaves so I am going to her method out next time. Either way the leaves were a nice shell and not bitter at all, there was just way too much water.
WEDDING UPDATE
Nick and I have booked an venue!
We are getting married at the Rock Ford Plantation in Lancaster PA! I have looked into pricing for invitations (we plan to make our own), I should be better two quotes from caterers soon and I am going dress shopping this weekend! Our color is parrot/wild apple (I think) with Maryland wildflower colors as our accent colors. I wanted a fall orange but then realized I didn’t want to limit myself because you never know what they will have in September!
Lots of stuff going on this weekend besides dresses. My mom and I are going to Rock Ford to check out the actual measurements and logistics of where things will take place. We are also going to check out hotels and B&Bs in the area! So exciting!!!!
I Need To Have A Special Page For Lentil Recipes
Posted: February 15, 2011 Filed under: dinner, food, recipe | Tags: dinner, homemade bread, lentils, recipe 2 Comments »This afternoon I had to get 4 new tires…I knew I was due for new ones pretty soon, but after my Valentine’s blow out and actually seeing the tread indicators up close, it was time. I am spoiled and thank you mommy for my early birthday present of 4 new tires 
At least I knew I wouldn’t be spending any additional money on dinner. I don’t understand how people buy meals all the time throughout the week. Get organized and get meal planning people! $5 on lunch and $10 on dinner is more than I spend all week for 3 meals a day.
Tonight I started with lentils (love their little pellets of protein) and got to this!
Lentil Veggie Deliciousness! – 2 large dinner or 1 dinner two lunch
- 1/2 cup uncooked lentils
- 1 can no salt added fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 onion deiced
- 1 broccoli stalk – trees and steam! Slice the stem thing in this and you won’t waste what you paid for and you will get the nutrients!
- 1 clove garlic
- S&P to taste
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano – or a couple shakes dried
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley – or 1 TBSP dried
- 8 count basil leaves
- sprinkle of feta
- carbs of choice – I chose my latest brown bread and I think I will use WW pasta for the other two portions and make it a pasta sauce
- Cook 1/2 cup lentils in 1 cup water with dash of salt
- Sautee onion in EVOO until clear
- Add chopped and sliced broccoli until it turns slightly darker green
- add crushed garlic and can of tomatoes
- Add S&P and oregano
- Simmer for about 10min or until broccoli has reached desired tenderness
- Add lentils and remaining herbs
- Serve a main or as sauce on pasta and sprinkle on feta
Chow down and enjoy! I know this looks like a huge pile but there are lots of veggies thrown in there. I eat for volume and many bites so this is perfect!
Lentils For Life!
Posted: January 3, 2011 Filed under: dinner | Tags: broccoli, dinner, lentils 2 Comments »So, how hard was it to go back to work today? It was seriously painful for me. Not only was I spoiled with having Nick here two extra days, but I have gotten used to 2 and 3 day work weeks. Sorry if I snapped at you today!
I had planned on going to the pool today after work because I am finally getting over my cold, but I forgot my towel 
I came home and rode the bike for 30min while watching Anthony Bourdain eat porcupine (yuck). I rolled and stretched my heart out before hitting the showers.
I hadn’t had a veggie all day so I knew I had to load up at dinner! I try to eat at least 5 servings of veggies a day, but it is really hard!
I started with the idea of snobby joes but I really didn’t want to look up the recipe so I sort of just winged it with flavors I liked.
After cooking the lentils I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, splash of BBQ sauce, mustard powder, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, sriracha and S&P.
I let that boil and bit before adding a few roasted onions hot out of the oven.
Layered on harvest bread with avocado . Spicy and delicious! Smoky from the chili powder and paprika.
I also had some roasted broccoli on the side.
I added a little fresh parsley to give it color and I love the fresh flavor of parsley!
Maybe I will be more creative with food in 2011! Lentils are lovely and I am all out! To the bulk bins!
p.s. I LOVE that the iPhone has another bug. Flip phones for life!
Just Beet It
Posted: December 14, 2010 Filed under: dinner, recipe | Tags: beets, cranberry orange bread, goat cheese, lentils 1 Comment »Holy Moly it is freezing outside! If you live from Chicago east you know what I am talking about. The news says it is 30% cooler than the normal temps for this time of the year and I worry about the FL citrus crops. Global Warming? I don’t really believe in the whole thing, but that is another topic.
Tonight I embarked on my first ever beet adventure. It wasn’t pretty, there was a lot of red all over my kitchen and my fingers but they taste way better then anything out of can. They took a long time to cook and the skin gets really brown when baked, but there was no way I was about to peel them. I treated the skin like a potato or carrot skin. Obviously I wash them before hand!
My beets came out way darker than any other I have had, and I am not sure why but that didn’t seem to change the way they tastes.
Along with my beets I cooked up some lentils with leeks and goat cheese. Anything tastes good with goat cheese but I love lentils. I always seem to forget about them.
I felt like I needed a little grain action so I grabbed a pita and stuffed her full.
Much better! Chewy, crunchy, goaty, good.
I have two more beets to eat but I am not sure I would ever make them again…I don’t love them enough wait over an hour and make my hands pink. I think I will leave the beets to B Bistro!
One thing I don’t think I will ever stop making is… Jenna’s Cranberry Orange Pecan Bread.
This stuff is amazing. I know it looks dry and crumbly, but it has amazing flavor and I love fresh cranberries and oranges together! The batter is really dry and you would think it would not come together, but magically it does! She also used walnuts but I am allergic so pecans work perfectly!
I had to try 2 pieces for dessert to make sure I made it correctly – hot right out of the oven!
Sissy was really excited!
OK, not so much. She is not big on being held but I feel like she has been missing from the blog!
I am off to snuggle with my fur ball and read my book under covers.
Stay warm and wear a hat!
Back to The Grind
Posted: October 12, 2010 Filed under: dinner | Tags: english muffin, lentils, salad 1 Comment »I hate getting back to work after a long weekend. Especially when I got to go home and spend time with my mom and Nick!
The only good thing about coming back to Maryland is Sissy cat. She is so happy to have me back to snuggle with.
I was also happy to have some pumpkin oats this morning!
I got to go to the farmers market as well, which is one of the only good things about week day markets. I will be so sad when it ends in a few weeks 
For dinner I wanted something simple that used ingredients I had on hand.
Enter lentil pizzas
2 english muffins toasted and topped with tomato paste, cooked lentils, fresh grated cheddar and tons of fresh herbs.
I love lentils!
To get my veggies in I added a lovely side salad with feta and garden tomatoes.
Time for Glee!!!
How do you recover from a long weekend??? I need some tricks!
Back To The Stove
Posted: September 27, 2010 Filed under: dinner | Tags: kale, lentils, recipe, spaghetti squash 1 Comment »It has been awhile since I have made anything that took time and serious effort. Let’s be honest, since Nick has left I haven’t really had to think about what to cook because I like everything I buy!
I have been eating a lot of these.
Homemade cornbread, bean spread, eggplant and avocado. They were good while they lasted, but I wanted something more. Something I had to stand over the stove to make, but not for too long 
Spaghetti Squash with Lentil Kale Sauce
- 1 spaghetti squash baked for 40min at 375 and scooped out
- 1 head of kale – I used Dinosaur kale this time!
- 1 can of no salt added deiced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup lentils (uncooked)
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- Olive oil
- oregano
- tomato sauce
- S&P
- nutritional yeast
- Bake squash
- Cook lentils
- sauté onion and garlic in oil in the bottom of a large pot
- wash kale, tear and add it to the pot
- add tomatoes and sauce
- add lentil
- scoop out squash
- top with sauce mixture
- sprinkle with nutritional yeast
Deliciousness. I have 3 servings leftover…I guess that is what I get for only having one mouth to feed.
In closing, some Sissy pictures for Katherine!
She does this by herself. I love her.
Woohoo Monday is over!
Have a great one 
Veggie Lentil Toast
Posted: August 23, 2010 Filed under: dinner | Tags: bruschetta, lentils, Meatless Monday, zucchini 2 Comments »It is Meatless Monday and I am trying to eat up my kitchen before leaving for Maine on Thursday. It was time to get creative.
Loaded Bruschetta
- 2 slices of any artisan bread – I used a Kalamata olive loaf that I had leftover from last weeks farmers market.
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- basil leaves to cover bread
- 1 small zucchini sliced thin
- 1/4 cup cooked lentils
- parm cheese
Slice off two pieces of bread and lay them on a baking sheet. Spread the tomato paste evenly over the two pieces of bread. Layer basil leaves to cover. Do the same with the zucchini. Divide and spread the lentils over the zuc. Sprinkle with parm cheese and bake for 15min at 350.
Delicious! Pair it with a nice side salad for some raw veggies and you are set!
I’ll let you know if I make anything else crazy with what is lurking around here. I am going to the FM so that Nick has some fruit while I am gone.
Cheers!
