LENTILS

 A very trendy side you see on many menus these days are lentils. These tiny beans are a “super-food” like kale. They are good for your colon and digestive health, high in fiber, good for your heart - high folic acid and magnesium for blood flow; they help to regulate blood sugar levels and cholesterol and are high in protein, minerals and antioxidants. Lentils come is several “colors” with the most typical being the green lentils which turn brown when cooked. They are easy to prepare and tasty, too. They pair nicely with fish, salmon, pork or smoked sausage.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time - 30 minutes

Tools: medium size mixing bowl, medium sauce pan

Serves: 2 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup dried lentils
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion (or leeks)
• 1/3 cup finely diced carrot
• 1/3 cup finely diced celery
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the beans in a wire mesh colander and rinse them well. Pick out any beans that look bad. Place them in a heat-safe bowl and pour in boiled water to cover. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and stir. Cover the bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. In a medium size saucepan sauté the onions, carrots and celery in a little olive oil until just tender. Add tomato paste and garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups of the broth to the pot along with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper and the vinegar. Drain the lentils and add them to the pot. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes - until the lentils are tender. If the liquid evaporates before they are done add the remaining 1/2 cup of broth to the pot.

   

   Sauteed cod with green lentils.

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Good Stuff - Two Favorite Brands

Recently a friend turned me on to Field Peas. Say what? Field peas are one of the oldest domesticated crops, cultivated for at least 7,000 years. Who knew? Apparently they are Southern mainstay so how have I never heard of them being from the South? There are several varieties. Anyway, Glory brand Field Peas with Snaps is what you must try. These peas are quite small, but very flavorful. They are seasoned with a bit of smoke - not too much. Never buy a can of baked beans again - get these instead. They taste like a bean, not a pea. For some reason pieces of snap green beans are also added, but there is very little of them in the can. All you do is just bring them to a simmer and serve. There are other brands of field peas with snaps, but I have not tried them. 

Apparently adding snap beans to field peas is also another Southern tradition. 

So one night I decided to add a can of green beans to the field peas thinking the smoky peas would also infuse the beans and make them taste like beans you had cooked all day with a big ol' piece of ham. I was right! The peas and beans make a delicious combo. Of course, the peas are good just by themselves, too.

QUICK RECIPE: Put your field peas in a sauce pan and stir in a can of drained green beans (see below). Add a little water so the contents of the pot are fully submerged. Bring to a simmer. Turn off the burner and cover the pot. Let them sit at least 30 minutes. This will help infuse the green beans with the smokey flavor of the peas. Reheat when ready to serve. You don't want to cook the peas a long time since they are already essentially cooked and could get mushy.

The field peas by themselves or with green beans added make a great side for any meal you cook on the grill. Think a perfect side for a BBQ. These peas would also be delicious with grilled salmon. It's popular to serve salmon over lentils, but these would be a great alternative to that.

That brings me to another best brand: Walmart's Great Value brand Whole Green Beans. For some reason, these green beans do not get mushy if you cook them a long time like your typical canned cut green beans. They are quite tender, but firm and really don't require long cooking like cut varieties. They don't have that strong green flavor you find in canned cut green beans. I will never ever buy a can of cut green beans again! I have tried Kroger's version of whole green beans. Not nearly as good.  

QUICK RECIPE: Dice 2 strips of bacon and fry in a saucepan until crisp. Add a small chopped onion and saute until soft. Drain the beans and add them to the pot. Add water to just cover. Add salt and pepper, bring them to a boil, turn off the heat, cover them with a lid and let them sit an hour. Then just reheat when ready to serve. Sometimes I add a can of drained diced tomatoes which gives them a really nice, fresh flavor.

NOTE: I always drain the water from a can of green beans. The water tends to be "strong." I prefer adding fresh water if I need it.

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Sour Cream Noodles

This is like a stove-top mac 'n cheese, but a little lighter and tangier. 

Time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 2

Tools: medium saucepan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup uncooked egg noodles
• 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 inch slice of american cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Boil noodles in salted water, drain and return to pot. Add milk, sour cream and cheese. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Be careful not to let it stick. As it thickens it might do so. Add more milk if it gets too thick. It should be creamy. Just before serving stir in the parsley.

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Creamed Spinach

An easy and quick recipe that uses milk instead of cream and tastes just as good.

     INGREDIENTS

• 1, 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry.
• 3 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk (or cream should you so choose)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• (optional) 2 slices of fried bacon crumbled

Using Fresh Spinach: You can use fresh spinach for this recipe, but it's so much easier to buy the frozen. Frozen spinach retains most of it's flavor and nutritional value. When cooked, fresh spinach wilts and releases a lot of water. 1 pound of fresh spinach will cook down to about 1 cup of spinach! You would need 1-1/2 pound of fresh spinach to equal a package of frozen spinach. If you use regular spinach you would want to remove any tough stems. Baby spinach, which is more tender, doesn't have tough stems. Wash the spinach and place it wet in a large pot. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until it has all wilted down.) Drain and squeeze out all the water.

     DIRECTIONS

1. You are making a roux (my cookbook, page 25). Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Then stir in the flour and let it cook about 2 minutes. 

2. While stirring, slowly add 1/4 cup of the milk until the roux thickens and is smooth. Then add another 1/4 cup of the milk and stir until smooth.  

3. Add the spinach and mix well. Any water left in the spinach will thin the mixture. Add more milk if too thick. You do not want it to be soupy or runny, but a nice consistency. Add the parmesan, pepper and a little salt (the parmesan is salty) and bacon if you wish. As it simmers it may get thicker. Add milk as needed to loosen.

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Classic Deviled Eggs

Place eggs in a pot and add water to just below the top of the eggs. Bring water to a boil, but as soon as you see the water begin to boil, turn the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer -  barely boiling - for 13 minutes. A high boil may crack the shell. 

When done drain the pot, add cold water. In about 2 minutes they will be cool enough to handle and peel. Once peeled let them come to room temperature so the yolk will set a bit. 

Slice the egg in half lengthwise. Gently place the yolks in a small mixing bowl.  Mash the yolks with a fork. Add some finely chopped pickle (dill or sweet) or pickle relish (dill or sweet). If using relish put it in a fine strainer and press out the liquid with the back of a spoon or it will make the egg too runny. No small strainer, wrap it in a paper towel and squeeze out the juice. 

Mix the pickle and egg together. Now add a little mayonnaise. Add just a little and see what the consistency is like. You don't want the filling to be runny, but firm. Add a little salt and pepper. Some like to add a dash of hot sauce. Crumbled bacon is also a fun addition either in the mix or as garnish on top. 

Divide the filling among the eggs; sprinkle the top with a little paprika. Chill for a an hour or so.

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Cranberry Relish

This kicks plain ol' cranberries to another level. Relish is not just for Thanksgiving. It's always good with chicken dishes like roasted chicken, chicken and dumplings or pork dishes. 

Time: 15 minutes using canned cranberry sauce
Serves: 4
Tools: medium mixing bowl

    


      INGREDIENTS

• 1 small can Mandarin orange slices or 1 orange peeled, sectioned and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 
• 1 small can whole cranberry sauce - see NOTE below. 
• 1/3 cup apple, peeled and cut in small pieces 
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (use whole nuts and do a rough chop, you don't want them too fine) 
• (optional) 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam 

     DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together and chill for a few hours to let the flavors meld.

NOTE: USING FRESH CRANBERRIES – You can use fresh, whole cranberries, but they come in a large bag and usually only seen in the market around Holiday time. This bag will make a lot of relish. You can use half a bag for this recipe or double all the other ingredients if you use the whole bag. You can freeze leftovers in portions.

First, simmer half a bag of the fresh cranberries with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until they start to break open. They will release a lot of liquid. Simmer until they are tender. Taste for sweetness as cranberries are quite tart (you may need to add sugar or sugar substitute) and you want them just a tad sweet without losing that sense of cranberry tartness. The remaining ingredients will add their own natural sweetness to the mix as well.

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Stovetop Mac 'n Cheese

When cooking for yourself there’s no reason to heat up an oven to make a portion of Mac and Cheese. The stovetop version is almost as good — it’s just missing the crispy top, but the flavor is the same.

Tools: medium saucepan, small mixing bowl, cheese grater

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

      INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 pound cooked elbow macaroni (1/4 of a box) 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 3 ounces evaporated milk
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar or a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack, Fontina or Parmesan cheese. (Use blocks of cheese, not the pre-grated stuff, they have much more flavor.)

      DIRECTIONS

Cook the pasta in salted water according to box directions and drain. Return the pasta to the warm pot off the burner and melt in the butter. Toss to coat the pasta. 

In a bowl whisk together all of the other ingredients except the cheese and then mix it into the pasta. Return the pot to the burner on low heat. Now add the cheese. Stir for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and it becomes creamy. If too thick add a little milk. If too thin just simmer it a little longer.

If you like a crispy top, pour it into a broiler safe dish and place it under the broiler until the top browns.

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