Lentil Casserole

I posted a lentil casserole recipe here. It was so good. I just can't say enough good things about it--and I can't wait to make it again! Who knew you could get so excited about lentils?!

Stromboli

Super easy and super good. I used my own bread dough. It was delish! It was stuffed with veggies and the kids still gobbled it up!

Stromboli

Ingredients:

1 lb frozen bread dough, thawed or your own dough

mustard (I used mustard and honey mustard)

salami

ham

bell pepper

olives

cheese

*you can add whatever other deli meats or toppings you would like

First roll out the dough into a rectangle. Brush with mustard. Layer meats, and toppings. Bring sides and ends together and pinch closed. Lay seam side down on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown at 350 degrees. Another filling idea would be to use alfredo or other cheese sauce and layer with shredded chicken and broccoli.

Lentil Bolognese Sauce

To go along with our bean/lentil class last week, I am posting this recipe:

We don't eat much meat at the Dill household, but Ryan sometimes craves something "meaty". He made us both happy with this recipe.  Sorry, no pic.  We just ate it up too quickly!

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 carrots, coarsely grated

3 T olive oil

2/3 C red lentils

1 can (14 oz) tomatoes, chopped

2 T tomato paste

2 C vegetable stock

1 tsp oregano

salt/pepper to taste

1/2 C cream

1/2 C milk

1. In a large saucepan, gently fry the onion, garlic, and carrots in oil until they are soft and "brown goodness" starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.  This may take a while depending on your cookery.

2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, oregano, salt and pepper.  The liquid will "deglaze" your pan, giving a richer flavor to your sauce.

3.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes until thick and soft.  Add milk and cream, but DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL AGAIN, or curdling may occur.  Serve over whole wheat pasta (making it a complete protein, wink, wink) and add a bit of freshly grated parm on top!

Note:  If you like your sauce a bit smoother, just use an immersion blender or cool and blend in a blender on pulse until desired consistency is reached.  Also, make sure you add enough salt to bring out flavors.  This is no good without salt!

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

I wanted to make PB cookies. I found a scrumptious recipe, but remembered I had no eggs. I was bummed. An hour later, I just so happened to look through a cookbook and found a PB cookie recipe that required NO EGGS! (when I finally decide to go vegan, I will be rejoicing!) Anyways, here is the recipe:

3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 14 oz. can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 c. Bisquick (I use the heart healthy kind in the white box)
1 t. Vanilla
Granulated Sugar (optional)

Beat PB and SCM in mixing bowl until smooth. Add Bisquick and beat. Add Vanilla. Form into balls and roll in sugar if you like it that way. I know I do...Bake at 375 8-10 minutes!

Carrot Curry Soup

I'm not sure this will register well with every one's palate, but it definitely struck a chord with me! A friend of mine shared the recipe and a bowl with me last week, and I've been craving it ever since. So here's the recipe, maybe I'll make it tonight and post some pictures of our meal...

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, (just to coat the saute pan)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds packaged baby carrots
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Coarse salt
1 cup sour cream
6 blades fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

• Start with olive oil, butter, onions and carrots and saute 5 minutes.
• Add 4 cups chicken stock, curry powder and cayenne pepper, and about 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until carrots are very tender (It took about 15 minutes).
• Process soup in 2 or 3 small batches until soup is smooth and carrots are fully pureed. ( I actually like mine a little more thick, so I process it less)
• Transfer the soup back to the pot and simmer.
• If the soup is too thick, add remaining stock, up to 2 cups, to achieve desired consistency. Adjust seasonings.
• Serve with sour cream to cut the heat of the pepper, and a crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

So, this was a hit at our Thanksgiving celebration.  Recipe requested more than once.  (I didn't serve it with the Bourbon Sour Cream...though I'm sure it would have been good.)  Here is the recipe.

Sweet or Savory?

The crepe is a staple chez Dills.  The adults like to start dinner with a savory one: peppered turkey, provolone, tomatoes, grilled asparagus (caramelized onions are also yummy) with a sprinkle of oregano on top.  You can really fill them with whatever is loved at your own abode.  For dessert we like orange syrup, a variety of fruits (thawed from the freezer) and whipped cream.  Mix and match.  Sweet or Savory.  Please everyone.