Red Lentil Curry

Hello friends!

I have a hearty, lentil recipe for you today! 

I got this recipe off of All Recipes but there were a few typos/changes that I made it. Please note that I halved this recipe, and in my experienced, serves 3-4 people. I also made white rice on the side and cooked some frozen peas from TJ's. 

This makes great leftovers and is super filling. 

Red Lentil Curry (I halved this recipe)

• 2 cups of red lentils (from Trader Joe's) 
• 1 large onion
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons curry paste (used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste from Safeway)
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (used Paprika, has flavor, but mild spice) 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic ( I love garlic, and used two cloves) 
• 1 teaspoon ginger root (totally eyeballed it, but I love ginger, so I may have gone a bit over) 
• 1 (15 oz) tomato sauce

Directions

1. Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get "scummy"), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary).
2. While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil.
3. While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato puree and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.
5. When the lentils are tender drain them briefly (they should have absorbed most of the water but you don't want the curry to be too sloppy). Mix the curry base into the lentils and serve immediately. *optional* add peas to the curry mixture or to the side. 

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula, Grape Tomatoes, and Broccoli

Good morning!

Thought I would share a really delicious recipe with you all. After a long and grueling week of 2 presentations, quizzes, homework, and a finance final, making a home cooked meal tasted heavenly! Originally from Barefoot Contessa (click here for original recipe), this recipe is quick, colorful, and delicious! The recipe calls for 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, but Kaitlin and I ended up using 2 cups half and half but it didn't affect the flavor whatsoever - it was light and creamy. This dish is balanced out with the fresh grape tomatoes, arugula, and broccoli. To make it healthier, try using whole wheat pasta or fiber-rich pasta.

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

Prep Time: 10 mins / Cook Time: 30 mins /Serves: 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 cups heavy cream half and half
• 3 lemons
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 pound dried fusilli pasta
• 1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the half and half, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes (I simmered mine for about 25 mins so it could really thicken), until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

Padma Lakshmi's Healthy, Vegan Lentil Salad

Hello friends!

Hope you are all having a terrific first weekend of June (how is it possible that my birthday month is already here?!). Just wanted to pop in and share this awesome recipe with you. I made this as a side dish for dinner tonight with Kaitlin (she has an awesome blog, check it out here)

I'm a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres and a few months ago, she had Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi (never heard of her honestly) on as a guest (here's a link to the original clip). She whipped up this fabulous lentil salad that she says uses as a detox after the Top Chef because she *apparently* gains 10 -15 pounds. Anyways, I wasn't even interested because of the detox part. To be honest, my mouth was watering as she prepared it since it looked so healthy and yummy. 

Padma Lakshmi's Pondicherry Lentil Salad

The recipe listed on Ellen's site is incorrect, they miss a few steps and key ingredients, so I watched the video a few times and noted the correct ones. Below is the recipe I followed with minimal substitutions. This makes a lovely side dish and is incredibly refreshing in the summer. Oh and did I mention- it's super easy to prepare and requires minimal cooking? Just lots of dicing and chopping...

Refreshing, Vegan Lentil Salad: 

Makes 6 servings (I definitely think it makes more than 6, but I usually half the recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lentils
• 1 green apple, cored and diced (I do two because I really like the crunch and sweetness) 
• 1 cup combined of yellow AND red bell pepper , diced
• 1 cup of peeled, baby carrots, chopped 
• 1 cup of diced celery (approximately 3-4 ribs)
• 1/2 cup olive oil (1/4 cup will be sauteed with veggies and the remaining 1/4 cup sprinkled over the salad when finished) 
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ( I definitely added a dash more because I love the taste of balsamic vinegar) 
• juice of 1 1/2 ripe lemons
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup loosely packed, chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp sesame oil (SO good.. worth the buy if you don't have it in your pantry!)
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:Wash the lentils and soak them for 2 hours in tepid water; drain. After soaking the beans, in a deep pot, add 8 cups of water to the lentils, bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat for 10 minutes (start checking at 7 minutes...you don't want mushy lentils!). Rinse the lentils with cold water and drain. Peel the apple (optional but makes it yummy!)

Saute carrots, bell pepper, and celery with a dash of salt and pepper for 5-7 minutes in 1/4 c olive oil. 

 In a large bowl, mix together the lentils, apple, bell pepper + carrot + celery mixture (I drained the olive oil), remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and parsley. Stir and set aside in the fridge. Just before serving, heat the sesame oil on medium-high heat. When hot, roast the ginger and coconut for a few minutes until golden and toasty. Sprinkle this garnish over the lentils and serve immediately.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Happy Memorial Weekend!

I hope you have all had a terrific three day weekend. I can't say i've had much of a relaxing weekend...lots and lots of writing for my capstone class and an honors paper for a religion class. I planned to get a massage today, maybe if I crank this thing out in the next hour, I'll treat myself to a 1 hour massage.

Anyways, here's the recipe I use for Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes. It's another successful recipe from Ellie Krieger. I've made it several times and it always turns out well.

Enjoy!

Lemon Zucchini Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Hello again friends!
This evening I made these fabulous Lemon Zucchini Muffins with Lemon Glaze (original recipe here.) I changed the recipe I bit (thus the change in name) 

Lemon Zucchini Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Alexis's Lemon Zucchini Muffins with Lemon Glaze

• 1.5 cups of shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest 
• For Lemon Glaze (optional but well worth the effort): 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar (you can use less depending on how much glaze, I would use less next time because I had extra, but make sure you do a 1:2 ratio for lemon juice: sugar.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin.
2. In a bowl, beat together the zucchini, sugar, egg, honey and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; stir in the cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It will be quite sticky but don't worry!
3. Fill each muffin tin just over half way (they will puff up quite a bit!). Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from heat, and cool about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4.  For the Lemon glaze (optional but well worth it!):
   Bring lemon juice and sugar to a boil (I used a small frying pan), turn off stove, and take pan off heat. Let it cool a few minutes and when it's become sticky, brush the glaze over the muffins. 

Enjoy! 

Homemade Energy Bars

Hello Everyone!

I just recently made these fabulous homemade energy bars using Ellie Krieger's recipe on the food network as a base. I spend so much money on these at school to get me going through the day but now I can save money and pronounce the ingredients I'm actually consuming (have you ever looked at the back of an energy/protein bar?) Also, this recipe using only natural sugar from the fruit (with the exception of the maple syrup but it's very little to begin with) and it's just the right touch of sweetness.  The recipe is incredibly simple (see below)... you'll spend more time washing the blender than you will actually cooking... no joke!

Here's the recipe I used (I made some substitutions)

Homemade Energy Bars

Cooking spray
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup flax seed
1/4 cup toasted oat bran
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dried dates
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs

1 tsp chia seeds
a generous handful of chocolate chips *optional*

 Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Place all ingredients except the syrup and eggs in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.
3. Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until just done, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 squares. 

4. While warm, press a few chocolate chips into the bars.. they'll melt beautifully and if you're a proud chocoholic like me, it'll make the energy bars taste even yummier than they already are. 

Enjoy!

Banana, Flax and Peanut/Almond Butter Smoothie Recipe

Hello!

Today was my first day of Spring quarter. For some reason, I get super excited for school * it goes back to my elementary school days literally* and can't fall asleep. Last night, I picked Nick up at the airport (he was in SoCal for Spring Break), came straight to Santa Clara, unpacked for two hours straight and made a huge to-do list for the week. I was so exhausted I was panting *I know, it's sad, but it's quite a work out sorting 15+ pairs of shoes and boots and reorganizing one's entire closet. I should have broken it up into chunks but the perfectionist within me told me to just get it done and do it well you know? I'll take a pic later.

Anyways, last quarter I LIVED off of this breakfast smoothie. I had it almost every morning and it left me feeling great! I got the recipe from Allison Fishman's section on Cooking Light. She's fantastic! I bought her cookbook You Can Trust A Skinny Cook a few months ago and her recipes are pretty darn delicious and very easy to follow.

On to the recipe, I pretty much follow it to a T. But since I've made it so much, I practically memorized it. But, I've made a few variations to mix it up and make it interesting:

• I substitute almond milk or soy milk for regular milk (soy gives it a nice creaminess)
• I also go back in forth between store bought peanut butter and homemade almond butter, both are delicious just depends on your preference I suppose
• For days I want need extra protein, I throw in a good 1/4 or 1/3 cup full of silk tofu... you can't even taste it I promise!
• Everytime I make this, I throw in 1/4 cup of oats... I love the "mealy" texture it gives the smoothie and the nuttiness of the oats

Just thought I'd share the recipe with you all! It's delicious and I highly recommend it. I would take a picture but to be perfectly honest, it'd be gone before I even think about taking out my camera...

Enjoy!