Lentil, Sweet Potato Soup

 This recipe came from twopeasandtheirpod. I double the veggies. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 2 small sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
• 4 15 ounce cans vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 cans 15 ounce diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Instructions

1. 1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender and garlic is light brown in color. Add carrot, celery, and sweet potatoes. Cook until vegetables soften, about 5-7 minutes.
2. 2. Stir in the lentils, vegetable broth, and water. Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Cook on medium-low heat for about 35-40 minutes or until lentils are cooked.
3. 3. Add the fresh spinach and stir. If necessary, season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves and serve warm.

Mesir W'et - Spicy Lentil Stew

This stew can be cooked until dry to be served on an Injera platter, or left wetter to be eaten with a spoon.

1 cup brown lentils
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
peanut or olive oil for frying
2 cups water
1 Rapunzel bouillon cube
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (Muir Glen fire roasted)
1 Tbs paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 Tbs berbere
1 Tbs New Mexico chili powder (not smokey)
salt & pepper to taste

Optional: Soak cleaned lentils for up to an hour in water.

Rinse & drain cleaned lentils.
Saute onions & garlic in oil until golden.
Add water, spices & tomatoes & lentils. Bring to a gentle boil.
Simmer until lentils are tender, adding water if needed.
Add bouillon, salt & pepper to taste. Cook until stew has the desired thickness.

Maya's Red Lentil Soup

This is a wonderful soup. Easy to make and good enough for company. The inspiration for this soup came from Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian" cookbook.
Makes 4 bowls of soup.

3 Tbs peanut oil

1.5 inch piece of ginger, peeled

8 garlic cloves, minced - 4 if crushed

1 cup red lentils

4 cups water

1 Rapunzel bouillon cube (veggie w sea salt & herbs)

10 - 15 curry leaves (or bay leaves)

1 16 oz can Muir Glen fire roasted, diced tomatoes with roasted garlic 

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp mustard seeds

salt & pepper to taste

Clean, wash well & drain lentils.

Mince ginger & garlic. 

Heat 2 Tbs oil in a pot, add ginger & garlic & cook for a minute. 

Add water, lentils, & curry leaves. Cover & simmer gently until the lentils are soft (20 - 40 minutes).

Add tomatoes, bouillon, cayenne and salt & pepper. Simmer gently another 10 - 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft.

Optional for family, required for company: Press the soup through a sieve & return to the pot.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a small pan, When hot, put in the mustard seeds. They will sizzle & pop, turning gray.

Pour mustard & oil into the soup. Stir & serve.

Mujaddara

 We discovered Mjadarah when living close to Neomonde, a Lebanese deli on the short list of what I miss most about Raleigh, NC. I lived there for over 20 years, lots of memories, but I miss Neomonde. Sigh.

So I tried to recreate this most wonderful of their dishes ... and it turns out that it isn't that hard. Lentils, rice, caramelized onions. My version is different, probably not traditional (typical recipes call for more rice than lentils) but often, it is every bit as good, maybe better. This tastes like I always wished home would taste.  Comfort food.

Ingredients:
4-6 large white onions (or yellow)
no garlic, that's right no garlic
1 cup brown rice (I use especially like the asian mixed rice shown below
1 cup green lentils (or brown, if you can't find green)
1 cinnamon stick
roasted cumin seeds
veggie bouillon (optional)
black pepper

First quarter the onions and slice crosswise into thin strips. Saute in a generous amount of olive oil unless you are on a diet. Stir cook for at least 30 minutes until the onion is caramelized to a nice dark brown.  The  olive oil is very tasty is I think more is better than less. If you are on a diet, this will be so delicious that you will not need the extra oil.

Feel free to stir the onions as often as you like. Sometimes I cover them, sometimes not.  They smell wonderful.

While the onions are cooking, rinse the rice. I always rinse rice 3 times so the grains separate nicely when cooked. Add water to cover and simmer. Unfortunately, I never measure the water. I cover the rice in enough water to have a little over 0.5 inches above the rice. I measure against a known point on my finger from the bottom of the pot I cook the rice in. Not helpful, I know. Cover the pot and turn the rice on high until it starts boiling, then lower to a simmer.

Stir the onions.

While the rice and onions are cooking, pick through the lentils, discarding the bad ones, keeping our eye peeled for the occasional pebble. I've only seen a couple over several years, but you don't want anyone to accidentally crunch down on one. Wash the lentils, cover and simmer in 2.5 cups of water with the cinnamon stick.

Stir the onions.

Occasionally test the lentils and turn off when the lentils are soft enough to eat, but before they get mushy (about 30 minutes). Some lentils get mushy quickly, but the green ones are not so delicate. Towards the end of cooking, optionally add bouillon. Bouillon is suggested, but totally optional.This dish has plenty of flavor without.

Stir the onions and add generous grind of roasted cumin seeds.

The mixed brown rice I use takes about 30 min to cook, but most brown rice takes 45 minutes. When the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the water turn it off.

Stir the onions.

When everything is done, mix together in the cast iron pan with the onions. Add a generous grind of black pepper. If you didn't use bouillon,  add salt to taste. Let it rest for a while if you aren't hungry. I'm usually hungry, or I wouldn't have started cooking. It will be even better tomorrow.

Feel free to improvise. I've added mushrooms & ginger,  fire roasted tomatoes, more or less rice & lentils, different spices. I've cooked it all in one dish when feeling lazy (caramelize onions then add rice, lentils & water & cook). It is always tasty.

If this is for company, make LOTS of onions and only mix in half. Use the rest as a decorative topping. This is traditional, but it seems to miss the point of distribution the wonderful onions through out the dish.