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I adapted this recipe from the British cooking magazine, Olive. It was slated as a low-GI meal.. I just love lentils and really enjoyed how this dish turned out.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup french lentils
• 1 lemon, 1/2 juiced & 1/2 wedges
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 skinless salmon fillets
• garam masala
• 1 bunch mint, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

Boil the lentils for 15 minutes until just tender. Drain, then toss with the lemon juice, garlic and some seasoning while still warm.

Meanwhile heat the grill or skillet to high. Sprinkle both sides of salmon with garam masala. Grill for 5 minutes until the top is golden and the salmon is just cooked through.

Mix half the mint with the yogurt and season. Toss the lentils with the rest of the mint and the parsley. Break the salmon into chunks and toss with the lentils. Serve with the mint yogurt and lemon wedges.

Serves: 2

Chili is awesome. It’s easy. It’s everything you need in one bowl. It keeps you warm on long, cold winter nights. Some chili recipes place too much emphasis on the heat, but they become unbalance and just burn your tongue, but don’t really feed your soul. The trick is to use a bass note to balance the high notes of the intense spices. The typical bass note is chocolate, but here, I’ve used an oatmeal stout. Yummy.

Ingredients

• 1/4 C olive oil
  2 medium red onions, diced
  6 cloves garlic, minced
  2 T cumin seeds
  3 T coriander seeds
  1 box Boca Ground Burger
  1-3 jalapeño peppers, minced
  1 C oatmeal stout
  2 large cans diced tomatoes
  2 cans black beans, rinsed and strained
  2 T paprika
  2 T ground cumin
  2 T ground coriander
  2-3 T salt (to taste)
  1-3 t cayenne pepper (to taste)
  rice or chips (optional)
  cheddar cheese (optional)
  sour cream (optional)

Directions

In a stock pot, saute the onions in olive oil over high heat. When transparent, add the garlic, jalapeños, and cumin and coriander seeds. Let them all pop around for about two minutes, stirring continuously. Add the Boca Ground Burger and cook for another 5 minutes.

Then add the beer and watch it foam all up (this is the fun part). When the foam subsides, add the tomatoes and beans. You’re going to need it too cook down for a few hours, to help the flavors meld. The best is to cook it and the let it set over night.

The trick is to get the measurements of the spices right. You really can’t mess up much but the salt and cayenne pepper. Too little and you’ve just got tomato sauce. Too much and then you’ve got a spicy, salty mess. I suggest adding the spices gradually, like a teaspoon at a time till you get it to the flavor you like. And getting to the right flavor happens in one shake of the salt shaker. One moment it’s not quite right, and the next it’s great chili.

Serve with rice, corn chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream or anything else you like.

Yields: 12 servings

This is my very favorite lentil recipe. The French lentils are nice because they keep their shape and have a bit of a peppery taste. The butter swirled in at the end finishes the dish off nicely so don’t skip it!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils, sorted and rinsed
• salt and freshly milled pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 garlic clove, mashed or pressed
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped parsley or tarragon

Directions

Put the lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a lively simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but still hold a little texture, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute more, and then add the wine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is syrupy and the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mustard and add the cooked lentils along with their broth. Simmer until the sauce is mostly reduced, then stir in the butter and season with pepper. Serve with a flourish of chopped parsley.

Yield: 4-6 servings as a main dish; 8-10 servings as a side dish

This is my white girl version of Indian curry. It’s great because aside from the fresh ginger and cilantro, I keep most of the other ingredients in my pantry. Also, if you’re vegetarian, just don’t use chicken. And if you are against eating poor little helpless chick peas, use only chicken.

Ingredients

• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 T cumin seeds
• 1 T mustard seeds
• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1 C plain yogurt
• 1 t salt (to taste)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 T minced ginger
• 3-5 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 C fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 can chick peas
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 2 C cooked basmati rice
• lime wedges

Directions

In a large skillet heat the olive oil on high. Add the three seeds and let them pop around for about a minute or so. Do not let them brown. Then add the onion allowing it to cook till almost translucent. Take the pan off the heat and add the yogurt and salt and mix well. Return to the heat, turning down to medium, and add the chicken, coating with the sauce. Cook the chicken covered for about 25-40 minutes.

About halfway through cooking the chicken, add the ginger. When the chicken is done, cut it up in the pan, shredding it with a knife. Make a little space in the pan and saute the garlic till it starts to sweat and then mix it in with the rest of the ingredients in the pan. Then add the cilantro.

To the chicken mixture, add the tomatoes and the chick peas. Season with cayenne pepper to taste. Allow all the ingredients to warm up and cook together for 5 or so minutes. Serve over rice with lime wedges.

This soup is very quick to put together – 20 to 30 minutes total. You can make the dumplings and prepare the garnishes while the soup simmers. I highly recommend taking the time to make the dumplings and add the garnishes… they really make the soup special.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp crushed garlic (or minced)
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Dumplings

• 1/3 cup masa harina
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp olive oil

Garnishes

• chopped fresh cilantro
• fresh lime juice
• crumbled queso fresco

Directions

Heat oil in your soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add chili powder and garlic, sauté for 30 more seconds. Add broth, spices, pinto beans and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and then cover, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

To make dumplings, combine masa harina and salt. Add hot water and oil, stir until you have a soft, somewhat dry dough. Add more water, if needed, so the dough sticks together. Divide dough into little balls- try to make 24 if possible. The smaller the dumplings, the better. Add dumplings to soup and cook uncovered for 3 minutes until dumplings float. Stir in cilantro and juice. Ladle into bowls and top with queso fresco.

Serves: 4