Bringing back a classic

yesterday, I brought back my favorite standby: masoor daal.

The recipe can be found here:
masoor daal

I had the foresight to soak the lentils before I left for rocky horror live on saturday night (say what you will, but it's a fantastic show), so when I got home from work yesterday all I had to do was add in the spices and ginger.

An added bonus is that my apartment smelled like indian food for the rest of the night.

Recipe: Red Lentil Curry

yup, I'm still working on that same bag of red lentils, but I got bored with the recipe I've been using since my junior year of college. This recipe was a welcome breath of fresh air!

ingredients:
2 cups red lentils
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons curry paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree

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. combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes in a frying pan with oil.
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.

serves 8

this recipe originally called for an onion, but my dislike for onions was reason enough for me to omit the ingredient. Regardless, this was delicious! I thought it was a little on the mild side.

Cheap Food I Love: Lentils

Lentils are the epitome of cheap, nutritious food. They can be bought in bulk for very little money and can be used in a variety of ways-soups, curry dishes, etc. A friend who studied in India for a semester told me that the reason they're so popular there is because they are cheap and filling, thanks the high amount of fiber they carry. Yes, they are a bit time consuming, but I think it's totally worth it. Soaking them definitely makes a difference in the cooking time.

Recipe: Lentil Quiche

this recipe is not as easy as the majority of the others I've posted on here, but it is so worth the extra work. this is my favorite quiche recipe. as with other recipes involving lentils, soaking the lentils makes a world of a difference. I soaked them all day saturday this time, but even a few hours helps.

ingrdients:
1 pie crust (I cheat and buy them pre-made, but feel free to be adventurous and make your own!)
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
2 cups broccoli florets
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place the lentils and water into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Drain most of the water off, then place the broccoli florets on top of the lentils. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. This will dry the lentils, and cook the broccoli.
3. Transfer the lentils and broccoli to the pie plate and stir to evenly distribute each item. Stir in cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Pour over the ingredients in the pie plate.
4. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center is firm when the quiche is jiggled. Cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Lentil Recipe

it's hard for me to recall what I did before I discovered the wonder of lentils. they have become a staple in my vegetarian diet for multiple reasons-they are cheap, filling, and can be cooked in a variety of ways.

those of you who are familiar with lentils know that the trick to cooking a successful lentil dish is to soak them before cooking them. Most people recommend soaking lentils for 24 hours before cooking them. Kudos to those of you who have that sort of foresight. I am usually lucky if I can soak them an hour and a half or so before cooking them, though it does make a difference. Luckily, I remembered that I was planning on making lentils for dinner this morning before I left for yoga class, so I managed to start soaking them at around 8:30 this morning. This meant that the cooking time was reduced from the normal 30 plus minutes to about five minutes.

unfortunately, I did not realize that I was out of naan. yes, I could've made a quick run to whole foods to grab some, but I decided that I'd rather just stick some instant rice in the microwave. of course, this turned into the jar of homemade hot cocoa mix i had sitting on top of the microwave falling over and creating a huge mess in my kitchen area. I really need a bigger cooking area.

here is the recipe:

Easy Masoor Daal (aka red lentils)

ingredients:
1 cup red lentils
1 1-inch slice of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp vegetable oil
4 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp cumin seeds

directions:

1. Rinse lentils thoroughly and place in a medium saucepan along with ginger, turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that forms on top of the lentils. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and soupy.
2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe dish combine oil, dried onion and cumin seeds. Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute; be sure to brown, but not burn, onions. Stir into lentil mixture

serves 4

the main reason why I chose to make this recipe for dinner tonight was because of my schedule. Some of you know that on sundays I drive down to Gennesee to volunteer at a therapeutic riding facility. Because the facility is a good 50 minute drive each way and I help out with the pm feed, I often don't get home until somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00. I like to be in bed by 10 because I get up at 6 to go to work the next day. This means I have roughly three hours to shower the horse smell off of me, eat dinner, and prepare my lunch/coffee for the next day. this is further complicated by the fact that my school's monthly school governance council meeting is tomorrow, which means I won't get home until 7 pm. obviously, i wanted to make a dinner that was simple and could provide leftovers that were easy to reheat. that's exactly what this dish is.