Red Lentil Stew

Marie,

Here is a really easy soup/stew recipe that is pretty quick to cook up. Of all of the lentils, red lentils cook the fastest and don't require any soaking beforehand. So we end up eating them a lot around here. I make many variations of this soup, but this version is one of the best, I think.

Ingredients:

3 cups red lentils

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 red potatoes, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp oregano

1-2 tsp salt

pepper

Add oil to large soup pot on medium high heat. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes until onions are translucent. Add lentils, broth, water and spices. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to simmer until lentils are fully cooked. Soup will be yellow and have a thick, creamy texture. You can add more water if it gets too thick. Garnish with plain whole milk yogurt and parsley if you like. Serve with rice and a green salad.

Enjoy!

Love,

N

Simple Roasted Potatoes

Hi Marie,

This side dish is easy and fast. Plus, it's a healthier alternative to fried potatoes when you're having a "I need french fries" moment. When you're scouting out the perfect potato to roast, look for thinner-skinned potatoes. In this batch, I used a combination of blue potatoes, red potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes. All three of these potatoes are more nutrient dense than your average "baking" potato (which will also likely have been genetically modified, but more on that later). Anyhow, your best bet is to find organic, heirloom varieties of potatoes. And if heirloom varieties are not available--just go for the red-skinned spuds.

When you get your potatoes home and are ready to cook them up, give them a good scrub under cold water, but don't peel them. Most of the nutrients live in the skin. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then chop your potatoes into bite-sized chucks (see above) and spread them on a baking sheet. I prefer to roast my potatoes on a metal baking sheet because I'm able to spread them out into a single layer and the potatoes will get nice and brown with crispy edges. If you like a moister, softer potato then you can use a glass baking dish for this. Drizzle your potatoes with Extra Virgin (preferably cold-pressed) Olive Oil (more on that later too) then sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss potatoes to coat with oil. Bake for 25-25 minutes or until potatoes are browned.

Most of the time, I serve this side dish with turkey, lamb or buffalo burgers and a salad. I also really like to use sweet potatoes too. They are more nutritious and taste really good roasted.

I hope this is something that will be easy and fast--especially now that school is starting up for your soon. Let me know how they turn out!

Love and miss you,

N