black lentil burgers with yogurt sauce and marinated heirloom tomatoes

1 yellow onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups organic vegetable broth
2/3 cup dried black lentils
2/3 cup organic crumbled feta cheese
2 grated organic carrots
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup raw organic wheat germ, toasted
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

saute onion, oregano, red pepper, and garlic on med low until tender and cooked.

add broth and lentils bring to a boil. cover and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

put lentil mixtureand remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined.

shape into patties and grill on med high heat grill pan for a few minutes on each side.

yogurt sauce
1 cup organic low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 yellow onion, grated
1/2 hothouse organic cucumber, grated
1 lrg garlic clove, minced
sea salt to taste

combine all together and serve with lentil burgers.

marinated heirloom/or grape tomatoes

1 cup heirloom or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup organic red wine vinegar
1 lg garlic clove, minced
handful fresh organic basil, chopped

combine and season to taste. serve with lentils.

black lentil and sweet potato chili

i am in love with black lentils...i am pretty sure a lot has to do with the texture. they are small and round and seem to hold their shape well when cooked. they have a black bean type quality to them which is why it is fun to use them in place of regular black beans.

little foodie had an enourmous plate of this chili tonight. he loved the sweet potato chunks and kidney beans in it...not to mention the mound of brown rice served under the chili goodness. this littlecrazyfoodie loves him some rice.

this is another recipe so easily adaptable to different veggies and served over different things. i do think the spices are right on though..chili powder, cinnamon and sweet potatoes are an amazing combo..always!

enjoy!

1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup diced organic carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tbl minced garlic
2 large sweet potatoes, diced into bite sized peices
1 cup chopped bell peppers (i use a frozen melange of green, red, and yellow)
2 zucchini, scrubbed and diced into small pieces
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
s&p
2 small can (14oz) muir glen fire roasted tomatoes, squashed before adding
1 cup black lentils
1 can organic kidney beans
organic veggie broth, enough to cover it

in dutch oven saute onion, carrots, celery and garlic over med heat in olive oil until translucent. add sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini and spices. cook a few minutes until heated through.
transfer to a crock pot on low heat.
add bay leaf, tomatoes (squashed w/juice), lentils and kidney beans.
add enough broth to cover it and cook on low for about 6-8 hrs.

black lentil dal and indian spiced cauliflower, sweet potato and peas

its been a busy holiday this year. bigfoodie daddy is still on his vacation so i haven't had much time getting on here.
i bought some black lentils to try out the other day at trader joes...they are absolutley delicious. littlefoodie jr. loves them. so i made a quick indian inspired meal tonight for the three of us that was healthy and soothing and yummy! the dal is a take on a red dal that i recently saw at cookinglight and the cauliflower dish is a take on aloo gobi. i served them with some garlic naan and it was a perfect meal!

enjoy!

1 3/4 cups veggie broth
1 cup black lentils
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 tbl garlic
1 tsp black mustard seeds (or yellow)
pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp coriander
s&p
2 tbl tomato paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
juice of 1 lime

bring broth and lentils to boil. reduce to simmer about 15 min. seet aside when done.

saute onion, carrots, garlic, mustard seeds, and cayenne until onion is translucent. add spices and cook another minute.
add tomato paste and cook a couple minutes and stir constantly.
add the black lentils, and coconut milk. stir it all to combine and taste and season w/s&p.


indian flavored cauliflower with sweet potato and peas

1 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into bite size florets
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder
salt
1 small onion, diced
2 tbl garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger and cumin
dash of cayenne
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
3/4 cup veggie broth
1 cup peas

toss cauliflower and sweet potatoes with canola oil, cumin, curry powder and some salt to taste.
roast at 450F for about 25-30 min. remove and set aside when done.

heat a couple tbls of butter (i used earths balance organic spread) and a tbl of canola oil in dutch oven. saute onions, garlic, ginger, cumin and cayenne until the onions are translucent and cooked.

when the cauliflower and sweet potatoes are done add them to the onion mixture in the pot. with the heat on med high add the broth and stir.

toss in the cilatro and peas and cook another couple minutes.

season to taste and enjoy with naan.