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This is one of my favourite super easy & quick (30 min, tops) suppers. Throw on a pot of rice before you start, and if you’re feeling adventurous add some cumin seeds and/or tumeric to the rice. Combining lentils with rice is a great way to get protein without eating meat. This recipe is written with some cooking times in mind, i.e. the onion cooks while you chop the pepper.
1. Chop or slice one onion and mince two cloves of garlic, throw them into a pot on medium heat with almost a tablespoon of oil/butter/margarine.
2. Add 1/2 teaspoon tumeric, 1/2 tsp Garam Masala (mixed Indian spices), 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper. (measurements here are approximate, adjust as you like). Stir spices to coat onion.
3. Chop up 1/2 bell pepper, add to pot, stir well.
4. Once onions are translucent, add 1 cup dry red lentils and 2 cups water, stir well. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. If you want, chop up another vegetable like zucchini or tomato, or steam some corn.
6. When the lentil pot reaches a smooth consistencey and most water has been absorbed, add your extra vegetables to the simmering lentils, and add a small amount of water (1-2 tbsp). Simmer on low heat until vegetables are warm.
7. Serve over rice, top with raisins or coconut or toasted nuts as desired.
I’m not talking about the condensed-soup, or from-the-box kind, I’m talkin’ real-deal, home-made, from scratch, healthy, one-dish, hot meals.
My casserole adventure began with a batch of homemade carrot soup that I added too much cayenne pepper to, it was just too hot to eat straight-up, so I decided to use it as an ingredient in something else, a casserole! So I looked at a bunch of different casserole recipes and discovered several common factors:
1. Thick soup was somehow involved.
2. There was a starch element (potatoes, rice, etc)
3. There were other ingredients, such as vegetables and meat.
4. There was some sort of topping, like cheese or crumbs.
5. Everything got cooked before it all got mixed together and put in the oven.
So I cooked up a mixture of wild and white rice in the rice cooker, sauteed some chicken and vegetables, then mixed it all up, grated cheese on top, and threw it in the oven on a low temperature. The low temperature was my only mistake, it needed a much higher temperature to actually get the heat all the way through that thick mass of food. I kept pulling it out and checking it, frustrated with its failure to heat up quickly. 45 minutes later I turned up the temperature, walked away for 20 minutes, and came back to happily discover a bubbling, steaming casserole! Perfect!
My second attempt (there was a LOT of that soup to use up) wasn’t nearly as good as the first, too many extra carrots added in (the soup really was enough carrotness for one dish), but I am interested in trying again with another creamy, homemade soup.
So there is a bit of insight into how Shannon cooks. Very intuitively, very independently, very experimentally, with a lot of reckless abandon, know very well that in the end, I will eat pretty much anything, so no matter how bad it is, at least I won’t go hungry, and at least I will have learned something new.
I made this for dinner tonight and found it very tasty. Canadians will be familiar with the mighty perogy and it’s wondrous comfort-food qualities. Friends in the US, however, may not be, which I think is supremely sad (and mildly surprising given the US’s predilection for fried potatoes in various forms). Perogies, for the uninformed, are little dough pockets filled with mashed-potato goodness that often includes cheese or onions. They are Ukrainian in origin and once they are made (a long, laborious process, I usually just buy the frozen ones) they are traditionally cooked by boiling, though they can also be fried or baked. I find the baking method to be a consistently successful and simple method of preparation.
Here is a lovely way to serve perogies. I often serve them with sausage and onion (sausage & saurkraut are traditional friends of perogies) and today decided that a bunch of chard would be a great addition to my frying pan of sausagey-oniony goodness.
Ingredients
4 large, traditional sausages, any type, removed from casings
1 large or 2 small onions, halved & sliced
1 bunch chard, stems & ribs separated from leaves, and separately chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
18 perogies, baked
sour cream (if desired)
Method
1. In large frying pan, fry sausage until almost cooked, add onion and cook until soft.
2. Add chard stems & ribs to fry pan, cook until soft. Add chard leaves & water, cook until soft.
3. Serve perogies atop sausage mixture, top with sour cream as desired
Serves 3
This was one of my fist ventures into the world of creating my own soup recipes, now I do it all the time, and many are based on what I’ve learned from making this particular soup many times. The idea was to make my favourite comfort food, cream of mushroom soup, while also accommodating a vegan roommate I had at the time. The soup is not particularly aesthetically pleasing (it can have a strange browny-green look to it depending on what exactly is in it) but is very hearty and makes an excellent dinner with a basket of warm biscuits.
Every time I make this soup it turns out a bit differently, it all depends on what I have in the fridge. The basis, though, is always the same, so I will set that out and then elucidate the possible additions. Please note that all measurements are estimates – add whatever looks & feels right to you!
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped thinly (include celery leaves if there are any)
10 (approximately) white mushrooms, stems separated from tops, stems chopped, tops sliced thickly, keep separate.
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 cups vegetable broth
3 potatoes, any kind, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp rosemary
Instructions
1. In large pot on medium-low heat put 1 Tbsp olive oil. When oil is warm add onion, garlic and celery, cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped mushroom stems and cook until stems begin to soften. Add sliced mushroom tops, thyme, salt, pepper, cinnamon and rosemary, cook until mushrooms are soft. Add in potato and stir to cover with spices and juices from vegetables.
2. Add vegetable broth, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes, or until potato is very tender.
3. Allow soup to cool slightly (turn off heat and remove cover), then ladle out 2-3 cups of soup, being sure to include lots of potato and mushroom, into a blender. Blend until smooth. Return blended soup to pot and stir to combine with the rest of the soup.
Possible Additions
Leeks are an excellent addition to this soup. Thinly slice one large leek, adding white part at onion, garlic & celery stage and green part at mushroom top stage.
Broccoli is very nice in this soup. Slice the broccoli stems and add at mushroom top stage. Chop top into medium sized florets and add after potato.
Green onion can be chopped and added in the same way as leeks.
Cauliflower can be chopped and added in the same way as broccoli.
(From Best of Weight Watchers Magazine Vol. 1. 2002)
This has become one of my very favourite crowd-pleasing recipes. For a potluck last week where I knew there would be a vegetarian person, I substituted the sausage with Yves’ vegetarian “ground round” in “spicy Italian” and substituted vegetable broth for chicken broth, and it turned out quite nicely – not the same as with sausage, in my opinion nothing beats animal fats for tastiness – but it was still very good and other than the cheese, which can be omitted, it was a vegan dish. It is also a low-fat dish for those who are concerned about that sort of thing, or if one has guests that might be concerned.
Add-ins:
I always add-in additional spices: rosemary & thyme, I find this really perks up the dish, fresh rosemary is especially lovely. I also tend to add in a small onion, chopped, at the stage where the mushrooms are cooked, which also adds to the flavour. I also have made this with rotini instead of penne, which is just as good.
Cooking tips:
I cook the broccoli with the pasta by putting a steamer above the boiling pot of pasta, thereby saving both time & electricity by cooking both at once. Also, if you aren’t terribly worried about counting the points on this recipe, the mushrooms and onion are quite tasty when you cook them in the leftover fat from the sausage. At the end of the recipe I often find there isn’t enough room for everything in my skillet, so I combine it all in a large bowl, which works just fine.
Ingredients
1/4 pound hot Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed
10 ounces white mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cooked broccoli florets
4 cups cooked, drained penne
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
crushed red pepper, to taste (optional)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
1. Crumble the turkey sausage meat into a large nonstick skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel-lined heatproof plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and all the juices have evaporated, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and the drained sausage; cook until warmed through. Stir in the penne, broth, lemon juice, and the crushed red pepper (if using); cook just until heated through. Serve sprinkles with cheese.
Makes 4 servings.
I have made this twice now with great success. Both times I served it with mashed yams, I find the sweetness of the yams compliments the tangy chard and balsamic quite nicely. It seems quite complicated and fancy but is really quite simple. I recommend following the recipe quite closely as there are details that make the whole process much simpler. I add extra garlic to both the chard and the chops. I also rub the spices into both sides of the chops instead of just sprinkling them on.
For balsamic syrup
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/8 teaspoon black peppercorns
For chard
1 bunch Swiss chard (1 lb)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water
For lamb chops
8 rib lamb chops (1 1/4 lb total), trimmed of all fat
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Make syrup:
Simmer syrup ingredients in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart nonreactive saucepan (see cooks’ note, below) over moderate heat until just syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a small bowl, discarding rosemary and peppercorns.
Sauté chard:
Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stack chard leaves and roll into cylinders. Cut cylinders crosswise to make 1-inch-wide strips.
Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add chard stems and ribs, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until stems are just tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in chard leaves and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
Broil chops while chard cooks:
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle chops with garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper, then broil on a lightly oiled broiler pan, 4 to 5 inches from heat, turning over once, for medium-rare, 6 to 7 minutes total. Serve chops and chard drizzled with balsamic syrup.
Cooks’ note:
Stainless steel and enameled cast iron are nonreactive, but avoid pure aluminum and uncoated iron.
• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tablespoon allspice
• salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, peel, and mash. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, cook and stir onions in olive oil until translucent. Add white wine, red wine, and brandy, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mashed sweet potatoes, stirring to incorporate. Dissolve bouillon cubes in water and add to the soup with the allspice. Simmer another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
In my usual style of recipe-as-suggestion I made a few adjustments, I used a purple onion instead (all I had!) and it was good, and substituted sherry for the brandy & white wine (since Sherry is like the two together). I peeled the yams before boiling them, but next time would probably bake them instead, and scoop out the fluffy baked goodness in order to make a smoother soup. Although if I were to boil them again I would save the water from boiling to use instead of plain water in mixing up the chicken broth.
I served this with pork chops tossed in olive oil, sherry, rosemary, salt & pepper, then baked in the oven at 350 for about 25 minutes, flipping them once, and they went REALLY nicely with the soup.
