Roasted Carrot and Lentil Soup

Continuing my efforts to try something new, I pinned this Charred and Roasted Smokey Carrot Soup to our new pinboard. It's very similar to the Red Lentil Soup from 101 Cookbooks, minus the brown rice and with the addition of roasted carrots.

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to add 4 cloves of garlic to the roasting pan with the onions.

It's a great soup, not a lot of complex flavor but it's easy, tasty and just hits the spot when it's rainy and gray.

Persian Beef and Split Pea Stew

Surprisingly (or perhaps not), we here at Bean Basics get into a cooking rut sometimes too. There's school to teach (we're both homeschool Moms of 3), husbands out of town, and a wide world to explore. So we spend a lot of time going back to tried and true, under-15-minute recipes.

But when Fall arrives, suddenly I have the urge to start cooking again. This recipe was part of my attempt to get out of my cooking rut and explore something new. I didn't come up with the recipe, I and I didn't change it substantially, so I'm just going to link it, but I will tell you what I changed, and that the entire family really liked it.

Persian Beef and Split Pea Stew

Now for my changes:

1. I used leftover cooked pot roast - so after cooking the onions, I added everything to the pot all together.
2. I think the recipe calls for too much water. I used 2 c. of beef broth rather than 4 c. of water.
3. I used 2 onions and 5 cloves of garlic.
4. I used 1/4 tsp. of Penzey's dried lemon peel instead of the Persian lime.
5. I used red lentils instead of yellow split peas (they're very similar)

As always, if you're gluten or soy intolerant, make sure you use spices that meet your needs. McCormick and Penzey's are both trustworthy.

Thanksgiving Balls

The stove top brand stuffing isn't vegetarian so make sure whatever brand you buy is if you don't eat meat.

1 large carrot, chopped pretty fine but not as small as grating it
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter
1 box. Stovetop Savory Herb Stuffing
2 chicken bouillon cubes (Or imitation)
1/3 c. red lentils
1 can garbanzo beans
splash milk
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
dash black pepper

Combine lentils, 1 chicken bouillon cube and 2 cups water. Simmer until lentils are very tender. Drain any excess liquid.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the carrots and saute over medium high heat until the are starting to brown a little. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring until the onion is tender making sure not to let the onion burn. Add 1 1/4 cup water and 1 chicken bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, add the stuffing mix, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes.

Drain the garbanzo beans, Remove 1/4 of the can and puree with a splash of milk. Lightly mas the remaining beans to break up into smaller pieces but not made a paste.

Combine the cooked lentils, stuffing, pureed beans, mashed beans, eggs, and seasoning. Form into meatball sized balls and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 2o minutes, turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve with Gravy

Onion Gravy
4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth (OR imitation vegetarian bouillon cubes dissolved in boiling water first)
dash black pepper
3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Saute onions in butter until translucent. Turn heat to medium and continue cooking 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Add the flour and cook 2 minutes more. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and black pepper and cook and stirring until combine and thick. Whisk in the cream and and heat through

Red lentil and brown rice soup

Ok, I just wanted to start with This is not my recipe. So you can check out the original before trying my version.

I will just list the changes I made to the soup and many thanks to cecilotta since she made it first and inspired me to try it, these are really her changes.

1) I use garlic instead of shallot, since thats what I had

2) I used paprika instead of the red pepper flakes

3) I Used Chicken broth instead of the vegetable, though I suspect the "potato peel broth" from "The Vegetarian Epicure book Two" By Anna Thomas would be great

4) I cooked them both a lot longer than she said to cook them and I didnt bother with the garnishes.

My kids all loved it and said wonderful things about it to the tune of the best food ever and all ate several bowls full.

We both served it with a salad. I served texas toast and Cecilotta served apple muffins.

Food Storage Adaption: I used bouillon, dried onions flakes and granulated garlic.

Economical Counter:
Onion $0.25
Garlic $0.12
Bouillon $0.15

Mantu

3/4 c. plain yogurt
1 tsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 lb ground beef
1 can pinto beans
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. water
1 carrot, grated
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
26 wonton wrappers
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp water

1/2 c. dried yellow split peas
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 1/2 c. water

1. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, mint, and garlic. Refrigerate.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef and onions until meat is browned, stirring occasionally to crumble; drain fat. Stir in beans, 1 cup water, carrot, salt, black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until water evaporates.

3. Lay out wonton wrappers on aluminum foil. Mound two large spoonfuls of beef mixture in the center of one wrapper. Dip a finger in water and trace it around all four edges. Lay a second wonton wrapper on top of the first, and press on all edges to seal. Roll up the edges to create a round, hat-shaped ravioli. Repeat, making 13 ravioli.

4. Place ravioli in steamer and steam 40 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, mix together the yellow split peas, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, chicken bouillon, and 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, or until it reaches a thick slurry-like consistency.

6. Meanwhile, in the large skillet, mix remaining beef mixture with 2 tablespoons water, tomato paste, and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Simmer over low heat until liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

7. To serve, spread yogurt on a serving plate. Top with ravioli, and top again with split pea mixture. Finally, top with tomato and beef mixture. Serve immediately.

Armenian Apricot Soup Recipe

Armenian Apricot Soup Recipe

Add the chicken cubes to taste but not enough to equal the amount that would normally be used to make the water broth, just to add a hint of flavor, or you can leave them out all together. This is my adaption on the recipe found here.

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 c. red lentils, rinsed
1 can white beans
10 cups water
6 - 12 oz. dried apricots, chopped
salt
1 or 2 chicken bouillon cubes (my addition, totally optional)

Heat the oil in your soup pot over medium heat, then stir in the onions and carrots. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and stir well. Decrease the heat, cover, and let the vegetables sweat for ten minutes.

Add the lentils, beans and chicken cubes and pour in enough of the water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for twenty minutes, or until the lentils and carrots are tender. Add more of the water as needed as the lentils soften and expand.

Remove from the heat, stir in the apricots and any remaining water, and season with salt. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth; alternatively working in batches, puree in a regular blender until smooth. Take care not to over salt this soup. The right amount will bring out the flavor of the apricots but leave the onions in the background. Serve hot.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry Soup

This soup has a warm mellow flavor and comes out somewhat like a stew, not to much broth and slightly thick. Something to note is the cooking time of the lentils, red lentils cook much faster than the brown variety. Also, in an effort to cut costs, I use chicken bouillon. If you do don't add the salt. Bouillon is typically pretty salty.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry Soup
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. Curry Powder
12 ounces red lentils
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut in 1/2-inch pieces
2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken stock
2 c. water

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry and salt; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, and ginger; cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add squash; cook until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in lentils; cook until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.