Warm Lentil & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower Salad

This is another dish with a crispy and delicious parmesan topping. Cheese makes everything better. 🙂 I loved that the base of the dish was an arugula salad. The crunchy roasted almond topping provided a nice contrasting texture too.

I cut the head of cauliflower through the center into two steaks and roasted the additional florets in a formation as close to a plank as well, for presentation purposes. Next time, I may change the orientation of the cauliflower to keep the florets attached to the core.

This recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart Living. I used French green lentils, added red pepper flakes, and modified the cooking and serving methods. It was a lovely, fresh and healthy light meal. We ate it for dinner, but it would also be wonderful served for a special lunch, of course. 🙂

Yield: Serves 4

• 3 cups of cored and chopped tomatoes, about 3 beefsteak tomatoes (I used 2 beefsteak and 3 romas)
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, plus 1 clove for cooking the lentils, if desired
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/2 cup (8 T) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
• 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and cut through the core into 1-inch planks
• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (I used French green lentils)
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (3/4 cup)
• 1 bunch arugula, trimmed (I used about 4 oz wild baby arugula)
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• toasted almonds, chopped, for serving (I used sliced almonds)

1. Cook the lentils: Place 3/4 to 1 cup of dried lentils with a large smashed (but intact) garlic clove, optional, in a pot covered by 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and season with salt. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender. (You will have leftover cooked lentils.)
2. Toast the almonds: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread almonds in an even layer on a rimmed quarter sheet pan. Toast the almonds, stirring once or twice, about 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Remove and set aside.
3. Increase the oven temperature to 475°F, with a rack placed in the center and another rack in top position. (I set my oven to convection roast.)
4. In a bowl, toss together tomatoes, garlic, capers, large pinch of red pepper flakes, if using, and 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.
5. Place cauliflower planks on a rimmed baking sheet.
6. Brush cauliflower evenly with 3 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
7. Roast until undersides are golden, 12 to 13 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, flip the cauliflower and push to one side.
8. Add tomato mixture to other side of the pan.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 450 degrees; roast 12 minutes more.
10. Stir 1 1/2 cups drained lentils into tomato mixture. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.
11. Sprinkle everything with cheese.
12. Switch oven setting to broil, and broil on top rack until cheese has melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
13. Toss arugula with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
14. Serve the roasted cauliflower planks over lentils and arugula salad, sprinkled with toasted almonds.

One-Pan Pork Sausage Meatballs with Green Lentils

I love one-pan dishes! This dish is made in the oven using one baking dish. It was also easy to prepare. 🙂 I modified the recipe due to personal preference- and to incorporate ingredients that I had readily available. I included all of the options in the recipe below.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Ali Slagle. I modified the proportions and oven temperature, used celery instead of fennel, and added carrots. I also substituted sweet Italian pork sausage for hot sausage and green lentils for brown lentils. The vinegar was essential to the finished dish.

Yield: Serves 6

• 4 celery stalks, diced or 1 fennel bulb, cored, cut into 1/2-inch wedges through the root, plus 1/4 cup fresh fennel fronds
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds bulk hot or sweet Italian pork sausage (or fresh Italian sausages, casings removed)(or a combination)
• 1 egg
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils
• 4 to 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1-2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, plus more for serving

1. Heat the oven to 425°, preferably on convection.
2. In a 9×13-inch baking pan or baking dish, gently toss the celery and carrots (or fennel wedges) with the olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (I used a ceramic baking dish.)
3. Roast until vegetables are golden brown underneath, about 10 minutes for fennel or up to 20 minutes for carrots and celery. (Fennel will not be tender at this point.)
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, use your hands or a spoon to mix the sausage with the egg until combined. Roll the mixture into 16 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.
5. Add the chicken stock, lentils, garlic and rosemary to the roasted vegetables. Stir to combine, then season with 3/4 teaspoon salt.
6. Place the meatballs in the lentil mixture, drizzle the meatballs with olive oil, then roast until the meatballs are browned on top and lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Discard the rosemary sprig, then stir in the vinegar, parsley leaves and fennel fronds, if using (reserve a few fronds for garnishing, if desired). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Spoon the lentils and any braising liquid onto shallow bowls and top with the meatballs.
9. Garnish with additional parsley leaves and fennel fronds, if desired.

Lentil & Orzo Stew with Lemon & Coriander-Spiced Roasted Eggplant

Happy 2019! I have a few healthy “January” recipes to share before getting back to my belated holiday menu recipes. 🙂

This wonderful stew was hearty and healthy. The flavors in the dish were brightened with lemon zest and juice. I also loved that the roasted eggplant was seasoned with crushed coriander seeds- it made it a more special topping.

The recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Yewande Komolafe. I doubled the recipe, increased the garlic and eggplant, decreased the oil, and used green lentils and feta cheese. Excellent.

Yield: 8 servings

• roughly 3 pounds eggplant (I used 3 medium eggplant), chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 T olive oil, divided
• 2 T coriander seeds, crushed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 cups dried lentils (green, black or brown)
• 10 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water (I used 4 cups homemade turkey stock & 6 cups chicken stock)
• 1 cup orzo or other small pasta
• zest and juice from 2 lemons, plus lemon wedges for garnish
• ¼ cup shaved ricotta salata or crumbled feta, or to taste

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection roast.
2. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 1/4 cup olive oil and crushed coriander seeds until coated; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer on 2 parchment paper-lined large rimmed baking sheets and roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, giving the baking sheet a shake halfway through roasting to toss the eggplant pieces for even cooking.
3. In a large stock pot, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons oil over medium. (I used a large enameled cast iron pot.) Add the carrot, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the lentils until coated. Pour in stock or water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type and age of lentils you use.
6. Stir in the orzo and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice.
8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Top with the roasted eggplant pieces and crumbled feta or large shavings of ricotta salata. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing, as desired.

Green-Lentil Curry

I just feel so healthy eating a dish like this. 🙂 Served over brown rice with yogurt and warm naan, this dish is an amazing complete vegetarian meal. The lentils have a little bit of heat and the yogurt tempers it perfectly.

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Madhur Jaffrey. It was voted one of their “Best New Vegetarian” dishes. I believe it! 🙂 I doubled the recipe, used French green lentils, a combination of ghee and coconut oil, and substituted beet and turnip greens for the kale. Satisfying and tasty!

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

• 2 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 4 garlic clove, put through a garlic press
  
• 4 teaspoons ground coriander
  
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  
• 2 large shallots, minced
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with 2 tablespoon of water
  
• 2 1/2 cups dried French green lentils
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  
• 8 ounces green beans, cut into 3/4-inch lengths
  
• 8 ounces kale, or other greens stemmed and leaves cut into ribbons (I used about 10 cups of mixed beet & turnip greens)
  
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  
• 2 cups finely chopped cilantro
  
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  
• coarse salt, to taste
• brown Basmati rice, warm naan, and plain Greek yogurt, for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, coriander and ground cumin. Stir in 1/2 cup of water to make a paste.
2. In a small skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook over moderately high heat for 5 seconds, just until sizzling.
3. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the spice paste and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thick, about 1 minute longer. 
   
5. In a saucepan, combine the lentils with the turmeric and 10 cups of water; bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are barely tender.
6. Add the green beans, greens, carrot, three-fourths of the cilantro and the cayenne and season with salt.
7. Cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 minutes.
8. Scrape in the spice paste and the remaining cilantro. Simmer for 5 minutes, then serve.
   

One Year Ago:

• Pad Se Ew #2

Two Years Ago:

• Pasta with Greens, Caramelized Onions, & Garlicky Bread Crumbs
• Sautéed Greens with Bacon & Mustard Seeds

Three Years Ago:

• Spicy Fresh Tomato Sauce

Salmon with French Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter

This may need to become a gold standard dinner party dish. (I really need to have more dinner parties!!) It was healthy (maybe?), elegant, and absolutely delicious. We ate it for Easter dinner this year- the salmon was very flavorful and everyone was begging for more lentils. What a great crowd! 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Gourmet, contributed by Shelley Wiseman, via Epicurious.com. I increased the amount of leeks. We ate it with Asparagus and Fava Beans with Toasted Almonds. Wonderful!

Yield: Serves 6

For the Mustard-Herb Butter:

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped tarragon
• 3 teaspoons whole grain mustard
• 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For the Lentils:

• 1 1/2 cups French green lentils
• 6 cups water
• 4 medium to large leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the Salmon:

• 6 (6-ounce) pieces skinless salmon fillet (I portioned a 2-ish pound salmon fillet)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Make mustard-herb butter:

1. Stir together all ingredients with heaping 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Cook the lentils:

1. Bring lentils, water, and 1 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking liquid, then drain lentils.
3. While lentils cook, chop leeks, then wash and drain. Cook leeks in butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Add lentils with reserved cooking liquid to leeks along with scant 5 tablespoons mustard-herb butter and cook, stirring, until lentils are heated through and butter is melted.
5. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.

Sauté salmon while leeks cook:

1. Pat salmon dry and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper (total).
2. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté salmon, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.
3. Serve salmon, topped with remaining mustard-herb butter, over lentils. (I placed the mustard-herb butter over the warm fish on the plates prior to serving.)

Notes:

• Mustard-herb butter can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Soften at room temperature before using (1 hour).
• Lentils can be cooked (but not drained) 1 day ahead and chilled in cooking liquid, covered (once cool).

One Year Ago:

• Roasted Salmon with Herbed Yogurt

Two Years Ago:

• Moussaka

French Green Lentil & Beet Salad with Orange-Mustard Vinaigrette

My husband was on vacation last week and really wanted to grill a steak (for himself!) for dinner. When he made his special (out of the ordinary – for us) dinner, I made this special lentil salad for my dinner. 🙂 He ate it as a side dish too. I had orange beets from my CSA share to include in the salad, although red beets may have added more contrast in the finished dish. We ate the beet greens sautéed with CSA Swiss chard and leeks on the side. This recipe was adapted from Saveur. The dressing has a bright, wonderful flavor; I substituted Herbs de Provence for lavender.

• 3/4 to 1 pound beets, scrubbed clean
• 7 T olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups French green lentils
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 cups fresh orange juice (about 6 Valencia oranges)
• 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
• 2 T honey
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (1/8″ mandolin)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub beets with 2 T olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 8″-square baking dish and cover with foil; cook until tender, about 1 hour on convection roast. Let cool, then peel beets and chop; set aside.
2. Bring lentils, bay leaves, and 4 cups of water to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tender but not mushy, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain, discarding liquid and bay leaves.
3. Toast mustard seeds in a 10″ or 12″ skillet over medium-high heat until they begin to pop, 1-2 minutes. Add juice; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add Herbs de Provence.; cook until juice is reduced to about 1/2 cup, 20-30  minutes. Whisk in honey and remaining 5 T oil.
4. Add beets, lentils, red onion, salt and pepper; toss to combine. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Lentil-Kielbasa Soup

I make this soup from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, (via Martha Stewart Living) every year. I usually make it around Thanksgiving because when I used to order our turkey at the local butcher, I picked up some terrific kielbasa made in Lindenhurst, New York. The past couple of years, I changed to a brined Trader Joe’s turkey- but I still go to the butcher to get the kielbasa. I made this soup after Thanksgiving this year and it was the best it has ever been! We love it already, but the use of homemade turkey stock and fresh parmesan grated over the top made it even more wonderful.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

• 1 pound French green lentils
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 large yellow onions (about 3 pounds), finely chopped
• 3 medium leeks (about 1 1/2 pounds), white part only, cut into 1/4-inch half moons and washed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 T coarse salt
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 8 stalks (about 1 1/2 pounds) celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 pound (about 6) carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 quarts homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound Kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 T red-wine vinegar
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. (I always skip this step!)
2. Warm the olive oil in a large stockpot set over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, garlic, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently, until vegetables are translucent, about 20 minutes. Add the celery and carrots, and sauté, stirring frequently, 5 minutes more. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils; cover, and bring to a boil.
3. Uncover, reduce heat to medium low, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are cooked through, about 1 hour. Stir in the sausage and red-wine vinegar, and simmer until sausage is heated through, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.