Tag: vegetarian

Recipe proves you don’t know ‘lentil’ you try

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date August 6, 2020

Lentil meatballs in curry sauce is a delicious meatless meal with a rich sauce and lots of great, rustic flavors.

Well, I did it to myself again. I noticed a lonely bag of 60-cent lentils sitting at my local grocery store, and I decided to bring them home and figure out what to make with them.

I mean, 60 cents? Who can resist such a bargain?

I’ve only made lentils once before, for a soup, so I’m not sure why I thought it was a good idea to buy more, but then, of course, I doubled down and chose what appeared to be a pretty involved recipe to use them in.

But let me tell you what: it was so worth it. This was so delicious, so if you’re ready to undertake a cooking adventure with me, I’d encourage you to give this a shot.

The recipe I tried comes from a blog named after its author, “Bianca Zapatka.” You can find the original post at https://biancazapatka.com/en/lentil-meatballs-curry-sauce/. I added some more spices to my version.

Lentil Meatballs in Curry Sauce

Lentil meatballs in curry sauce is a delicious meatless meal with a rich sauce and lots of great, rustic flavors.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword coconut milk, curry, gingerbread, lentils, meatless, red bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, vegan

Ingredients

Meatball Ingredients

1 cup dried lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons dried coriander
2 teaspoons dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

Curry Sauce Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil or use olive oil
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 red bell pepper diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated (or sub 1/4 teaspoon dried ginger)
2 teaspoons cumin
4 teaspoons curry powder
3 large tomatoes diced
1 cup water
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons red chili flakes

Instructions

Cook the lentils according to package directions. (Don’t worry if they get a little mushy—you’re going to process them anyway.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
For the meatballs, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until it’s soft, and then add the garlic and remove the skillet from the heat when it browns slightly.
Add all of the meatball ingredients to a food processor or blender and process to a coarse consistency. There will probably still be some whole lentils in there, and that’s perfectly fine. Taste the filling and add any more spices, if necessary.
If the mixture is too wet to hold together, add more breadcrumbs until it reaches a consistency where it will. Set the mixture aside for about 10 minutes to let it cool down before handling it.
Have a bowl of water handy and shape the mixture with wet hands into about one-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. They can be fairly crowded but not touching. Brush them with some additional olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through.
While the meatballs cook, start on the curry sauce. Using the same skillet as before, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook them until soft.
Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and curry powder, and stir to combine. Once the garlic is slightly browned, add the tomatoes, water, coconut milk, salt and chili flakes.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat. Place a lid on the skillet and let it cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and blend until it’s smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and let it cook for a few minutes to thicken a bit, and taste it to see if it needs more seasoning.
When the meatballs are finished, drop them into the skillet with the curry sauce and then serve over cooked rice with some pita or naan bread on the side.

I added quite a bit more spice to my version, because I like spicy curry sauce. If you’re more in the mild camp, I’d encourage you to look up the original recipe and follow those amounts a bit more closely.

This was such a great meatless meal, because you honestly don’t notice that there isn’t meat in it. The “meatballs” aren’t meat-like in consistency at all, but they have great flavor. They’re a bit like a soft hushpuppy.

And while Joey was pretty skeptical watching me cook my lentils, he was totally on board once dinner finally hit the table. My forays into discount shopping sometimes freak him out a bit.

But now I still have half a bag of lentils to try to use. We’ll have to see what I come up with next.

This piece first appeared in print on Aug. 6, 2020.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Tags coconut milk, curry, ginger, lentils, meatless, onion, red bell pepper, spicy, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian

Appetizer Soup

This soup is clearly the best way to start a meal

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 21, 2020

Japanese clear onion soup is incredibly simple but an amazing way to start a meal.

The National Museum of American History notes that Americans started looking for different ways to enjoy outdoor grilling after World War II.

Part of the craze was impacted by people who traveled around the world and discovered they enjoyed the tropical flavors of the Caribbean and of Southeast Asia, which meant that the hibachi grill came into vogue, with some restaurants popping up that allowed diners to cook their own meals on the flat-top grills and people using the small cooktops in their backyards and even their apartments.

Personally, I love dishes that are in the “hibachi” style. They have a little char on them, and I adore the flavors of Japanese cooking.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been sharing the components of an Asian-inspired meal I made for Joey and myself, including a fried rice and orange chicken recipe, so this week, I wanted to share the final component, a soup we both love to get as an appetizer at our favorite Japanese restaurant: clear onion soup.

The recipe I tried comes from the blog “Living Chirpy,” which features gluten-free and sugar-free recipes, so you might give them a look if that interests you. It’s by Roche Woodworth, and you can find the original post at https://www.livingchirpy.com/japanese-clear-onion-soup/. I adjusted the ingredients and instructions a bit to suit our tastes.

Japanese Clear Onion Soup

Japanese clear onion soup is incredibly simple but an amazing way to start a meal.

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword cream of mushroom, gluten-free, onion, soup, sugar-free, vegetarian

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon oil I used extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-sized onion diced (I used yellow)
6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 large celery stalk cut into one-inch pieces
1 large carrot peeled and cut into rounds
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup mushrooms sliced thinly (I used white mushrooms)
1/2 cup green onions sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat and add the diced onion. Saute until the onion is browned and soft.
Add broth, celery, carrot, garlic, ginger and sesame oil and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the burner down to low and put the lid on the pot, simmering for about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Strain the vegetables from the broth, and return the broth to the pot.
Add the mushrooms and green onions and let the soup cook for another five minutes or so.
Serve immediately as an appetizer for your favorite Asian-style dinner.

Joey and I discussed this soup a bit after our meal and agreed that it’s the perfect appetizer. There isn’t much to it, and it would never make a meal for someone (unless they were on a restricted diet or eating very little), but it’s a good way to get ready for your main course.

I used chicken broth in my version, but just a switch over to vegetable broth can make this recipe completely meat free, too. There’s a ton of flavor in this for such a simple recipe.

I recommend serving it in small bowls. It’s a fun way to start a meal, and now that you have all three of the components for the meal we tried, you can do it, too. It was definitely something different, and we enjoyed it immensely.

And, considering Americans have been enjoying the flavors of Asian cuisine for many, many decades, I suppose it’s a good way to celebrate our own history as well.

This piece first appeared in print on May 21, 2020.

Tags gluten-free, Japanese, mushroom, onion, sugar-free, vegetarian

Main Dish Pressure Cooker Soup

Get a ‘lentil’ bit adventurous in the kitchen

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 21, 2019

Lentil soup is a meatless meal that doesn't skimp on flavor or protein.

With less than a month to go before Lent starts for some and the push to continue to eat healthier in the new year for others, it’s the time of year to look for meatless recipes.

Unfortunately, sometimes it feels like those meatless meals are less satisfying than heartier meals, so I often find myself hunting for vegetarian recipes that are high in protein. The last thing I want is for a healthy dinner to drive me into the kitchen for a snack later because it just doesn’t stick with me.

When I stumbled on a recipe for some lentil soup I could make in my pressure cooker, I decided to do some research on lentils, not being particularly familiar with the ingredient, but I was pleasantly surprised at how healthy lentils really are.

Registered Dietician Katherine Zeratsky with the Mayo Clinic explains that “Lentils are high in protein and fiber and low in fat, which makes them a healthy substitute for meat. They’re also packed with folate, iron, phosphorus, potassium and fiber.”

And I thought they were pretty tasty, too, after we gave this soup recipe a try. The recipe I used is from the website “Delish” and was posted by Makinze Gore. You can find it at https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a25240121/instant-pot-lentil-soup/. I increased the amounts on several ingredients.

Pressure Cooker Lentil Soup

Lentil soup is a meatless meal that doesn't skimp on flavor or protein.

Course Main Course

Keyword lentil, pressure cooker, soup

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion diced
2 medium carrots peeled and diced
3 stalks celery diced
6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups dried green lentils
14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups fresh spinach
shredded or grated parmesan for serving

Instructions

Add all the ingredients, except the spinach and parmesan, to the crock of a pressure cooker and stir.
Set the pressure cooker to high pressure for 18 minutes and then quick release the pressure when it’s done cooking.
Stir in the spinach, and once it’s wilted, serve the soup garnished with parmesan.

There was enough leftover soup for us to put some in the freezer, and it was great later on, too.

I also opted for the vegetable broth to make this truly vegetarian, and I didn’t even notice there wasn’t any meat in the soup. It was hearty and filling and packed a lot of flavor.

If you really can’t bring yourself do meatless, I’d suggest tossing some cooked ham or bacon into the mix, but honestly, you won’t need it.

If you’ve never cooked with lentils before, don’t let them intimidate you. They look a little different, but they’re really just beans, but they have a bit of a nutty flavor, too.

I’m looking forward to seeing how else I can use them in my kitchen and glad I have a new vegetarian recipe to add to our dinner rotation.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 21, 2019.

Tags lentil, vegetarian

Side Dish

Let’s have a serious ‘stalk’ about grilled asparagus

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date May 3, 2018

Grilled asparagus has some simple seasonings that make it a perfect summer side dish.

Last weekend, we decided to go to a late showing of the new “Avengers” movie with a group of friends, so we met early to enjoy the nice weather and grill for supper.

One of our friends walked in with a big bag of fresh asparagus.

“You can do whatever you want with this,” she said, before heading out to the patio.

It’s pretty obvious my friends know me well when they feel comfortable presenting me with a random ingredient and have full faith that I’ll be able to pull something off with it.

I looked online for a way to grill asparagus, since I figured it would easily pop onto the grill next to our steaks, and I discovered one from the blog “Or whatever you do.” The recipe is by Nicole Johnson and is both easy and perfectly seasoned. You can find it at https://www.orwhateveryoudo.com/2014/08/perfect-grilled-asparagus.html.

I will include grilling instructions as well as oven instructions with this recipe, since I ended up finishing the asparagus in the oven, because we managed to run out of propane about halfway through our cooking adventure (the hazards of the first time firing up the grill for spring, I suppose). I also played with some of the amounts a bit.

Grilled Asparagus

Grilled asparagus has some simple seasonings that make it a perfect summer side dish.

Course Side Dish

Keyword asparagus, garlic, grilled

Ingredients

about 1 pound fresh asparagus
about 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Instructions

Preheat the grill to about medium-high heat or preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Wash the asparagus and trim off the ends.
Fold a tray out of aluminum foil with raised sides to house the asparagus (put it on some kind of tray to use to carry to the grill or on a baking sheet if it’s going in the oven).
Place the asparagus into the tray, spaced just a little apart, and drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to coat the asparagus in the oil and then sprinkle with the garlic salt, onion powder and pepper and mix around again to evenly distribute the spices.
Cut the butter into pieces and dot it along the top of the asparagus.
Place the aluminum tray right on the grill grates or leave it on the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about six to eight minutes for stalks that are pencil-size or smaller or about 10 to 15 minutes for larger stalks.
Serve immediately. The asparagus won’t stay warm for long.

We had a fantastic dinner, despite having to finish both our steaks and asparagus back in the house. At least our patio table was ready to hold our plates as we enjoyed one another’s company before our late-night movie.

Once the propane tank is full again, I’m planning on giving this recipe another try. I’m excited to fire up the grill, pull out my shorts and finally enjoy summer.

This piece first appeared in print on May 3, 2018.

Tags asparagus, garlic, grilled, vegetarian

Main Dish Soup

Vegetarian soup will give you inner ‘peas’

Post author By Lindsey Young
Post date February 1, 2018

A pastor friend of mine noted on social media the other day that 2018 is a weird year, with Lent beginning on Valentine’s Day and Easter falling on April Fool’s Day. He was excited at the sermon possibilities that may come from it.

I started thinking about folks who will avoid taking their dates out for expensive steak or lobster dinners on Feb. 14.

If that happens to be you, or you’re looking for a good, filling meatless meal for Lent, you like to get some vegetables in your diet, or you just really like good soup, do I have a deal for you.

I was very curious about this week’s recipe when I first spotted it on Pinterest, because it features chickpeas, which I’ve only ever eaten when made into hummus.

This recipe comes from the blog “Feel Good Foodie.” You can find it at http://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/vegetarian-chickpea-pasta-soup/. I added a lot of spices and increased the amounts of some ingredients in my version.

Vegetarian chickpea pasta soup

Vegetarian chickpea pasta soup is a hearty soup despite being a meatless option.

Course Main Course

Keyword chickpeas, pasta, soup, vegetarian

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion diced (I used a yellow onion)
3-4 large carrots diced
4-5 stalks celery diced
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 heaping teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups vegetable broth
15 ounces chickpeas rinsed and drained
8 ounces small pasta I used macaroni
grated parmesan and dried parsley for garnish

Instructions

In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrots and celery until they’re soft (about five to 10 minutes). Add in the garlic and sauté until it’s aromatic and just beginning to brown.
Add the spices and vegetable broth, and stir to loosen any bits from the bottom of the pot.
Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and pasta and cook for another 10 minutes or until the pasta reaches your desired level of doneness. (If you need to add any liquid, pour in some hot water.)
Remove from heat and serve with parmesan and dried parsley sprinkled on top of each bowl.

We enjoyed this soup a lot, and between the chickpeas and pasta, it fills you up nicely. It also has a lot of great flavors going on.

If you’re wondering, the chickpeas had the same basic texture as beans, so if you like beans, you’ll probably like this, too. And if you’re really not sure about them, throw in a can of great northern beans instead.

And if you want to make a good, vegetarian dinner for Valentine’s Day this year, I give this one my stamp of approval. Pair it with some crusty bread and a great chocolate dessert, and you’ll sweep your sweetie right off his or her feet.

This piece first appeared in print on Feb. 1, 2018.

Tags carrots, celery, chickpeas, onion, pasta, vegetarian