Coconut Red Lentil Soup

This is a hearty coconut-flavored lentil soup from 101 Cookbooks, with a surprising addition of raisins.  

Ingredients

1 c yellow split peas
1 c red split lentils
7 c water
1 carrot, diced
2 T fresh ginger, grated
2 T high-quality curry powder
2 T butter
8 scallions, sliced thinly
1/3 c raisins
1/3 c tomato paste
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 t salt
cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1) Rinse the lentils and split peas until the water runs clear.  Place them in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
2) Reduce heat and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger.  Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the split peas are soft.
3) As the lentils/split peas cook, heat the butter in a skillet, add the green onions, remaining ginger, and raisins, stirring constantly.
4) Add the tomato paste and curry powder and saute for another minute or two.
5) Combine with the coconut milk, and add to the simmering lentils/split peas.
6) Simmer the mixture, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
7) Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Walnut Miso Noodles

From 101 Cookbooks, this is a tasty and simple asian-inspired pasta dish.

Ingredients

250g pasta (any kind, although I prefer spirals)
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets (you can substitute any green vegetable here)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 glove garlic, minced/pressed
2 T miso paste
2 T white wine vinegar
1.5 t honey
1/4 c warm water (or more)
salt to taste
green onions and extra walnuts for garnish

Instructions

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta according to directions until al-dente, and about 30 seconds before the pasta is done, throw in the broccoli.  After 30 seconds, drain immediately.
2) While the pasta is cooking, toast the walnuts.
3) To make the sauce, combine walnuts, olive oil, garlic, miso paste, vinegar, and honey, and mix with a food processor/hand blender until smooth.
4) Add the warm water until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream (slightly thicker is also okay).
5) Toss the pasta and broccoli with the sauce until evenly coated.
6) Garnish with sliced green onions and extra walnuts.

Miso Chicken (or Tofu)

Adapted from epicurious.com, and courtesy of Jenn.  This dish goes well with rice or couscous, and can also be used with chicken or tofu.

Ingredients

4 fillets of salmon, washed and prepared (deboned)
1 t oil
2 T miso paste
1.5 t sesame oil
1.5 t fresh grated ginger
1.5 t minced garlic
.5 t honey (or more, if you want it sweeter)
1/4 t red pepper flakes (optional)
green onion and sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 200C.  Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with a small amount of oil.
2) Combine miso, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes with 1 T water in a small bowl for marinade.  (Note: I like to double the amount of marinade to give more sauce, but this is up to you.)
3) Place salmon fillets skin-down into the baking dish, and spoon on marinade.  Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, until the salmon flesh is firm and light pink, but not dried out.
4) Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Apple Cake

From Smitten Kitchen, this is an easy and cinnamon-y apple cake.

Ingredients

6 apples, cored and chopped into smallish pieces

1 T cinnamon

5 T sugar

2.75 c flour

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

1 c vegetable oil (or melted butter)

2 c sugar

1/4 c orange juice

2.5 t vanilla

4 eggs

1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 180.  Toss apples with cinnamon and 5 T sugar and set aside.

2) Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

3) Combine oil, orange juice, sugar, and vanilla.

4) Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients, then add the eggs one at a time.

5) Grease a pan, pour 1/2 the batter, then cover with 1/2 the apples, then pour the other 1/2 of the batter and layer the top of the cake with apples.

6) Bake ~1.5 hours, until a tester comes out clean.

Crispy Gingersnap Cookies

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated - I used golden syrup instead of molasses because it's hard to find the latter around here.  Also, the instructions have been adapted to use a hand mixer instead of a food processor.

Ingredients

3 c flour
3/4 c packed dark brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
12 T butter, softened and cut
3/4 c golden syrup
2 T milk

Instructions

1) Combine flour, spices, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
2) Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add golden syrup and beat until combined.
3) Slowly beat dry ingredients, in 2-3 portions, into butter/sugar/syrup mixture.  Add milk to give the dough a slightly wetter consistency.
4) Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and preheat oven to 180C.
5) Drop cookies onto a greased or lined sheet, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until slightly darkened.

Quinoa Salad with Feta, Pesto, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.  This is a weird but surprisingly awesome quinoa dish, somehow all of the flavors come together really nicely.

Ingredients

2 shallots, minced
1 c quinoa
1 c corn
1.5 c fresh spinach
1 block extra firm tofu
1/2 c pesto (jarred is okay, but if you can use fresh)
1/3 c pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes, chopped finely
1/3 c feta, crumbled
olive oil

Instructions

1) Saute the shallots in olive oil until slightly browned.
2) Add the quinoa and saute for about 1 minute (add a bit more oil if necessary.)
3) Add 2 cups of boiling water and simmer ~15 minutes, until the quinoa is transparent but still a bit crunchy.
4) Meanwhile, cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and saute in a skillet with olive oil, until the cubes are slightly browned. (Remember to press the water out of the tofu as much as you can before frying it.)
5) Combine the quinoa and corn, and heat through, then stir in the tofu and spinach, until the spinach is wilted.
6) Remove from heat, and combine quinoa mixture with pesto, seeds, tomatoes, and feta.

Cabbage "Detox Salad"

From BBC Good Food, this is a zesty, crunchy salad courtesy of Caitlin.

Ingredients

1 head red cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, coarsely grated
small bunch parsley, chopped
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced thin
1/4 c toasted pine nuts
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/2 onion, chopped fine (optional)
1-2 T grated ginger
1 t honey
2 T lemon juice
3 T olive oil

Instructions

1) Prepare vegetables, fruits, and nuts for the salad and mix in a large bowl.
2) Combine ginger, honey, lemon juice and olive oil in s small bowl.  Combine, season, and pour over salad, tossing until evenly coated.