Delishytown

Organic Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup 

I love this soup, it’s hearty, savory, sweet and delicious. It’s seasoned with tangy, lemony sumac, one of my favorite spices. This is vegan, gluten free, and non GMO, if you use organic ingredients to make it. I bought the organic carrots, sweet onions, and celery at our farmer’s market. The split red lentils are from my favorite company, Edison Grainery. They have a delicious taste and a wonderful texture

This is easy to make and only takes about 45 minutes of chopping and simmering until all the flavors come together. 

Chop 1 large sweet onion, 1 large organic carrot, 2 stalks organic celery, saute in 2 tbsp organic olive oil or your favorite cooking oil. Add 2 big garlic cloves, crushed, a pinch of kosher salt, a grind of fresh black pepper, and 2 tbsp tomato paste. Continue to simmer until the garlic and tomato paste become fragrant. Add 1 bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1/2 to 1 whole tsp soup base depending on how salty you like it, 1 small can diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 to 3 teaspoons sumac depending on how tangy you like your soup, and 1/2 tsp coriander powder. 

Simmer and stir on low until all the ingredients tenderize and become sweeter. For more sweetness, you could add a drizzle of honey, about 1/2 tsp. For more brightness, add a squeeze of fresh lemon.

I love to garnish this with lots of sumac, so that it’s nice and tangy. My husband doesn’t love sour flavors as much as I do, so I add the extra sumac just in my own bowl and leave his more savory / sweet. Serve with toasted croutons and a big salad. Yum!

All Star Fruit Pancakes

Happy Saturday Tumblrs. It’s chilly here in California, and it’s finally raining! I love the rain. It makes everything so beautiful, the plants are green and happy and everything isn’t so parched anymore. With this cold ass cold weather, I wake up starving nearly every single day. I made these banana, blueberry, pomegranate, mandarin, golden raisin, blue cornmeal and buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, and they were so good. These are pretty healthy too, I used mostly organic ingredients, organic blue corn flour and organic AP flour. These can easily be made gluten free as well, by swapping in garbanzo flour for the AP.  The batter has one mashed banana and is full of blueberries. I topped them with sliced bananas, pomegranate seeds, mandarin oranges, golden raisins, chopped pecans, real maple syrup and a little bit of butter. Buttermilk acts as a leavening agent and makes these extra fluffy. Yogurt works the same way, but if you don’t have either one use whatever you have.

Here’s how to make this easy and delicious breakfast:

Mash 1 banana in a mixing bowl, add 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup buttermilk (swap for any regular milk or almond milk if you don’t have buttermilk), 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tbsp melted butter or oil, (I used olive oil to add a little savory in all of the sweet). Mix well with a fork.

Sift in 1/2 cup blue cornmeal, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, (Or for a Gluten Free option, swap with 1/2 cup Garbanzo Bean flour), 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt. Mix with a fork until just combined, do not over mix. Add 1/2 cup or more organic frozen blueberries. 

Heat the griddle to high, add a little butter, pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup sized pancake batter using a measuring cup. Cook pancakes on first side until bubbles form, flip and continue cooking another few minutes. Top with all sorts of fruit and syrup. Strawberries would be great on this, Yum! 

Awesome Product Review: Q-Mac from Edison Grainery

I have a wonderful friend named Lyndsy Kail who recently moved to L.A. I'm so lucky to have met her! She's funny, smart and amazing. Lyndsy's an actor. If you're a director you might want to put her in your films because she's beautiful and super cool. She’s also an ass kicking entrepreneur and runs an organic import company with her family called Edison Grainery. They sent me some of their products to try. They're very generous and sent me practically the entire warehouse; Black "Beluga" lentils, black sesame seeds, coconut flour, "Q-Mac" mac and cheese, quinoa Fusilli, tri-color quinoa, pink Himalayan salt, quinoa crispies, & quinoa bran. Everything I've tried is delicious. They look for the best products from all over the world. They take extra effort to get certifications for organic, non GMO, & gluten free because they want their customers to know they're getting the best. And they package their products in beautiful rice paper packages.

The first thing I made was the "Q-Mac" Mac & Cheese. I was hungry when the box arrived, so I was happy to try something right away that is quick cooking. My review is this: Q-mac is the Best mac and cheese! This product should be in every grocery store in the world. It’s mac and cheese like you remember from when you were a kid, but it’s good for you because it’s mostly protein, being made from quinoa and all. The organic quinoa pasta has the perfect texture, firm to the bite, not mushy or breaking apart the way gluten free pasta can be. It takes 15 minutes to cook. The organic cheese sauce has white cheddar sharpness and a rich texture. You mix it with a little butter and milk the same way as with other packaged mac and cheeses. It’s easy and sooo delicious! I like to garnish mine with fresh cracked black pepper. If you’re gluten sensitive, I highly recommend Q-Mac as an easy go to meal that can be ready in 15 minutes. If you’re a parent, this is a great convenience food that you don’t need to feel guilty about because you're not handing your kid a bowl of starch, it’s protein! and Yummy!

The next day I was craving more, so I cooked the package of quinoa fusilli, which has the same perfect texture as the Q-Mac pasta. I had squash puree in my freezer, so I made Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. I mixed the cooked quinoa fussili with 2 cups squash puree, a little of the pasta cooking water, and grated cheddar, parmesan, and jack cheese. I poured it into a buttered casserole dish and baked it at 375 for 30 minutes. It was so delicious. You could swap out canned pumpkin puree if you don't feel like roasting squash. I love this recipe because the squash puree carries the cheese, it melts perfectly into it, so you don't need a roux. No flour and butter makes it much lighter and gluten free. And you get extra vitamins from the organic squash puree. Yum! 

Gluten Free Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

These came out so light and fluffy! It was my first time making gluten free pancakes and I was happily surprised that I could not tell the difference.

I used a combo of Arrowhead Mills and Bobs Red Mill gluten free baking mixes to make these, so they were very easy. The baking powder (which helps the pancakes to rise and become fluffy) and Xanthan gum are already in the mix. I combined the two brands because they had different kinds of flour. I also added 1/4 cup of organic oatmeal for extra texture and nutrition. Yum! 

For 2-3 pancakes: combine 1/2 cup Arrowhead Mills gluten free baking mix, 1/4 cup Bobs Red Mill gluten free baking mix, 1/4 cup organic oatmeal, 1 tblsp organic olive oil, 1 organic egg, 1/2 cup organic milk. Be careful not to overmix. 

Heat your skillet and add a little organic butter, pour 1/2 cup of the batter on the hot skillet and dot with frozen organic blueberries. Flip after a minute or so. The edges show signs of being cooked when they pull up a bit from the pan. 

Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup. Yum!

  Moussaka

This is the perfect comfort food for a cold rainy day.

I love Moussaka! It's like Eggplant Parmesan, only sweeter and more savory due to the addition of raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon. The salty Feta makes it taste really nice too! 

I made this Moussaka with organic ground turkey. If you're vegetarian, this will work just as well without any meat. Just skip the first step and go right to the onions.

In a large skillet, brown 1/2 lb. Organic ground turkey in 2 tblsp olive oil.

Chop 1 medium onion and add it to the same skillet. Cook the onion and turkey together till the turkey is cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.

Add 1/2 package sliced brown mushrooms to the pan. The little brown bits that are stuck to the pan will add flavor to the sauce. When the mushrooms hit the pan, they release their liquid and start to de-glaze the pan.

Add 3 chopped cloves of garlic and 1 large can organic whole peeled tomatoes, (blended) or the same amount of tomato sauce. 

Add the drained meat back to the pan.

Add 1/2 cup red wine, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8th tsp grated nutmeg, a sprinkle of dry basil, 1/4 tsp thyme and 1/4 tsp oregano. Season with salt and pepper. If you don't have any wine, you can leave it out.

Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Now taste the sauce, if it's bland add more salt, cinnamon and a bit more nutmeg. It should have a savory Greek flavor. 

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan, (or a regular frying pan) to med. Slice an eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds and salt and pepper both sides. Spray the eggplant slices with olive oil spray and cook on both sides till cooked and soft. This takes a while, about 5 minutes till it’s cooked through. You will most likely have to do a few batches if you have a large eggplant.   

Slice 1 large or 2 small red potatoes into thin slices.

Now it's time to layer the Moussaka.

In a lasagna pan, start with 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce, then add the potato slices, 3/4 cup more of the sauce, a layer of the cooked eggplant slices, some crumbled feta, parmesan, and ricotta cheeses with a sprinkling of fresh chopped basil, more eggplant slices, and the rest of the sauce.

Top with you favorite grated cheeses. I used cheddar and Parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour till it's nice and melty and the potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with brown rice and salad. Yummy!

Warm Lentil Salad with Caramelized Onions & Egg

I finally made this dish from the illustration on the previous page. It came out soooo good!  The egg & onion combo is so yummy and savory!

Using two pans, chop 1 medium sweet onion and place half in one pan and the other half in another, both with a tblsp. or so of olive oil.

The first pan should be set on a low burner and stirred about occasionaly. The purpose of the 2 pan system is to caramelize half the onion for garnishing the dish at the end. I questioned whether this was necessary too. It is! The caramelized onion with the slow cooked egg and fresh parsley makes the whole thing taste amazing!  

In the second pan, (your lentil stewing pan) add to the sauteing onion, 2 chopped carrots and 3 stalks chopped celery. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 tsp cumin and 1 large crushed garlic clove & saute till fragrant, about a minute.

Now add 1 cup black lentils and enough water or broth to cover. The liquid evaporates and is absorbed as you cook, so you'll need to add more as the dish simmers. I ended up using a whole carton of organic chicken stock, a little bit at a time. 

Season the lentil stew pan with 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. I also used a bit of celery salt.

The lentils take about 25-30 minutes to cook. 

When the lentils are soft and cooked through, go back to pan 1, move you onions over & cook an organic egg off to the side. I let it cook slowly because my lentils were still a bit al dente.

Serve a scoop of the lentils, top with the egg, and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon, some of the caramelized onions, and fresh chopped parsley. 

Yum!

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Apricot Sesame Dipping Sauce

This is really easy! and, since it's baked, it's good for you. Hooray! My favorite combo, delicious and good for me!

Pre-heat oven to 400.

In a shallow bowl combine 1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut with a bit of salt and pepper.

In another shallow bowl, scramble 2 eggs with a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of smoked paprika.

Put 1/2 cup rice flour in a 3rd bowl.

Dredge some peeled & de-veined shrimp in the rice flour, dip in the egg wash, and then coat with the flaked coconut. 

Bake at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes till cooked through. Serve with Apricot Sesame dipping sauce. 

For the Apricot Sesame Dipping Sauce:

Combine 2 tablespoons apricot jelly, the zest and juice of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/4 tsp grated ginger, freshly grated black pepper, 1/8 tsp red chili flakes, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

Enjoy!

Navy Potato Pancakes

  My Dad was a cook in the Navy and he's the first person who taught me to make these potato pancakes.  My Dad is an awesome cook!  You might also call these Latkes. 

These are easy,  but a little time consuming, since you have to fry them in batches. When you get to the bottom of the bowl, you might be tempted to just make one giant pancake & get it over with. Don't! Because the smaller they are, the more crunchy edges you get!

Grate 2 large baking potatoes into a bowl of ice cold water. The water will rinse off some of the starchy potato juice, which tends to turn brown as it oxidizes. 

Using your hands, scoop the potato shreds out of the bowl of water and onto a clean kitchen towel to dry.

Let the potato starch flour settle to the bottom of the bowl. Slowly pour off the brown liquid and keep the white sediment at the bottom of the bowl. (That's the potato starch flour.) If you dont feel like doing this step, you don't have to. But, I like to do it cause it's somewhat scientific.

Slice thinly one sweet onion. I used a Fresno Sweet.

Mix the potato shreds, thinly sliced onions, 3 eggs, 2 additional tablespoons potato starch flour, * (or rice flour, corn starch, or wheat flour), 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp dry dill, salt and pepper.  * Adding the little bit of flour ensures a nice crunchy potato pancake.

Heat  1/2 cup canola oil in a cast iron skillet. 

Using a fork and tablespoon, scoop out 1/4 cup portions of the mix, letting some of the eggy liquid fall back into the bowl. Too much liquid in the pancakes doesn't let them crisp up. 

Fry on both sides till crispy and golden. Drain on a plate with some paper towels.

Keep frying in batches adding a bit more oil to the skillet as necessary.

Serve with plain yogurt and unsweetened apple sauce. Or sour cream and fruit salad. Or whatever you like!