Lentil Sausage Soup

Wow...it's been a while since I have posted here!! But I am really excited that I am finally posting, mainly because it means I actually cooked something healthy!! I'm not gonna lie, I haven't been the best the past couple months, but I'm really motivated to get back into the swing of things and to start cooking healthier, and of course start posting on this blog a lot more:)

This morning I was trying to figure out what I was going to make for dinner, I wanted something healthy, but different, something that I haven't made before. I thought of a lentil soup, now that fall is upon us I am so excited to start making soups! So I googled and the first hit that came up was Ina Garten's Lentil Sausage Soup. Good ol' Ina came through for me in the healthy category! I was so excited to make this because I want to start cooking with lentils. Want to know how good they are for you?? Well for one they are very high in protein, they are a good source of cholesterol lowering fiber, and they are low in calories!! To read all of the amazing healthy benefits of lentils go here, it will make you feel good you are feeding them to your family:)

I left the sausage out of this recipe, I want to start doing most of my meals vegetarian, but this recipe will still be good for you if you add the sausage, I will probably put it in next time. I also left out the red wine vinegar because I didn't have it, it was still delicious so if you don't have it and don't usually carry it in your house, don't just buy a big bottle for this recipe because it was still delish with out it. Hope you have a chance to try this one out!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
• 4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
• 3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
• 3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock or canned broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
• 2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan

Quinoa Tabbouleh salad

So i found this recipe in a magazine a little while ago and i've been meaning to try it, and i finally got around to it. This is also my first time posting...but i figured no one else has been posting lately, so maybe i should! Everyone needs to start posting again, i need some new recipes! :) anyways here is the recipe...

1 cup cooked quinoa (follow cooking instructions on package)
3 tomatoes, chopped and diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup fresh mint, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red onion, diced
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil (i used 4)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a small to medium size bowl and toss gently. Refrigerate for at least one hour, tossing occasionally (2 to 3 times) to recombine ingredients. Serve chilled.

I do have a few tips... mine tasted really strongly of garlic, so i would recommend using 3 medium to SMALL garlic cloves, mine were kind of large. And my quinoa didn't have cooking instructions so if you're not sure, i did 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 min. I think you could add other things to this recipe also, like some avocado, spinich, or even broccoli and it would be really yummy, especially if you use stuff from your garden, and super good for you. Enjoy.

Agave and Applesauce Granola

Who wouldn't want this for breakfast...YUM!

I was getting a little tired of my usual breakfast smoothie and started looking for a healthy granola recipe. I finally found one I liked and made a few changes, here is what I came up with.

It turned out delicious!

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups raw almonds and or walnuts

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

21/2 tablespoons agave sweetener

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients and seasonings. Pour wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and gentle stir to break up any large clusters. Return to oven, and turn temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 5 more minutes.

Combine with dried fruit for a yummy snack or layer with yogurt and berries for a delicious parfait.

Tabbouleh

Who ever said that Ina Garten can't cook without using a stick of butter must have missed this delicious recipe. There are so many health benefits in this dish and it is so delicious. My husband loves this! I honestly think he is part rabbit because he can sit down and chomp on a red pepper like it's an apple, but it's kinda nice because I am able to serve him yummy healthy meals like this and he really appreciates it. You can serve this as a side dish or eat up a bigger portion for the main dish. I made this full recipe and Micah and I ate it for a few days. If you make it for dinner any extra left over will make a great lunch the next day. You will love the texture and flavor the bulghur wheat gives this dish. I have been using bulghur wheat a lot-talk about good for you! I will work on a post examining the benefits of eating this wheat because it will make this dish that much more appealing:)

Tip: To make this a heartier meal I added some chunks of feta. Also, I have seen Ina serve this in pita bread with big chunks of feta.

Tabbouleh
Ina Garten
serves 8

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 cup bulghur wheat
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (I used red pepper instead, just because I don't like tomatoes....I know I really gotta work on that one)
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the bulghur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

This is the first Ellie Krieger recipe I have tried, and it was definitely a keeper. Yum! I am getting hungry right now thinking about it. It if a very simple yet flavorful meal. It has a serving of protein, a whole grain, and a green vegetable...perfect!

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach

by Ellie Krieger

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 ounces baby spinach

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 cup canned low-sodium diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups whole-wheat couscous, cooked

Heat a large saute pan over med-high heat. Add the oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Place couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.

Turkey Meatballs

Wow, I'm so glad I'm getting to this BEFORE the end of the month!!! This is an oldie but goodie at my house and actually, a light bulb went off when I read about Carly's chili. I was reminded of a couple of pounds of ground turkey in the freezer and Wa-La! Turkey Meatballs! Unfortunately, there is no pic so you'll just have to trust me that it looks pretty too!!!

1 lb. ground turkey

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2-3 TBSP chopped, fresh basil

1/2 c. tomato juice

1 egg

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 cup breadcrumbs or cooked millet or quinoa

Mix and knead altogether and make into 18 or so small meatballs. Put in heavy pan and pour the following over the top:

2 c. tomato juice

1/4 tsp. dried basil or italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Simmer on stove or bake in casserole dish in oven, basting a couple of times while cooking.

Serve on whole wheat spaghetti noodles.

*Tip: Add whatever vegetables you have chopped up in the fridge!

Greek Chicken Kabobs with Lemon Rice

I am excited to say that I have found a yummy, easy, and healthy recipe! I have felt like I have done the same dinners the past month-stir fry, pasta, breaded chicken breasts. I needed something new, and something amazing. These chicken kabobs definitely fit the description. They are so flavorful while tasting so light. I paired these kabobs with a Greek salad and Greek lemon rice. Rarely do I ever make a meal, sit down to eat it, and rave about my own work-but last night I couldn't stop saying how delicious the whole meal was! The rice was wonderful, the salad fresh, the kabobs so flavorful. I am so excited to make this meal again. It's definitely going to become a staple meal in our home. The rice recipe calls for white rice, but you can substitute brown if you want. I rarely ever cook with white rice, in fact, before last night I couldn't remember the last time I had used it. I was lucky we even had it. Since it's such a rare occasion when I use white rice I didn't feel the least bit guilty using it for the rice dish. I will probably try the recipe out next time with brown, but the white rice was so good in it! A quick tip, if you don't have a grill or don't want to take the time to fire it up, I grilled my kabobs on my panini maker and they turned out great.

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes (I used plain feta)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Thread the chicken, onion wedges, and green bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture.
4. Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Pilafi (Greek lemon rice)

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• juice and zest of one lemon

Directions

1. heat olive oil and butter in saucepan over medium heat.

2. cook onion, garlic and rice for 3-5 minutes until onion is soft and rice is completely coated in butter/oil.

3. stir in black pepper, lemon zest and chicken broth.

4. bring to a boil.

5. turn down heat and let simmer for 15 minutes covered.

6. when rice is fully cooked take off heat and add lemon juice.

7. serve as is or add a touch more butter and pepper.