Recipes

Red Lentil Soup

Last modified on 2009-01-04 19:33:59 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Red lentil soup is a quick and easy splash of sunshine and cheerful orange color to brighten your winter days. It is so easy to cook, is high and protein, does not require previous soaking and it falls to a wonderful creamy mush as it cook. Perfect for when you don’t have enough time.

Lentils are high in protein, including the essential amino acids isoleucine and lysine.  And when combined with whole grains, lentils give your body all of the amino acids it needs to form a complete protein.
Rich in complex carbohydrates and high in fiber, helping your body balance its blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy to keep you fuller for longer.They are also high in iron.  This is especially good for vegetarians, growing children, and pregnant women, all of whom have greater needs for iron in their diet.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 50 - 60 mins
Serves: 4 - 6 people

2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil

1 medium or large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground

2 teaspoons hot curry powder

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 pound red lentils (about 2 1/8 cups), washed and picked over

2 quarts water or chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)

Cayenne to taste (optional)

Juice of 1/2 lime

For garnish:

Chopped fresh cilantro

Thickened yogurt

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cumin, coriander, and curry powder. Stir together for about a minute, until the garlic is fragrant, and stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add salt to taste.

2. Stir in the lentils and water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, until the lentils have fallen apart and thickened the soup. Using the back of your spoon, mash the lentils against the side of the pot to thicken the soup further. Add the pepper, taste, and add cayenne if you want more spice. Taste and adjust salt. Stir in the lime juice.

3. If you wish, puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender, holding a towel over the lid to prevent hot soup from splashing out, and return to the pot. Heat through and serve, topping each bowl with a dollop of yogurt and a generous sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

You can make this a day ahead. It will keep for 3 or 4 days in the fridge.

Roasted Winter Root Vegetables

Last modified on 2008-11-09 19:28:34 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Seasonal root veggies with a fragrant toss of rosemary and garlic.

SERVINGS
4

INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 head cauliflower, pulled apart of cut into small florets
6 to 10 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 shallot, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 whole sprigs rosemary
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Combine the cauliflower, squash, garlic, and shallot in a roomy work bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, and toss to coat. Pile the vegetables into a roasting pan or terra cotta baking dish. The vegetables shouldn’t be in a single layer, they’ll stay moist and steam each other when piled into the dish. Arrange the rosemary sprigs all around. Sprinkle with the pine nuts.

2. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. If they become a bit dry, drizzle with additional oil and add a few tablespoons of water, not a lot, just enough to bump up the moisture. After 20 minutes or so, the vegetables will be browning on top, so turn them with a spoon and continue roasting another 15 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender and caramelized on the bottom of the dish. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Adjust the seasonings and sprinkle with parmesan, if using. Cover the baking dish lightly with foil to allow vegetables to sweat and rest. After 5 minutes, the rosemary should be soft and fragrant. Any leaves remaining on the twigs can easily be pulled off and mixed with the juices.

Pumpkin, Apple and Leek Soup

Last modified on 2008-10-28 21:28:25 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Pumpkins are sweet, earthy and overflowing with healthy vitamins and beta-carotenes. Here they are combined with leeks, apples and cider to make a spicy, hearty soup, perfect for warming us on cold autumnal days.

INGREDIENTS

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or 4 cups freshly-baked pumpkin chunks (if using fresh pumpkin, bake seeded pumpkin at 400F until tender, then peel and chop coarsely)
1 large leek, cleaned, white parts chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 celery root, peeled and chopped
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and chopped
7 cups good-quality vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon crumbled fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
Sea salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Dash of nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (optional)

1. Gently steam the leeks, onion, celery root, and apples in a large Dutch oven or soup pot with 1/2 cup of the broth until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add remaining stock and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add ginger, sage, thyme, salt, turmeric, nutmeg, and a few grinds of pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.

3. Process about half the soup in a blender or with a hand-held blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir in the cider and yogurt. Soup should be slightly chunky. Gently heat, but do not boil. Sprinkle each bowl of hot soup with a little Cheddar, if using.

Serves 8

Green Tea - History, Preparation and Health Benefits

Last modified on 2008-10-21 19:33:17 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

By Ken Rubin

Green tea, a delightfully refreshing beverage that has long been consumed in Asia and the Middle East, has become a regular staple in the United States. Once related to culinary exotica, green tea is now commonly available which is a good thing since this delicious beverage is steeped in history and may be one of the most nutritious super-foods to gain mass appeal in recent memory. Green tea can be readily purchased in many forms: as dry tea, mixed in health drinks, and even in ice cream.

Unlocking the Mystery

While all true teas come from the same tropical plant (Camellia sinensis), the variation in styles lie in how the leaves of this plant are harvested and processed. There are certainly many varieties of tea that are cultivated throughout the world, and differences in flavor and style can be attributed to these variations as well as soil, climate, and other environmental factors.

There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the history of tea consumption, but it can safely be said that tea has been consumed for thousands of years. The first written reference goes back the first century AD, while the first text devoted to tea consumption, Cha-Sing (The Art of Tea), dates to around the 8th century. It goes without saying that people had probably stumbled across tea much earlier than this, as many plants were exploited for medicinal and culinary purposes before being immortalized in text.

Tea drinking as we know it, steeping leaves in hot water was probably not codified as a tradition until around the 13th century or so. Since this time, important customs and traditions have been developed around tea many of which still exist in some form today. One only needs to think about the various tea traditions of China, Japan, India, the Middle East, Britain, and even the American South to realize the unique ways in which tea has become part of our shared consciousness.

The Four Major Types of Tea

White tea: Primarily produced from young tea leaf buds, this tea is minimally processed and has a mild flavor. This style of tea makes up a fraction of the world’s consumption.
Green tea: The tea leaves are picked and steamed to keep them from undergoing the process of fermentation (or oxidation). The application of heat allows the green color to remain while they are steamed, dried, and rolled. Green tea is not fermented, which is why it retains a green (some would say grassy) quality. This minimal processing is also integral to the retention of key chemicals that add beneficial nutritive power.
Oolong tea: Oolong tea is dried through exposed to the sun and allowed to partially ferment. It is generally lighter in character to black tea, but has a more delicate flavor and nuance.
Black tea: To produce black tea, leaves are picked and allowed to completely ferment. This process is what gives black tea its characteristic color and deep flavor. The vast majority of all tea consumed is black tea.

How to Prepare the Various Types of Green Tea

Green tea, like all other types of tea, is available in bags or as loose tea. One of the primary differences between brewing green tea and other kinds of tea, however, is that green tea requires cooler water for proper brewing and optimal flavor. Unlike other teas, green tea can be used up to three or four times.

Within these major classes of green tea, there still exists great diversity as various producers have concocted their own unique harvesting and processing methods. Some require special treatment, and it takes years of tea drinking to fully explore the nuance of green tea. The guidelines below are certainly not exhaustive, as different green teas demand slightly different preparation and brewing temperatures.

Sencha: This is the most widely consumed type of green tea in Japan. Sencha means “roasted (?) tea (?)”  however, the process by which sencha is created differs from Chinese green teas, which are initially pan-fired (and could probably therefore more accurately be called “roasted” teas). Japanese green tea is first steamed for between 15–45 seconds to prevent oxidization of the leaves. Then, the leaves are rolled, shaped, and dried. This step creates the customary thin cylindrical shape of the tea. Finally, after drying, the leaves are fired to aid in their preservation and to add flavor. Most sencha teas are mild, herbaceous, and calming. Shincha refers to young sencha tea. This tea is prized for having a sweeter, less astringent flavor. To brew sencha, use 1 teaspoon of leaves with 6-8 ounces of hot (150-160°F) water.

Macha: A green tea powder, macha is produced by steaming, drying, and grinding green tea leaves into a fine powder. It is typically consumed in small cups. To prepare this brew, mix 1 teaspoon or so with a small cup of hot water (150-160°F) and stir to combine

Houjicha: This unique type of green tea is made by roasting (instead of steaming) the leaves). Because of the processing technique, it has less caffeine than other green teas, but has a nutty, deep flavor. These are a great alternative to those who want some of the health benefits of green tea with a more pronounced flavor reminiscent of black teas. Brew for 90 seconds or so to extract the full flavor of this unique green tea.

Bancha: This type of tea is considered low grade and uses the larger leaves that are harvested late in the season. Because of the strong flavor, bancha tea can be brewed in as little as 15 to 30 seconds.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Over the past 15 years, there have been hundreds of scientific studies and papers that have verified the health benefits of green tea. These studies have been conducted by major universities and medical journals. Their findings simply verify what many have known for hundreds of years that green tea has powerful medicinal qualities and provides long term protection to a great variety of illnesses.

Tea contains a number of polyphenols, bioactive chemical compounds that have healing properties. These compounds actually exist in many food items, but are particularly high in green tea. Tea polyphenols are strong antioxidants. That is, they actually help to maintain and repair the health of your cells by cleaning up the agents that cause cancer and other sorts of degeneration and mutation.

• In general, green tea has one-half to one-third the caffeine of black tea
• Green tea may reduce high blood pressure by inhibiting constriction and narrowing in blood vessels
• Green tea has been shown to significantly reduce incidence of stomach cancer
• Among smokers, green tea drinkers have lower rates of esophageal cancer
• Green tea has been shown to reduce recurrence of breast cancer
• Tea consumption has been proven to improve cardiovascular health and may aid recovery from heart attacks
• Green tea has been shown to be part of effective weight loss regimens
• Compounds in green tea may alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Chilled Salsa Soup Recipe

Last modified on 2008-10-23 15:46:09 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Cucumbers 4, green bell peppers 4, 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, 2 cups diced scallions, 1/2 cup Mexican-style canned mild green chilies, 2 cloves garlic, 1 Tbs. white wine vinegar

1. Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and slice into chunks. Dice bell peppers. Place cucumbers, peppers, cilantro, scallions and green chiles in blender or food processor and blend till smooth.
2. Add garlic, vinegar, salt, oil and mix well.
3. Add water, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and vinegar. Thin soup by adding more water if needed.
4. Fill two ice-cube trays with chilled soup and freeze overnight.
5. Pack frozen cubes with chilled soup in large insulated containers. At serving time, pour soup into cups and top with a large spoonful of salsa.