Lentil Soup

So this is the easiest, yummiest lentil soup I have ever made.  OK so it may be the first lentil soup I have ever made.  I know that lentils are very good for you, but I was scared. Rudy and I once ate lentils at an Ethiopian restaurant and they were NOT good.   What if they tasted yucky when I cooked them?  Well this recipe has turned me into a lentil lover and I will be looking for other applications in the lentil world.

Lentil Soup

1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 can tomatoes
1 cup lentils
1 quart chicken stock
1 polish sausage chopped

Saute the onions, carrots, and celery until soft then add garlic.  Add tomatoes, chicken stock, lentils and sausage.  Cook for 30-45 minutes over med-low heat.

I made this in the morning and then reheated it for dinner.  It only gets better with time.

Things I have learned from my sisters

Over the years there have been many things that I have learned from my lovely sisters.  Stephanie continues to teach me so many things in the kitchen.  I have recently been on a hummus kick and was lamenting the fact that a jar of tahini costs $10!  To which she replied "You know that you can make that right?" Of course.  So after some research and conferencing with her, I made my own tahini and then made my own hummus.  So easy and so good!  We have also been enjoying her salsa recipe which seems too easy to be so good.

So for the Tahini all you do is buy some sesame seeds from the bulk bin (about 1 cup) lightly toast then let cool.  Put them in the food processor and grind with a little olive oil.  You can keep this in your fridge for awhile.  With this amount I have been able to make 4 batches of hummus.

Hummus

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c. tahini
olive oil

Chop garlic in food processor then add rest of the ingredients and blend.  Drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency is reached.  You can also add a little warm water if you don't want to use the olive oil, but the reality is that you aren't using that much 2-3 T.

So from my other lovely sister I have learned to try new recipes.  Every time we see each other she has some new recipe to try and most times it is a combination of ingredients that I would not think of putting  together. So last night I decided to try a new recipe (to me) and it turned out great.  I made butternut squash risotto the girls were not interested but I loved it.  It started out after I roasted a butternut squash to make ravioli (more on that later)  I had more squash than wrappers so I decided to use the rest for the risotto.

Butternut Squash Risotto
(adapted from Giada's Pumpkin risotto)

1 cup butternut squash cooked
1 quart chicken stock
1 onion chopped
2 cups aborrio rice
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
fresh sage chopped

Heat squash and chicken stock in a pan in a separate pan sauté the onion until soft.  Add the rice and sauté for another 2 minutes.  Add the wine and allow to cook out.  Add the heated stock 1 cup at a time until absorbed stirring the rice so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  This process will take about 20 min.  Once finished add the cheese and sage.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Fall is Here! It really is. I needed a light jacket in the evenings all last week and I've put out the pumpkins. I also cooked a little last week and last night. Found a couple of dishes on Pintrest and decided to make Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Vanilla. Not so healthy, but served it with wild rice and salad and even though I made Dessert (Pumpkin & Cheese Spice Bread) I saved my slice until this morning with my cup of coffee.

VANILLA CIDER PORK

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and quartered

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed, sliced into twelve 1" thick medallions, seasoned

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup hard apple cider (or fresh apple cider)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped

Salt & pepper to taste

...FYI I bought one of those little pork tenderloins and cut into 6 medallions so I kind of 

eye-balled the rest of the ingredients meaning I used less vanilla, broth, and cider

Season pork generously with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add pears and sauté until lightly browned on all sides; remove from pan.

Add pork medallions to the same pan, sautéing for 2 minutes on each side; remove from pan.

Combine broth, cider and cream; add to the pan and deglaze.  Bring to a boil, then add vanilla pod and seeds.  Boil until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Return pears and pork to the pan (pork on the bottom) along with any accumulated juices.  Boil until thicker, about 4-6 minutes. The pork wasn't quite done so we finished it off in our oven. (The sauce will also thicken a bit when it's removed from the heat.)  

PUMPKIN & CREAM CHEESE BREAD

For the Cheese Batter:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Pumpkin Spice Batter:

3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 large eggs

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon cloves

... For some reason This Bread did not have the Pumpkin Taste I wanted so perhaps add more of the spices? I also would have added a little dash of nutmeg to the Cheese Batter it was kind of one noted.

Cheese Batter:  Use a handheld electric mixer to beat together all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

Pumpkin Spice Batter:  Preheat oven to 350F; lightly grease 3 mini loaf pans with butter. (I used 1 large and 1 small)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and eggs until light and fluffy, then stir in the pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.  Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to over-mix.  Divide the pumpkin batter between the 3 mini loaf pans, then pour the cheese batter on top. Bake until golden around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs.  Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.