Lemon Lentil Salad

How's the weather by you?  We've been having very unseasonably warm temps here in Northern NJ.  I'm excited to start firing up the grill more and switching gears a bit with what we've been eating.  With warmer weather comes lighter foods and cold dishes.  And I'm glad I discovered this one.

We love lentils in this house, and I've been meaning to start incorporating them in salads.  This will be a regular dish here from now on, and you can bet there will be lots more to come!  I brought the leftovers to work for lunch and they were even better the day after.

I served this with grilled Italian sausage...YUM.  I think it would go with lots of things...fish, chicken, pork tenderloin...whatever you like.  Plus, this is a great side dish to take to picnics - no mayo and easy to transport.

Try it soon!

Lemon Lentil Salad
adapted from Allrecipes

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked through
1 bay leaf
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (which I forgot to add...oops!)
2 scallions, chopped

In a small bowl, combine first 9 ingredients and set aside.

Add water, lentils and bay leaf to a pot and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered, until slightly tender, about 20 minutes.

Drain and discard bay leaf, and place in medium sized bowl or container.  Add tomato, parsley, scallions and dressing and stir gently.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Serves 4.

No way.

So, I get home from a dinner and come home to find some crazy talk all over my Facebook feed.  Snow?  THIS WEEKEND?  Say whaaaaa?  I couldn't even click on any links about it - I'll remain in denial, thanks.

The good news is, I've been cooking lots of "housebound" meals...and I have another one to share with you now.  Unlike me, if you choose not to deny, you can arm yourself with the necessary ingredients to make this during the "S" word.

Now, no more mentioning that dirty 4 letter word until at least December, mmm-kay?

Lentil, Kielbasa & Garlic Stew

slightly adapted from Good Housekeeping

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds turkey kielbasa, cut into bite size chunks

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups baby carrots, cut into small chunks

4 medium stalks celery, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups water

2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (or homemade)

2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes

1 1/2 bags (16 oz) lentils, picked over and rinsed

Heat oil in a large pot, then add kielbasa (divide if necessary).  Cook until brown, then then transfer to plate.

Add onion, celery and carrots to pot and cook until golden.  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add water, broth, tomatoes and lentils to pot and bring to boil.  Reduce to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender.  Stir in kielbasa and heat through.  Serve.

Serves 10.

Another very important member of the family...(and check out this good cause!)

...is this handsome devil.  And boy, does he love his food.  Especially his meatballs.

Vito has been a part of our family since 1999, when my sister and brother-in-law got him as a puppy.  He was my parents' first grandchild (and arguably, my dad's favorite grandchild to this day) and my first nephew. 

There's no doubt that he's treated as an equal with us.  He is the man.  And everyone who meets him, loves him...even if he gives you a friendly hump :)

Vito celebrated his 12th birthday last month...those of you who know anything about English Bulldogs know that he's made it pretty far!  We hope to have many more special times with VeeVee (as Bella calls him)...it'll be a very sad day for all of us when he heads up to that big doghouse in the sky...

A fellow food blogger, Branny Boils Over, is doing a wonderful thing by hosting a Charity Souper Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday.  For every entry she receives, she's donating $1.00 to the ASPCA to help those animals in need.  Of course, when she said to dedicate your soup post to a special animal in your life, it HAD to be Vito.  Because he is just that.


Head over to Branny's blog and check out the details - even if you AREN'T a blogger, there are instructions on how you can enter your soup recipe so that she can continue to build up what will hopefully be a HUGE donation!  The deadline is January 30th.


I've been making this soup for a long time.  My mom made lentil soup a lot, although it was always on the stove.  This recipe is super convenient and foolproof.  If you don't have a large crockpot, just halve the recipe...I love being able to make so much at once, then freeze the bulk of it so we can enjoy it all winter long.  And this has definitely been a winter that calls for LOTS of soup!

Crockpot Lentil Soup
2 cups dry lentils 
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced 
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
7 cups chicken broth 
3 cups water 
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes (or any whole tomatoes), undrained
fresh parsley (optional)
white or cider vinegar (optional)

Rinse lentils. In crockpot, place lentils, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Stir in broth, water and undrained tomatoes. 


Cook on low for 12 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley and vinegar (if desired). Makes 12 servings.

Felice Anno Nuovo! And a Vasilopita update...

Time to fulfill the Italian side with this NYD tradition...since lentils resemble little coins they're considered good luck to eat at the start of the year.  I make this dish often throughout the year - it's a quick and easy one - and boy am I happy about that today, considering I feel like crap.  This almost-42-year-old girl just can't hang anymore!  Had a blast though :)  Frank and I seriously needed a good night out with great friends...and that we had.

I'll spare you a picture of what we look like today.

Oh, and as for the Vasilopita, it was delicious!  Everyone loved it.  We cut it this morning and the winner was...Dad!  Considering he'll be going through his second kidney transplant in a few months (my Mom was the first donor, and my sister will donate this time) he could certainly use all the luck he can get.

So...same recipe next year, but with the right pan.  And now, the lentils.

Lentils with Pasta

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup lentils, rinsed

12 baby carrots (approximately), chopped (or a few large carrots - peel them first)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pound pasta, cooked al dente (Frank prefers broken spaghetti...I use elbows a lot too)

1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley leaves

Grated cheese (pecorino romano is our usual)

Combine the lentils with 3 cups of water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add carrots and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, heat a dutch oven and add EVOO, onion, garlic and thyme.  Cook on medium heat until they are soft.  Add lentils and carrots (do not drain!), along with salt and pepper, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.  Add pasta, stir together and cook a few more minutes, or until liquid is completely reduced.

Toss with parsley and cheese and serve.

Serves 4.