Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

I got a butternut squash in my Bountiful Basket this week and have been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with them. I didn't want anything too heavy or thanksgiving-y...I read a recipe of a chicken and squash Thai dish, which reminded me of a lentil soup I make, and came up with this. I was delicious! Especially with fresh Naan bread (recipe here) off the grill!

A few teaspoons of Sunflower Oil

1 c Red Lentils

1 Butternut Squash-peeled and cubed

1 Onion-chopped

Tablespoon of freshly grated Ginger

2 cloves of grated Garlic

Tablespoon Curry Powder

Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 C Tomato Sauce

One 14 oz. can Coconut Milk

14 oz. Water

1 Thai Chili (split down the middle)

Tablespoon of chopped Cilantro

Plain Greek Yogurt (a dollop for each bowl before serving)

Salt and Pepper to taste (remember to be liberal because you are seasoning the squash and the lentils!)

Heat soup pot with sunflower oil and add onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and nutmeg. Saute for a few minutes until onions begin to sweat. Add in squash, chili and lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Add in coconut milk, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer until lentils and squash are tender, stirring occasionally. (About 30 minutes) Use a potato masher to break up some of the squash and then pull out the chili. Add in cilantro, and taste to see if it needs more salt. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Udo's Sauerkraut Suppe

This is another recipe from my sister-in-law Deanna that she brought straight from her time in Germany. I made it for my father who lived in Germany as well and he loved it. It's very authentic and yummy!

1 1/2 lbs. Potatoes (enough to cover the bottom of the pot)

3 cups German Wurst (6-8 sticks)

1 large jar Sauerkraut

2 cans White Beans

2 can cubed Carrots (or 4-6 carrots peeled and chopped)

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste (more or less to taste)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (more or less to taste)

instant potato flakes (optional)

*1 can Chicken Stock* (my addition)

Peel potatoes to cover bottom of pot. Cut Wurst into bite size pieces and add to pot. Barely cover with water and boil until potatoes are fork tender. Then add Sauerkraut, White Beans, Carrots, Tomato Paste, Worcestershire, and Chicken Stock; let boil. Optional-Add small amount of instant potatoes to thicken. Let simmer 30-40 minutes before serving.

Easy Spring Rolls

So simply, easy, light and delicious!

1 pkg Spring Roll Sheets (can be found at Asian Markets)

1 bunch Fresh Spinach

Cilantro

1 bag Broccoli Slaw (in the produce section of the grocery store)

Fill a shallow dish (that is large enough to put a spring roll sheet in) with about a cup of warm water. One at a time, place a spring roll sheet into the water until it becomes soft. Usually takes about a minute. Remove from the water, and put about 1/4 c broccoli slaw in the middle on top of a few leaves of spinach and cilantro. Fold up like a burrito. Continue until all the broccoli slaw is used up. You may need to add more warm water as you go along. Serve promptly.

Dipping Sauce:
1/4 c. Peanut Butter
A few dashed of Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Sweet Chili sauce (more or less depending on the consistency you like)

Kalua Ham

Unless you're Hawaiian, you've never had ham this good! This is the easiest way to prepare it too!

Take your ham (I usually do a 4-6 pound ham, but you can do it with any size), remove it from it's packaging and rise well with water. Wrap the entire ham in a few layers of tin foil. It needs to be well wrapped so the juices don't escape.

Bake on 225 degrees for 6-8 hours. When it comes out of the oven. Remove the tin foil and flake it apart with 2 forks. Serve warm.

Seriously, that's it! No seasoning, just a piece of ham in oven. Awesome!

Chicken Enchiladas- Made w/ leftovers!

A great way to use up leftover chicken and rice!

1/2 Rotisserie Chicken-Shredded

1 cup Rice

1 cup Cheese (or more if you like it really cheesy)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 (10 oz) can Green Enchilada Sauce

1 (4 oz) can Diced Green Chilies

12 small Corn Tortillas

Combine shredded chicken, rice, sour cream and green chilies in a bowl with 1/4 can of enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup of cheese. Evenly distribute mixture into the 12 tortillas, roll up, and place in a casserole dish. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the whole thing. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melty, and the enchiladas are warmed through. About 15-20 minutes.

Serve with Sour Cream, Salsa, Avocado, Olives, and/or Lettuce on top.

Crock-Pot Chicken with Peanut Sauce

6-8 Chicken Breast Tenders
1 can Coconut Milk (14.5-16 oz)
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 Thai Chile or Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

Throw it all in a crock pot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Whisk sauce together before serving because the oil separates a little while cooking. Add extra chicken sauce to thin out the sauce to desired consistency.

Stir in 1 bunch of fresh spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste

Serve over rice.Not necessarily authentic but quick, easy, and delicious!

Even my 3 year old loves it, served with spring rolls! (Spring rolls: fresh spinach, broccoli slaw, and a little cilantro rolled up in rice wrappers. Wrappers can be found at any Asian Market. They are usually dried. Just soak in warm water for about a minute, until pliable, before using.)

Mexican-Style Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I thought these deserved their own post. I originally wrote this recipe with hamburger meat, but substituted Quinoa and it was awesome!

4 peppers- Pablano if you like it spicy, Green Bell if not

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

4 cups Liquid- 1 can tomato sauce, the rest water

3 cups Corn

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 tablespoon Chile Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

A few dashes of hot sauce(to taste)

1 cup Medium Cheddar Cheese (more or less to taste)

cilantro and sour cream to garnish

-Cut peppers in half and remove ribs and seeds. Put on baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until the outside begins to blister and char. Turn over and broil 2-4 minutes more.

-Boil water/tomato sauce mixture. Add in quinoa.Turn down heat and simmer until cooked. (or cook in rice cooker) Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chile powder and hot sauce.

-In large skillet, saute onion on medium heat until cooked through and starting to brown slightly. Add in corn and saute until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in seasoned quinoa. Stuff mixture into peppers. Top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

Thai Lentil Soup and Garlic Naan Bread

I was having a difficult day yesterday, so even though it was almost 100 degrees outside, I went for this comforting soup. It's my absolute favorite! I tried to make Naan bread to go with it and after some tweaking, I got the recipe just right!

Garlic Naan Bread: (Original recipe from allrecipe.com but I've updated it slightly)

1 pkg. or 2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

1 cup warm Water

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons Milk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons Salt

4 -5 cups Flour

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 cup melted Butter

In a large bowl or stand mixer, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let stand about 10 minutes to activate. Stir in milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Pinch off small handfuls of dough. Shape into ball and place in well oiled bowl. Let rise about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix garlic into melted butter. Take a ball of dough and pinch it in half. Roll out each as thin as possible on a large piece of tin foil. Sprinkle with salt and brush with melted butter and garlic. Place on grill buttered side down. Brush other side with butter. Turn every 1-2 minutes to get nice grill marks and avoid burning until cooked through. About 4-8 minutes total. Repeat process until all the dough in grilled. Serve warm.

Thai Lentil & Coconut Soup: (Originally from The Soup Bible, but I've updated it slightly)

2 tablespoons Sunflower oil

1 large Red Onion

1 Thai Chile, seeded and finely chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

2-1inch pieces Lemon Grass

1 cup Red Lentils (usually found in the bulk bin section of Grocery Stores. This recipe only works with RED lentils because of the way they absorb moisture and almost dissolve!)

1 tablespoon ground Coriander

1/2 tablespoon Paprika

1 tablespoon Salt (it sounds like alot, but you really need to flavor those bland lentils!)

1 teaspoon black Pepper

1- 14 oz can Coconut Milk

3 3/4 cup Water

Juice and Zest of 1 Lime

3 Scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large soup pot and add onion, chile, garlic, and lemon grass. Saute about 5 minutes or until onions have softened but not browned. Add lentils and spices. Pour in coconut milk and water and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 40-45 minutes. Before serving, add in Lime juice and zest as well as scallions and cilantro. Serve hot.