Crafty Kitchen - Lentil Pasta

Let me be frank. This dish is not a looker. Hence, no photos. Take my word for it though, it is delicious. And simple to make. And very very satisfying, especially on chilly wintry nights.

You'll need:

• 1 cup lentils (Preferably the French Green ones, but brown work just fine, too)

• 1 can vegetable broth

• 1 onion, sliced into 1/4" half rings

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 head Swiss chard, torn into pieces

• 1 box orzo

Cook the lentils in the vegetable broth and water until done but still firm. (About 30 minutes) In another pot, cook the orzo according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a deep sided skillet, brown the onion in the olive oil. I mean really, really brown it. Deep, dark brown. This takes awhile, but it's worth it. When it's starting to get deep brown, toss in the garlic. When the onions are done to your liking, put in the Swiss chard, and cook briefly to wilt. Add the cooked orzo and lentils, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. DONE!

Serves 4 - 6. Freezes and reheats well.

Crafty Kitchen - Indian Tomato Soup

One recent cold and wintry evening, I found myself craving some manner of tomato soup (with grilled cheese sandwiches on the side, of course!). A quick search online revealed that tomato soup could be so much more than just, well, pureed tomatoes. I'm a huge fan of Indian food, and a huge stockpiler of Indian spices. Using what I had on hand, I threw this together. And what do you know, it actually worked!


What you'll need:

• 1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes


• 2 potatoes, peeled


• 1 celery stalk


• 1/2 onion


• 2 cloves garlic


• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds


• 2 tab. butter or ghee


• 2 tsp. black mustard seeds


• 2 tsp. garam masala, or to taste


• 1 tsp. powdered ginger


• 1 cup milk


• cilantro

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter over med. high heat. Add the cumin seeds, and cook for a few seconds, until fragrant. Brown the onion and garlic together. Add the browned onion, garlic, celery and tomatoes to a food processor, and puree them together. Return mixture to pan. Add potatoes, garam masala, mustard seeds and ginger. Simmer, partially covered, for 35 minutes. Add water as needed. (I wound up using 1 1/2 cups.) Add the milk, and remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.

4 - 6 servings, reheats well!

Simple Vegetarian Cooking - Chard Pasta Recipe

It can be tricky to find good chard recipes. I came up with this one when I was craving something garlicky and comforting...and fast. It worked! So, without any further ado, here's my Chard Pasta Recipe.

1 box whole wheat spaghetti
1 can 28 oz whole tomatoes
4 tab. olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch chard - torn or cut into 1"-2" pieces
salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

Cook the pasta according to the box directions. Blitz the tomatoes in a food processor until pureed.*
Meanwhile, in a medium deep sided pot, heat up the olive oil. Add the garlic, and cook until brown. Add the pureed tomatoes. Add a tsp. of salt, and cook for 5-10 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Add the chard pieces, and stir. Cook for just a minute or two. You don't want the chard going all nasty and soggy. Aim for just wilted.
If your pot is large enough, add the pasta and stir. If not, you'll just need to spoon the sauce over the pasta. No big deal.
Add the lemon juice, give it a final stir, and serve!


*Note: if you don't have a food processor, just buy canned pureed tomatoes.

Total time: 30 mins Serves: 4-6 Freezes well!