Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices

 

4 Tbsp butter or olive oil

1 large onion, chopped fine

Salt and pepper

¾ tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp.  ground cumin

¼ tsp.  ground ginger

⅛ tsp.  ground cinnamon

Pinch cayenne

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

10½ oz. (1½ cups) red lentils, picked over and rinsed

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1½ tsp. dried mint, crumbled

1 tsp.  paprika

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Add coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, and ¼ tsp. pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, and lentils and bring to simmer.

Simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft and about half are broken down, about 15 minutes.

Whisk soup vigorously until it is coarsely pureed, about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and extra lemon juice to taste. Cover and keep warm. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Thin soup with water, if desired, when reheating.)

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small skillet. Remove from heat and stir in mint and paprika. Ladle soup into individual bowls, drizzle each portion with 1 teaspoon spiced butter, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

This recipe can be found here.

Lentil Quinoa Salad

½ cup quinoa

½ cup lentils

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsps. red wine vinegar

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 tsp. garlic powder

1 lime, zested

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

feta cheese to taste

Rinse quinoa thoroughly. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Stir and cool.

Rinse lentils.  In saucepan, simmer lentils in 2 cups water until tender, about 30 minutes.  Drain and cool.

Whisk mustard and vinegar together.  Slowly add oil.  Add garlic powder, lime zest, salt and pepper.

To assemble salad, mix quinoa, lentils, green onions, and cilantro.  Top with dressing, toss to coat and serve.

This recipe can be found here.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Wraps

(I forgot to take a photo of the entire wrap)

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tsp. ground cumin

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Romaine lettuce, for serving

1 avocado, thinly sliced

¼ cup sour cream, for serving

In a large bowl, stir together shrimp, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until combined, then let marinate in the fridge 10 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining tablespoon oil. Add shrimp and marinade cook until pink, 2 minutes per side.

Assemble wraps: Add shrimp and avocado to lettuce, drizzle with sour cream, and garnish with cilantro.

Banh Mi Tacos

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

1 ½ lbs.  pork tenderloin
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup honey
½ tsp. minced fresh ginger
1½ tsp. minced garlic
3 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Pickled Vegetables

1 cup each thinly sliced radishes and carrot shreds
2 cups peeled, sliced cucumbers
1 jalapeno pepper (remove the seeds and white membranes for milder flavor)
1 small red onion, halved and sliced
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup warm water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste

Spicy Mayonnaise

½ cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
½ tsp. garlic

Herb Mix

½ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup fresh chopped mint
4 green onions, chopped

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat tortillas 

Place pork tenderloin in a large zip-top bag. Add marinade ingredients to a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat 30 seconds. Whisk together and reserve ¼ cup of marinade. Pour remaining marinade over pork tenderloin, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

1.    About an hour before serving, toss the vegetables in a medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until salt and sugar are dissolved, then pour over vegetables. Season to taste with black pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.   Preheat an outdoor grill to high heat. While grill is heating, whisk together spicy mayonnaise ingredients and place in a squeeze container or a small zip-top bag. Set aside.

3.   Toss together the herb mix and set aside.

4.   When the grill is hot, place the pork tenderloin on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 7 minutes. Flip the tenderloin and cook for 6 minutes. Leave the lid closed and turn off the heat. Allow tenderloin to stand for 5 minutes. The tenderloin should measure about 155 degrees F. internally.

5.   Remove pork from grill, place on a plate or plastic cutting board and lightly cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Allow tenderloin to rest 3 to 4 minutes.

6.   To serve, slice tenderloin into 1/4-inch slices against the grain. Drizzle the reserved marinade over sliced pork. Place 2 ounces of pork in each whole-wheat tortilla, then top with pickled vegetables. Cut the corner off the zip-top bag of spicy mayonnaise and squeeze about ½ Tbsp. onto the taco.

7.   Top with herb mixture and serve immediately.

This recipe can be found here.

Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

9 corn tortillas

1 15-oz. can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. packed fresh cilantro

½ small chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 tsp. sauce from the can

½ tsp. ground cumin

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for the dish

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (skin removed; about 8 ounces)

½ cup sour cream

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (about 4 ounces)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)

Diced avocado and sliced scallions, for topping

Preheat the broiler. Tear 1 tortilla into pieces and transfer to a blender. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, cilantro, chipotle and adobo, and cumin; puree until smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pureed sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Meanwhile, coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with vegetable oil. Mix the chicken, sour cream, 1/2 cup of each cheese and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Warm the remaining 8 tortillas in the microwave as the label directs. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll up to enclose. Arrange side by side in the prepared baking dish and brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Broil the enchiladas until lightly toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Top with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Broil until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with avocado and scallions.

This recipe can be found here.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pack (1oz.) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix 
1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup buttermilk or milk 

1 lime

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

½ cup roughly chopped cilantro

¼ cup green salsa

hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2 Tbsp. juice.

Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up.

Sample it and add hot sauce to taste.

Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

This recipe can be found here.

Cowboy Caviar

1 can black beans
1 can white beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can sweet corn
5 tomatoes, diced
1/2 large red onion
1 jalapeno
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro

dressing:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon honey
salt & pepper, to taste

Open cans of beans and corn. Drain using a colander and rinse well. Pour into large bowl. Add in tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Stir.

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients for dressing together and pour over bean mixture. Stir to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings. The longer this sits, the better. Serve with tortilla chips.

This recipe can be found here.