Catching Up...Again

Sorry, people. I don't know what it is these days, but I am having a hard time staying on top of my blogging duties. I'm back at school (class started up again on January 2 - how cruel is that?) and doing the requisite post-holiday diet. I don't need to shed a ton of weight, so I'm kind of playing fast and loose with the South Beach rules. Here are a couple things I've made this week.

I made this Lentil Chili with Cumin and Green Onions last night. As it was cooking, I kept tasting it and feeling unsatisfied with it. It was fine, but not great. Things improved after I salted it well. But the flavors really came together and popped when I stirred in the green onions at the end. Not something I'd make again, but it was healthy, and I enjoyed eating it. I'm not going to bother with the recipe, but it's in the February 2008 edition of Bon Appetit. I'd link you to it, but I guess the February recipes aren't on the website yet. Sorry :(


My mom gave me a cookbook called The Gourmet Slow Cooker for Christmas, and a few days ago I tried the recipe for the Indian-style Chicken in Saffron-Tomato Cream Sauce. I was pretty disappointed with it, but I think my slow cooker technique is just lacking. Actually, I'd love some advice on this, if you've got any. My problem is that I put the skinned, cut-up chicken into the cooker with only a small bit of liquid, and a couple of hours later, it's floating in a bubbling bath of its own fat. So, the chicken ends up tasting really greasy, and the "cream sauce" is non-existent because I try to avoid eating as much of the liquid chicken fat concoction as possible. What am I doing wrong? Was the chicken too fatty? Should I periodically dump the grease out of the cooker? Inquiring minds want to know. Oh, and here's a picture of the finished dish.

Itsy Bitsy Pieces

Sorry for the hiatus, faithful readers. Two weekends ago I had a bit of an incident, in which I managed to chip my two front teeth pretty badly. While I wait for the verdict as to whether they can be saved, I've been forbidden from using my front teeth for any purpose whatsoever. This has made eating somewhat tricky. For the first week I subsisted almost entirely on oatmeal, soup and pudding until I realized that I could eat solid food as long as it was made up of small pieces that I could place into the back of my mouth and chew with my molars, bypassing the front teeth entirely.

Last night I made a goat cheese, lentil and potato salad that fit the bill pretty well. Everything in it is in little pieces - no incisors necessary. Also, it's fast, pretty healthy and tastes good. If anyone has suggestions for other meals that are front-teeth-free, please, pass them along. It'll be at least another week and a half until I have recovered full mastication ability.


Goat Cheese, Lentil and Potato Salad
serves 2 as a main course

• 1-1/4 c. French green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
• 1/2 c. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

In a large saucepan, cover the lentils with cold water and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 18 minutes. Drain the lentils well and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain very well and add to the lentils. Add the scallions, tomatoes, parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss. Spoon the lentil salad onto plates and top with the goat cheese.

I borrowed this recipe from the October 2007 Food and Wine. They recommend a Semillon as a wine pairing, since its lemony/zesty flavors partner naturally with the earthy lentils and tangy dressing and goat cheese.

Back to School (and Good Cookin')

Apologies to all for the unexpected summer hiatus. I was living in Washington, DC for the summer doing my first-summer legal internship, which was a lot of fun but didn't leave a lot of time for cooking. Especially after I met and started dating someone new. But now I'm back at school, in my own kitchen, and I'm looking forward to cooking and baking all kinds of fabulous things this fall. Just yesterday I broke in my new ice cream maker with strawberry creme fraiche ice cream with lemon and coconut. I couldn't eat it because I'm on a diet, so unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to photograph it.

However, I did snap a quick photo of my dinner from two nights ago: curried lentils. I'm doing the South Beach Diet for a few weeks to try to undo the damage I did to myself this summer, so bear with me while I cook some moderately healthy (read: less fun/exciting) meals.


Curried Lentils
From the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook

• 1/2 onion, diced
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock
• salt and pepper

Saute the onion in the oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the lentils, curry powder, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (I used black Hawaiian lava salt, as you can see in the picture.)

I <3 Lentils

It's no secret that I love lentils. I dedicated one of my Weekend Herb Blogging entries to the lovely lentil, which is quickly becoming my favorite go-to ingredient on rainy days when I don't want to go to the grocery store. After contemplating making a dal and realizing I didn't have the right ingredients, I settled on this delightful recipe from an old Food & Wine: Curried Lentils with Tomatoes and Yogurt Cucumbers. The name doesn't really do justice to how great this dish is. The "yogurt cucumbers" are in a sauce similar to a raita, and they are so cool and soothing on the palate after the heat of the jalapeno in the lentils. All in all, the flavor profile of the spices in the dish is very nice.

This recipe is very healthy, especially if you use turkey bacon instead of real bacon, as I did. (Make the meal vegetarian by omitting the bacon altogether.) In fact, it's pretty much fine for phase one of the South Beach diet, which I'm trying to follow at the moment. The recipe makes a ton of lentils, so it's plenty to feed a family or to feed a single person (like me!) for several meals.


Curried Lentils with Tomatoes and Yogurt Cucumbers

• 2 oz. lean bacon (or turkey bacon), cut crosswise into 1/3-inch strips
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 lb. lentils (your favorite variety), rinsed and picked over
• 2 c. water
• 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on paper towels and set aside. If you used real bacon, reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the saucepan and discard the rest. If you used turkey bacon or no bacon at all, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the saucepan.

Add the onion to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the ginger, curry powder, jalapeno and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lentils, water and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sprinkle the cucumber slices with a large pinch of salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. In a small skillet, toast the cumin and coriander over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute; transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in the buttermilk, sour cream and lemon zest. Stir in the cucumber slices and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the lentils to a large bowl. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the cucumber salad over the lentils. Sprinkle the bacon and tomatoes over the cucumbers and serve warm or at room temperature.