Sausage & Lentil Soup

Veganized from original recipe at Bon Appetit. 

Ingredients
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped (reserve leaves, if possible)
1 fennel bulb (whites only), finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
12 oz. plant-based sausage (Field Roast Caramelized Onion & Beer Bratwursts worked well)

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. smoked paprika
a splash or two of Liquid Smoke
1¼ c. lentils (cooking time will change based on type)
2 c. basil leaves
plant-based plain yogurt, to serve

Directions
Prep the mirepoix of onion, celery and fennel in a bowl. Slice sausage crosswise into ¼"-thick coins.

Heat a large heavy pot over medium. Add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and swirl to coat. Cook sausage in a single layer until golden brown underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove sausage from the pan.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion mixture, crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, and onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until it darkens in color, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Add lentils, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 4½ cups water and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and cook, peeking occasionally to ensure soup is at a bare simmer, until lentils are tender but not falling apart, 20 to 45 minutes (depending on type of lentils).

Stir in reserved sausage and after a few minutes, remove from heat. Add basil, stirring to wilt. Taste and adjust seasoning for salt.

Divide soup between bowls. Dollop with yogurt. Garnish with reserved celery leaves.

Serves 6. 

1 serving = 375 calories (does not include yogurt)

Lentils With Chorizo, Greens and Yellow Rice

Original recipe from NYT Cooking.

Ingredients

For the lentils: 
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
Salt and pepper
4 oz. dry-cured Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (I used Renegade Foods Spicy Chorizo) 
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika
1/2 lb. large green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 c. thinly sliced chard (about 2 bunches)  
2 tbsp. chopped scallions, both white and green parts

For the yellow rice: 
1 c. white long-grain or basmati rice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1 1-inch cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
1/2 tsp. turmeric 
½ tsp. salt

Directions
Put 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion, stir to coat with oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Lower heat to medium, add chorizo and continue to cook mixture until chorizo has browned a bit. Add cumin, garlic and paprika, and stir to combine.

Add lentils to pot and pour in 3 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, then turn down to a low simmer. Keep pot covered with lid ajar, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes, until well cooked and porridgelike. (Add a small amount of water to loosen slightly if necessary.)

Add the chard, pushing down to help it wilt. Put on lid and cook 15 minutes more until chard is well cooked. Stir to combine with lentils.

Meanwhile, cook the rice. Rinse rice well in a bowl of cold water until water runs clear, then drain. Put 1 tablespoons olive oil in the Instant Pot on sauté mode. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to color, 3 to 4 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, salt and 2 cups water (if using white rice) or 2 1/2 cups of water if using brown rice. Set Instant Pot to high pressure for 4 minutes (if using white rice) or 23 minutes (if using brown rice).

To serve, put a large ladle of stewed lentils in a low wide soup bowl and place a large spoonful of rice next to it. Sprinkle with scallions.

Serves 4.

1 serving = 385 calories

Baked Ziti with Lentils & Tofu Béchamel

Thank you to Vegan Richa for this ridiculously easy and delicious pan of comfort! Plus, it's just 385 calories per serving.

Ingredients

12 oz. ziti (or similar pasta of choice)

1 24-oz. jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1/4 c. red lentils 

1/4 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped

2 c. water

To "doctor" your jarred sauce: 

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar or red wine

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, like basil, oregano, thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

Tofu béchamel: 

7 oz. of silken tofu

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. miso or nutritional yeast (for an umami punch)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 c. water

2 tsp. flour

Directions

In 9x13-inch pan, add the uncooked pasta and distribute evenly. Add the pasta sauce with "doctored" add-ins, lentils, walnuts, and water. Mix well. Taste; if the pasta sauce does not have enough salt, add some salt and mix really well and even it out with a spatula. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

For the tofu béchamel, blend all the ingredients until smooth, taste and adjust salt and flavor and set aside.

Remove the pan from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Now pour the tofu béchamel over the pasta and put it back into the oven and broil it for 5 to 8 minutes, until browning. Add a drizzle of olive oil, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil to serve.

NOTE: The first time I made this, I prepped the pasta-sauce mixture and tofu béchamel early in the day and refrigerated separately until about an hour before dinner. This worked beautifully.

Serves 4-6.

Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tbsp. ginger, minced

1 tbsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3/4 red lentils

1-14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes (I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes)

1/2 c. cilantro, finely chopped

kosher salt

black pepper, freshly ground

1-13.5 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk, mixed well

Lime wedges 

Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium. Cook onion, stirring often, until softened and golden brown. Add garlic, ginger, curry, and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add lentils and cook for a minute more, stirring. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup cilantro, a generous pinch of salt and 2 1/2 cups of water; season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup of the coconut milk for serving and add remaining to saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper as needed. 

To serve, divide among bowls, drizzle with reserved coconut milk and top with additional cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4. 

Coconut Apple Dal

Ingredients
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 oz. fresh ginger
1 red apple
1 bunch of swiss chard (or other leafy green)
3/4 c. red lentils
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. curry powder
5.5 oz. coconut milk
8 oz. cooked brown rice
1 lime
toasted coconut, for garnish

Directions
Dice the onion. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Using the large side of a box grater, grate the apple. Thinly slice the Swiss chard stems and leaves. Rinse and sort the red lentils.

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat with 1 tbsp. coconut oil. Add the chopped onion, minced garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cumin and curry powder. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the grated apple, red lentils, coconut milk, and 2 cups of water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp. coconut oil. Add the sliced chard and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Halve the lime and squeeze half of the juice into the dal, off the heat. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Divide the coconut apple dal between large shallow bowls and top with greens, toasted coconut, and lime wedges.

Serves 2.

Vegetarian Meatballs

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped

1 bag Quorn Grounds (or other ground beef substitute)

1/4 c. pecans

1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1/2 c. raisins

2 c. green or brown lentils, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
Saute onions in olive oil until slightly browned. Add grounds and continue to saute until fully defrosted and slightly softened. Add sun-dried tomatoes and raisins and continue to cook so that raisins plump a bit. Add pecans, and lentils.

(This requires two batches in large Ninja.) Add half of meatball mixture to blender or food processor, along with one egg and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Blend to combine, maintaining some structure of mixture. Repeat with second half of mixture. Combine into a large container and refrigerate.

Grease your hands a little and then form meatballs. Pan fry so that all sides are well browned. Finish cooking in the oven, at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Makes 10 to 12 meatballs. 

Golabki (Polish Stuffed Cabbage)

Ingredients

1 head cabbage

For the stuffing: 

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 bag Quorn Grounds*

1/4 c. pecans

1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 c. raisins

1 1/2 c. green or brown lentils, cooked

*You could substitute more lentils or a grain like bulgur, quinoa, farro, etc.

For the sauce: 

1-28 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1-14.5 oz. tomato sauce

pinch of baking soda

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. dried parsley (or 1 tbsp. fresh)

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 c. red wine

Directions

Using a knife on an angle, cut out the core of the cabbage. Place in a large pot of water and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until leaves begin to pull away. 

Meanwhile, saute the onions until softened, and then add Quorn Grounds. Saute until heated through and a little browned. Combine the onion mixture, lentils, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, and pecans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely mixed. Set aside. 

By now, the cabbage leaves should be coming away from the cabbage. Using a set of tongs, gently pull each leaf away from the cabbage. You may need to pull a few away, and then boil some more, and then pull a few more away. Set leaves on paper towels to cool and dry. 

Fill each cabbage leaf with about a 1/3 cup of lentil mixture (more for larger leaves). Scoop the lentil mixture into the leaf near the stem. Fold the base over the mixture, fold the sides over the mixture and continue rolling. Place each stuffed roll into a greased casserole dish, seam side down. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook down for about 20 minutes. Pour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and then bake in an oven for 20 to 30 minutes (or until hot inside). 

Serves 4 to 6. 

Lentil Bolognese

You can definitely use your favorite sauce recipe here, and just add lentils and water for the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking.

Ingredients
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. carrot, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. basil stir-in paste (http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en-us/product/524/basil-stir-paste) OR when available, a handful of fresh basil, chopped and loosely packed
1 tsp. oregano
1 can tomato paste
2-14.5 oz. cans plain tomato sauce
1-28 oz. can or jar of diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. baking soda (reduces acidity!)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 c. red wine
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. red lentils, rinsed

Directions
Heat the olive oil. Saute onions, carrots, and celery until softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Add paste, sauce, then diced tomatoes. Simmer for a few minutes, then add baking soda, basil, oregano, and brown sugar. Feel free to simmer for quite a while at this point. About 20 to 30 minutes before the end of cook time, add wine, water, and lentils. Simmer on very low heat to avoid burning the lentils to the bottom of the pot. Serve over a pasta that will hold the chunkiness well, like a fettucine or ditalini. Serves 6 to 8 (easily).