Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

This soup reminds me of childhood. Chicken and rice soup, or something else warm and comforting. It is, without a doubt the best soup I have ever made [as agreed on by me, my mom, my dad and my husband]. Period. End of sentence. Delicious.

I would highly recommend serving this with warmed or toasted whole wheat pitas.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sized onion, diced small
6 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (optional if you’re using a broth that isn’t low sodium, I would omit)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cups carrots, diced small
1 cup dried red lentils
1/2 cup brown basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
6 cups vegetable broth

Method:

1. Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions on the oil until translucent (4-5 mins). Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and saute for another minute. Add the spices and stir continuously for about 15 seconds to toast the spices and coat the onions.
2. Add the carrots, lentils, rice, zest and broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir and reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Keep covered and cook for 40 or so minutes – until the rice is nice and tender.
3. Let sit for 5-10 minutes for optimal flavor.

Additionally, if you wanted to add shredded chicken to this recipe, you could do that easily and the flavor profile would totally work.

Nutrition (soup only). 1 1/2 cup servings, serves approximately 6 people. Calories: 156; Protein: 4g; Carbs: 22g; Fat: 5g; Sodium: 685mg; Fiber: 3g

Pretty much pizza.

Delicious.

1 beefsteak tomato
Olive oil
Mozerella
Basil
(dried) oregano

Drizzle tomato with a little olive oil. Top with cheese and (fresh) basil. Sprinkle with oregano. Broil on low for 4 minutes (on a pizza pan if possible).

Nom.

Nutrition (aprx) 60 calories a piece.

These. Are. Fabulous.

The corn meal gives them a little crunch. And with the sweetness of the blueberries, there really is no need for anything like maple syrup (even though it’s delicious.) They are also a really quick recipe to make. Not as quick as the protein pancakes, but quick nonetheless. I also think if you made them the night before they would hold up nicely.

I topped one of mine with almond butter. My hubs topped with maple syrup. I topped my dad’s with almond butter and a little maple syrup. All were great combinations!

Blueberry Corn Pancakes
Adapted from: Veganomicon

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used white wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 cup plain soy milk
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh blueberries

Method:

Preheat a large non-stick pan on medium high heat. Sift together, flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add wet to dry, mix until just combined, then fold in the blueberries. Do not over mix or pancakes will be tough, a couple of lumps is ok.

Spray pan with cooking spray. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to pour out batter into pan. Cook pancakes until brown on bottom and bubbles form on top, about 4 minutes. Flip pancakes over with a thin spatula and cook until bottoms are brown and pancakes are barely firm to touch. Transfer to plates. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Makes 8-10 pancakes.
1 pancake. Calories: 113; Protein: 2g; Carbs: 18g; Fiber 3g; Sodium: 223mg; Fat 4g.

(Re:post because my phone kept quitting on me when I tried to edit the post.)

Nom!

Dinner:

Chicken thighs skewered with naval oranges and red onions. (rubbed in cumin, cayenne pepper and olive oil)

On the side, zucchini (and a sliver of egg plant) grilled in olive oil. And “moroccan” couscous (couscous cooked in some butter with shallots, a little garlic, a little lemon juice and zest, parsley and toasted almonds…however I burned it a touch and my dad complained about it the whole time so that took away from some of it’s deliciousness)

It was a great dinner.

Banana bread successfully in the oven!

Taking picture of banana bread in oven. Not as successful.

GPOY: The When-Leftovers-Are-The-Best Edition

For. Serious. This mac & cheese rules. And is currently one of the few foods my stomach can handle….

Also, hi tumblr :-)

Snack!

Nommed before I remembered to take a pic. Oops.

Left over whole wheat/oat/yogurt blueberry muffin from fancy tea on Friday. A little stale. Still delicious though.

(Less than 100 calories with 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Most excellent!)

I was a little hungry after my near miss breakfast disaster….still wish I had had 2 eggs. *mutter mutter mutter*

Fancy tea! (I made them for puzzle making with my grandma, mom & sister….my grandma wouldn’t even try them. *le sigh*)

Homemade blueberry/oat muffins and maple oat scones. Both whole wheat and both super duper delicious. Thanks for the recipes Michelle!

Edit: I changed both the recipes just a little, mainly replacing the all-purpose flour with more whole wheat flour. On the scones I wish I had added more baking powder.