Mom’s Lentil Soup

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Mom's Lentil Soup | danicalforniacooks.com

I wanted to start this post with “ten things to do with your leftover halloween candy”, but numbers 1-10 were just recommendations to eat it all and repeat. I’m following my own advice right now.

Anyways, I cannot believe I am ten posts or so into this blog and I haven’t paid homage to my mom yet! My mom is the best cook and best hostess around! Her Hannukkah latke parties are legendary, as are the dishes that she brings to the gatherings of our family and friends. Every day growing up she made me breakfast (usually toast with PB in the car as I rushed to put makeup on the way to school), a packed lunch (always so healthy - no one wanted to trade with me) and then dinner on the table every night. My dad and I used to joke that she needed to start a food truck called Caroline’s Kitchen. Everyone in our family has a favorite - my brother loves my mom’s chicken pesto pasta, I love her roasted salmon with cherry tomatoes, among others. So this brings me to this lentil soup - this is a Caroline’s Kitchen classic.

Lentil Soup - Dani California Cooks The base recipe is actually inspired from the Moosewood Cookbook! My mom’s generation “swears by” this classic from the 80s. It looks so old school to me! But I guess sometimes if a good thing ain’t broke, don’t fix it. My mom takes this recipe to the next level with lots and lots of extra vegetables and the secret ingredient from her German Jewish background - Hebrew National Hotdogs. Yup. You can certainly leave them out to keep this recipe vegetarian, but I recommend keeping them in for those who are not :).

Mom's Lentil Soup | danicalforniacooks.com The best thing about this recipe is that you make a huge amount, and it tastes even better the next day. Get your lentils a-boiling, sautee your veggies (my mom hates the word veggies - sorry mom!) and let your soup simmer for however long you please. Put it in the fridge when you’re done, and heat up the next day for even-better-leftovers. Your house will smell wonderful. On Halloween, we ate this for dinner and I can’t tell you how many trick or treaters who came by were like “what smells so good?!” One little ninja told us that he, too, had lentil soup for dinner. Lentils for everyone!

Lentil Soup - Dani California Cooks I hope you can enjoy this family classic as much as we do. It’s perfect as the weather gets colder - it even RAINED this weekend in LA! Guess this warming and hearty soup came just in time. Major thanks to Mom for the cooking inspiration and for always teaching trick or treaters (and me!) to say “thank you”.

Mom's Lentil Soup | danicalforniacooks.com

Mom's Lentil Soup
 
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This warming lentil soup is filled with vegetables and wonderful flavor. Make it today and have even better leftovers tomorrow!
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Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 cups (one bag) green lentils
  • 1 box of vegetable stock
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cups celery, minced
  • 2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 1 tbsp garlic
  • 4 tomatoes, cut into eighths
  • 4 hot dogs, sliced (Hebrew National recommended of course)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, bring the lentils and he stock to a boil
  2. Lower heat to simmer and allow lentils to soften (about 45 mins)
  3. In a separate pan, heat the oil and sautee the onions, garlic, celery and carrots on medium heat for about ten minutes - salt and pepper to taste
  4. Transfer vegetables to the lentils in the large pot
  5. Add in tomatoes, hot dogs, lemon juice and brown sugar
  6. Let simmer for at least an hour (longer preferably!) before serving
  7. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to drizzle red wine vinegar on top of each serving bowl, or serve soup with additional lemon slices

One-Pot Vegan Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Kale

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This past Sunday we went for a 75 and sunny bike ride along the beach and for some reason, I decided that we needed to have the most fall-inspired, warming chili for dinner. So here’s to introducing the most delicious, hearty, vegan black bean chili that is stuffed chock-full of butternut squash, kale, tomatoes and spices. My taste testers declared that this stew could cure any ailment and it really is the ultimate Sunday detox. Little did they know that I accidentally threw in a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar at the beginning of this recipe, thinking the bottle was olive oil. Maybe that was the secret ingredient to why it tasted so damn good?!

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale | danicalforniacooks.com

This chili would take about 5 minutes to throw together if you use pre-cubed butternut squash (which I generally do). However, we purchased a beautiful whole butternut from the farmer’s market which I preceded to become veeeery close with that afternoon. This baby wanted to play hard to get. Oh sure, you look so innocent all snuggled up against that gorgeous bunch of kale.

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale

I turned up my Pandora workout station and broke a sweat. Butternut conquered, and so worth it.

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale

Once you have peeled and cubed your squash, this chili could not be easier to throw together. Cook down some onions and garlic in olive oil (and, uh, balsamic vinegar, if you’re me), and toss everything else in the pot to simmer for really however long you please. This is a great dish to prepare on a Sunday and eat throughout the week, as the flavors get better as the days go by. We gobbled this down in one evening, with only one or two servings left over to nibble on over the next couple of days.

One-pot vegan black bean chili with butternut squash and kale | danicalforniacooks.com

Feel free to top this chili with avocado, shredded cheese, green onions, toasted pumpkin seeds, or even a spoonful of greek yogurt to tame the spice. We kept ours plain and simple. We may have had to turn on our AC later in the evening, but hey, at least our kitchen is attending to the changing season accordingly!

One-Pot Vegan Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Kale
 
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A hearty vegan chili stuffed full of butternut squash, tomatoes, black beans and spicy kale.
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Serves: 5-6 servings
Ingredients
  • Medium butternut squash, cubed
  • Large bunch of curly kale, chopped
  • 1 small white onion, chopped
  • 1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I used the Trader Joe's brand)
  • 1 box of vegetable broth
  • 2 cans of black beans
  • 2½ tbsp chili powder
  • Dash (or a few) of cayenne pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, sautee the olive oil, onion and garlic over medium heat
  2. Add in the vegetable broth and canned tomatoes and bring to a boil
  3. Bring down to a simmer and add in beans, butternut squash, chili pepper and cayenne
  4. Allow chili to cook for a half hour or so before adding in the kale. The kale will cook down considerably, so don't be afraid to fill your pot to the brim with freshly chopped kale
  5. Let chili simmer for a minimum or one hour, or on the lowest heat for up to three hours
  6. Spoon and serve!

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas, Feta, and Mint

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Hellllooo, gorgeous!

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Feta, Mint and Chickpeas | danicalforniacooks.com

Yes, eggplant season has come and gone and yet I could happily continue incorporating eggplant into all of my meals. I went to Turkey in August this summer (check out my Instagram for some awesome culinary travel pictures!) and I ate eggplant in all forms - smoked and pureed into a babaganoush-style dip (uh, that just tried to autocorrect to “gangrenous”), stuffed with meats and spices, sliced up and roasted next to meatballs - and when I returned stateside, I wanted MORE eggplant. Turkish cuisine is incredible. There were however a few items that I don’t think I’ll include in my cooking repertoire, including dessert chicken breast pudding and kokorec, a grilled-innards sandwich. So now that I’ve both got you salivating and grossed about food all in one short paragraph, let’s talk about this salad.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Feta, Mint and Chickpeas | danicalforniacooks.com

This vegetarian homage to Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine is simple, perfect, and could not be easier to make. It tastes great right after you mix all the ingredients together, and just as good out of the fridge as leftovers. I have also modified this recipe before, and added in chicken and brown rice, if you’re looking for a heartier entree. I also love bringing this to dinner parties when I don’t want to supply wine or dessert, but I’m not looking to break the bank or spend a lot of time in the kitchen. While the eggplant is roasting in the oven, prep the rest of your ingredients and then combine. Done and done.

Ingredients

I’m actually off to go eat this for dinner now, and dream of baklava and Turkish delight for dessert.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas, Feta and Mint
 
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Adapted from Martha Stewart, this fresh Mediterranean-inspired salad incorporates simple ingredients and makes fantastic leftovers.
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Serves: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 eggplant
  • Olive oil spray
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
  • ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • Juice of one very juicy lemon
  • Ground pepper
  • Salt
Instructions
  1. Set your oven to 425 degrees F
  2. Cube the eggplant and spread out on baking sheet
  3. Coat lightly with olive oil spray, some freshly ground pepper and salt
  4. Pop the eggplant in the oven, and let it roast for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through
  5. In a mixing bowl, combine chickpeas, mint, and lemon
  6. Once eggplant is finished (should look brown and soft), remove from the oven and pour into the mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients
  7. Top with the feta, more salt and pepper
  8. Mix and serve, or store for later!

*Note: I dropped a piece of eggplant on the floor, and even my dog gobbled it up. It’s that good.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Feta, Mint and Chickpeas | danicalforniacooks.com