First, I really have to do a shout out to the Levantine cultures of Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine for their fabulous contribution to world cuisine, the spice mix called "za'atar". The blend I use has thyme, cumin, coriander, fennel, anise, lemon, toasted sesame seeds, and sumaq in it, and it is incredible on roasted veggies! It has a nice earthy background and a hint of citrus that goes perfectly with sweeter veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and parsnips, although it's fantastic on just about any vegetable. It plays a major part in my take on California Blend veggies (worry not, the recipe is below!)
So, anyway............
Lentils!!
There should really be a song about lentils; they're that good and versatile.
Did you know there are many types of lentils out there? In addition to the brown lentils most people are probably familiar with, there are red lentils and green Puy lentils, and, to me mythological, black lentils. I say "mythological" because, although I've seen them mentioned in other food blogs, I have yet to find, and therefore taste them. The quest is ongoing!
A nice lentil soup can be had following the recipe in my last post for split pea soup with the optional potato and carrot upgraded to required. Some chopped raw onion sprinkled on top gives a crunch and a bite. There's a very nice recipe here, in a blog by Susan Voisin, Fat Free Vegan. She has some other lentil soup recipes on her blog that are well worth looking at, so be sure to look around a bit.
Green Puy lentils are from a specific region in France and are particularly suited for recipes that need them intact, like a nice lentil salad.
Red lentils (which are actually more of a salmon/coral color) are my favorite lentil to work with. It's the star of my second go-to soup (after my chili), Cucalenco soup. (I've posted it before but it bears repeating) It's my wonderful (if I do say so myself) combination of red lentils, carrots, and coconut milk spiced with curry spices and cilantro (For all you cilantro haters out there (shaking my head)
Cucalenco paired with a plate of Roasted California blend a la Dimo, below, is a lunch or light supper to crow about!
My local grocery store sells packaged broccoli crowns with a half a head of cauliflower that is the perfect amount for my California blend a la Dimo. The za'atar is important for this dish but if you can't find it, any seasoning mix that you like will be fine.
1 medium to large broccoli crown
1 small or 1/2 medium large head of cauliflower
2 large or 3 medium carrots
olive oil
seasoning mix (if you can find it, get a mix called za'atar from a Middle Eastern market; it will transport you!)
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste (I also add a large pinch of dill, but I'm a dill fiend)
roasted sesame oil
Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into florets (Leave some stem on the broccoli, and cut the larger trees in half, or even quarters), large-dice the carrots, and toss together with as much olive oil as you need to coat everything. Don't overdo the oil! If you don't use it, then spray with cooking spray just before you add the seasonings. Spread out on a roasting sheet (on parchment paper for non-stick veggies) and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoning mix, and roast at 400 for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are as tender as you like them. Sprinkle the sesame oil over the veggies after you take them out and enjoy!
Anyway, back to the lentils!
Other than lentil soup, what can you do with 'em?
The answer comes from India: dal (pronounced like "doll" but with more of an "ah" sound) which is basically lentils cooked with onions and spiced up with curry. Now when I say "curry" I don't mean the powder you can buy from the spice section at the local Kroger, although a lot of stores are stocking various blends nowadays, but a perfectly acceptable dal can be made with Kroger curry powder.
My favorite dal recipe is a non-fat free variant of Susan Voisin's (the author of the "Fat Free Vegan" blog). If you want the fat-free version, follow Susan's recipe, but I like it chock full of oil! so, here's my variation:
1/2 cup of split red lentils.
1/2 cup of yellow split peas
3 cups of water
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger root, minced (I use a pre-prepared paste that comes in a tube. Yeah, it's pricey but it lasts a LONG time.)
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala (find it in the spice aisle)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 large onion sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
2 tablespoons of oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Place the lentils, peas, tomato, chopped onion, ginger, and salt into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook till the peas are soft. Stir often and add water if they get too dry.
Add the garam masala and stir vigorously (a whisk works best) so the lentils get creamy. It should be medium thick so add water if you need to. Keep this warm.
Now, while the lentils are cooking, heat up a teaspoon of oil and cook the sliced onion, and cook till they start to brown. Add the pepper flakes and cook till they're softened and touched with brown.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the cumin and turmeric over medium heat until the seeds start to pop and/or the mix is fragrant and then add the garlic and continue cooking till just short of turning brown (DON'T burn the garlic; it'll get bitter).
To serve, spread the browned onion slices on top of the lentils and pour the cumin seed mixture over the top. Make sure each serving gets some onion and seed oil mix!
