Sub Categories in Legumes

Category of: Legumes

Rice and Lentils with Veggies

September 19, 2012

Mediterranean cuisine has a dish called Mujadarah where lentils and rice are cooked together and then topped with slow cooked caramelized onion. It’s delicious and I make it often. This is a spin on that recipe but I cook everything separately and then combine “stuff”  together. This way I can experiment and create different dishes from the basic rice and lentils. So today I am making the rice and lentils with cauliflower and carrots. Tomorrow... View Article

Yellow Split Pea Soup

September 17, 2012

In spite of being a summer person, I do like the change of seasons. Right now, as summer turns into fall, the leaves on the trees outside my kitchen are turning yellow and I am pulling out my signature long shawls to wrap around myself when going out at night. Same thing is happening in the kitchen and I find myself returning to the warm and comforting foods of cooler weather. A soup is simmering... View Article

Roasted or Fried Chickpeas

September 3, 2012

Here is a simple and fun little appetizer to serve with drinks when you have company. I use canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for this but you can certainly cook the chickpeas yourself. If you do, put a little baking soda into the cooking water. Chickpeas tend to stay hard outside and the baking soda helps soften them as they cook. This is a flexible recipe, you can fry them in oil or roast them in... View Article

Quinoa and Red Lentil Cakes with Warm Cherry Tomatoes

August 26, 2012

Have you jumped on the quinoa bandwagon yet? It seems that every now and then a new trend takes over the culinary world and everyone starts cooking it. Quinoa looks like a grain but in fact it is a seed passed on to us through the ancient Inca culture. It’s known as the super seed and its claim to fame is the fact that it is gluten free and protein rich. In our protein crazed society... View Article

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

July 29, 2012

I had a few people over last night for an open house. Thankfully it was a beautiful evening and we could sit on the patio and enjoy a gorgeous summer evening here in Kelowna. We had wine and Hors d’Oeuvres that I set out partly in the dining room and partly on the patio with coffee and dessert “station” on a wrought iron trolley also on the patio. I tried to have the small event... View Article

Lentil-Vegetable Burgers

July 14, 2012

Vegetarian burgers are standard on the menu here in the summer. I make a recipe and if not using all the burgers immediately I freeze them individually, well wrapped in plastic bags and pull them out as I need them. They reheat beautifully in a 375℉ oven or on a grill. I make them with cooked lentils and whatever vegetables I have on hand. For these burgers you need brown or greenish lentils that cook... View Article

Chickpea Dip (Hummus) and Olives Crostinis

June 16, 2012

A Mediterranean staple, hummus makes a lovey appetizer, snack or part of a salad selction anytime. You can make it from scratch by soaking dried chickpeas and then cooking them until soft, or you can use this quick version using canned organic chickpeas. If you cook the chickpeas from scratch be sure to add a teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking liquid. The chickpeas have a tough outer layer and the soda helps soften... View Article

Beluga Lentils with Spinach and Feta

June 13, 2012

Beluga lentils have middle east origin and have been an integral part of mediterranean cuisine for centuries. When cooked, the small black legumes become glossy and resemble the black caviar of the Beluga whales, hence their name. They cook perfectly, holding their shape and retaining a nice texture, not becoming a mush like their brown relatives. For this reason they work particularly well in salads, when you want to retain the texture. In terms of... View Article

Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa, Apricots, Ginger and cumin

June 5, 2012

Acorn squash along with other squashes are fall and winter vegetables and I cook with them often as soon as summer is over. I do however like to use squash as a “container” and stuff it with various grains and vegetables and I can do that any time of the year. Being the starch lover that I am, I can never have too much starch (read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall). Acorn squash... View Article

Red Lentil Soup with Brown Rice

April 13, 2012

Red lentils make a wonderful soup. They cook to a creamy consistency creating a hearty, full-bodied soup. I usually add some grain to this soup, often brown rice but sometimes barley. This recipe has tomatoes but I don’t always use them. The red lentils also lend themselves to a variety of spices, as you see here. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 /2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon... View Article

Lentil Soup with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

April 13, 2012

A hearty lentil soup is comfort food for anyone with a Mediterranean palate. I make it in many different ways but it’s all variations on the same theme of aromatics (onion, garlic, carrot, celery) sautéed in olive oil and then the lentils are added with stock and cooked until softened. I sometimes add a grain such as rice or barley. Sometimes I add roasted peppers or another vegetable and sometimes I even add thin pasta,... View Article

White Bean Spread and Dip

April 12, 2012

Bean spread makes a lovely appetizer spooned on top of crostini, or serve it as a dip with pita wedges or thin slices of grilled bread. Leftovers, if any, are good on a sandwich or a tartine. You can use home cooked beans or open a can of organic low sodium beans. Both would work fine. If you cook beans you may as well cook more than you need and keep the extra in the... View Article