Let’s talk through the story of my favorite lentil soup. Years ago, two of my neighbors hosted a soup party. It was an inspiring affair – big pots of simmering soups and stews, house full of chatty, friendly people. Part of what I liked was the simple premise. The hosts (David & Holly) made a number of soups, guests were asked to arrive with their drink of choice and one thing to share – salad, appetizer, or something sweet.

The Best Soup:

One of the vegetarian soups was a beautiful shade of yellow-orange. It was a light-bodied, curry-spiced coconut broth thickened with cooked red lentils and structured with yellow split peas. It appeared to be a beautiful take on lentil soup. When I asked Holly to tell me about it, she mentioned it was based on an Ayurvedic dal recipe in the Esalen Cookbook, a favorite of hers.

She happened to have an extra copy of the Esalen book, and sent me home with my belly full, a new cookbook tucked under my arm, and a few suggestions related to the soup. I still make this soup regularly, love it (so much!), and thought it might be fun to revisit it today in video form – enjoy! I’ve also included some notes related to adapting this soup to the Instant Pot.

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Other things worth noting related to this soup – the slivered green onions sauteed in butter or coconut oil. The golden raisins that plump up with curry broth. Back notes of ginger. Depth from a good dollop of tomato paste. It all comes together in one amazing bowl of restorative, lentil soup goodness.

Continue reading Coconut Red Lentil Soup on 101 Cookbooks

The following text is an excerpt from my latest cookbook, Real Food, Really Fast. Get more speedy tips and tricks, along with over 100 delicious, lightning-fast recipes inside! Better yet, if you’re in the SoCal area this weekend, catch me at the California Vegetarian Food Festival on Saturday, September 29th, where I’ll be demonstrating my infamous Garlic Bread Soup. Come early to snag a seat, and come hungry for generous samples!

The single most important ingredient in any recipe can’t be measured in tablespoons or cups, nor can it be bought, borrowed, or stolen. That extra piece of the puzzle that most cookbooks fail to address is you, the intrepid cook, boldly venturing forth to explore new culinary territory. Anyone can read a recipe and it doesn’t take a classically trained chef to chop an onion, but there are certain steps that can be taken to speed through prep work in record time. To better prepare your vegetables, you must prepare yourself. Move with intention and a sense of urgency; know your next step before you get there to keep dancing through the routine with grace. That also means reading through each recipe from start to finish so there are no surprises halfway through the hustle.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a new cook, the following suggestions should help tune up your techniques to get food on the table faster than ever before.

• Citrus: Always zest lemons, oranges, and limes first, before slicing or juicing. While they’re still whole you’ll have more surface area to work with, and a better base to hold so you’re less likely to grate your fingers at the same time. Then, to extract the most juice as possible, microwave for 10–15 seconds to gently warm, and roll them firmly against the counter to break down some of the cell walls before cutting in half and squeezing.

• Garlic: Separate the cloves and give each one a sharp whack with the side of your knife to instantly loosen the skins. You should be able to pick the peel right off. Once cleaned, you can continue smashing and mashing them with the side of the knife, rather than the blade, to yield a quick, coarse paste that can be used instead of a fine mince.

• Ginger: Don’t bother breaking out the peeler to remove the tough outer skin. Use a paring knife to shave away the exterior if needed, but better yet, buy very young, fresh ginger that doesn’t need to be peeled in the first place. In Japanese markets, this is referred to as “myoga.”

• Cauliflower or Broccoli: Pare away the leaves and trim down the excess stem. Place the head in a large, clean plastic bag, and twist it closed. Bang the whole thing down on the counter repeatedly, stem-side first, to easily break it down into bite-sized florets.

• Cherry Tomatoes: Instead of chasing around each tasty red marble and slicing them in half one by one, slash straight through a whole batch in one fell swoop. Place a generous handful between two plates and gently press down to keep them all stable and still. Use an exceptionally sharp knife to cut horizontally through the center to cleanly halve tomatoes.

• Corn: Once cooked, shuck corn quickly by slicing off the bottom of the husk and simply pushing the ear out, leaving the messy silk behind.

• Cherries (and Olives!): Don’t bother with a unitasking cherry pitter if you’re unlikely to use it more than once or twice a year. Place each cherry on top of an empty glass soda or beer bottle, and use a chopstick to poke out the pit, pushing it straight down into the bottle.

• Non-Dairy Milk: Whip up an instant dairy-free beverage by simply combining 2 tablespoons of your favorite nut butter (almond and cashew are my favorite options, but sunflower, peanut, and pecan are also excellent alternatives) with 1 cup of water in your blender. Blend until smooth and use as is for savory cooking or baking, or add up to a tablespoon of sugar, agave, or maple syrup to sweeten it for drinking.

Why cut and chop with conventional techniques when you can hack your way to faster food prep? Some specific foods hold secret shortcuts that will leave traditional methods in the dust.

A healthy and delicious Thai quinoa salad with lots of veggies and an amazing dressing!

Thai Quinoa Salad

Hey everyone! Chelsea back from Chelsea’s Messy Apron with a veggie and protein-packed Thai Quinoa Salad. As we’re quickly approaching the holiday season, this is a salad recipe you’ll want to have handy! After a heavy meal or a few days of eating less healthy than you might like, this is the perfect salad to get you back on track and make you feel great. With all these veggies and the protein from the quinoa you’ll be feeling great in no time!

What makes this Thai Quinoa Salad healthy?

• Quinoa is a low-glycemic food which means it is absorbed slowly into your body. A slow absorption mitigates spikes in your blood sugar which affects your mood, energy levels, and even how hungry you feel – which prevents over-eating.
• Basil has actually been found to detox heavy metals (such as aluminum, mercery, arsenic, lead, etc.) from your body which in turn protects just about every vital organ.
• Kale naturally boosts your metabolism, is known as a “cancer fighter,” and has a ton of iron. It also has a high concentration of vitamin A which promotes clear and healthy skin by allowing your body to properly retain moisture.
• Lime Juice helps to flush toxins out of your digestive tract.
• Green onions help to rid your liver of harmful toxins.

Tips to make this Thai Quinoa Salad the BEST:

1. Only add dressing to what you plan on eating in the same day. Unfortunately this Thai quinoa salad doesn’t sit very well with the dressing mixed into it. If you aren’t planning on eating the whole salad at one sitting, toss only what you’ll being eating on day 1 with the dressing. If you keep the dressing separate this salad can store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
2. Mix it up. Try some different veggies or different herbs. You could even try dressing this Thai Quinoa Salad with a peanut sauce/dressing instead of the vinaigrette shared in this recipe. You can try the dressing from this recipe for this Thai Quinoa Salad!
3. Add some meat. This salad is vegetarian by default, but it’s perfectly acceptable to grill some chicken to serve on the side or to chop up and put on top of the salad. Don’t think it’s necessary to add meat to the salad, however. It’s loaded with protein even without meat and you’ll be amazed just how filling it is.
4. Rinse the quinoa. Quinoa has a bitter saponin coating so you’ll want to rinse it before preparing it. I like to pour the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it quickly. I also typically cook quinoa in chicken or vegetable broth to infuse it with more flavor.

More Quinoa Salad Recipes:

• Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
• Avocado Spinach Quinoa Salad from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
• Orange Avocado Quinoa Salad from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
• Honey Lime Quinoa Salad from The Recipe Critic
• Winter Pomegranate Quinoa Salad from The Recipe Critic

 

 

Try this Apple Cranberry Crisp for your next fall baking project.  Apples and Cranberries are baked with a sweet oat topping.  Individual servings are topped with a maple-sweetened whipped cream.

It’s that time of year that we all become quite enamored with pumpkin, apples and cranberries.  There’s something about the crisp feel to the air, the leaves turning colors and the desire to eat warm and comforting foods that contribute to the desire to bake.

An Apple Cranberry Crisp is the perfect recipe to kick off your fall baking obsession.  Apples and cranberries are a perfect pairing.  They’re delicious when baked together.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

This recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, which can be quite tart.  Since cranberries are tart as well, a good amount of sweetness is added in to balance everything out and create a fabulous dessert.

There is some regular white sugar tossed with the fruit in the filling of this Apple Cranberry Crisp recipe.  I’m pretty crazy about the oat topping on this crisp.  The brown sugar, butter and cinnamon ooze down into the fruit while baking.  That gives the tart fruit the sweetness it needs to turn it into such a delicious fall dessert.

Apple Cranberry Crisp topped with Maple Whipped Cream

If you can time it just right, plan to serve this Apple Cranberry Crisp warm and just out of the oven. It’s also okay to heat up individual servings to warm them up a bit before serving.

The simple maple whipped cream is a nice accompaniment to this dessert.  Vanilla ice cream is also a favorite to top this warm crisp.

If you’re looking for more fall baking recipes, you might also like to try my Maple Apple Tartlets or this Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake.  Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Pumpkin Fudge and Dutch Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars would be delicious desserts to serve in the fall too!

The post Apple Cranberry Crisp with Maple Whipped Cream appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

One of my favorite things about Southern food is how deeply intertwined it is with tradition. Of course I love a fresh twist on a recipe of old, a modernized nod to something from years ago, but there’s something really special about doing things the same way the generations before you did. Souteherners have mastered the art of honoring food traditions, and I’m so grateful that this way of living is slowly rubbing off on me. 

Kinda like Saturday morning breakfasts. Growing up, I don’t remember my Mom spending a whole lot of time in the kitchen. She’d whip out costumes for school recitals or little crafty projects for she and I to complete on the weekend, but cooking was not her forte. Despite this, I have distinct memories of a dish she would occasionally make on Saturday mornings for the family. Equal parts food and science experiment, Mom’s “Pancake Surprise” was a meal and a show all in one. She’d fill her casserole dish with a loose batter, and I’d sit by the oven watching the confection rise and bubble and crater all over. In the end, we’d cut big squares to douse with syrup, and I just knew it was the coolest breakfast on the planet.

 

Years later, I watched someone make a Dutch baby pancake in a cast-iron skillet, and I realized that was Mom’s pancake surprise in action. I hadn’t eaten it in years, but the sight of those edges rising dramatically over the edge of the pan was enough to make my mouth water. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself. 

So this pecan apple Dutch baby is a nod to those Saturday traditions. Of course it’s delicious, as anything given enough butter and sugar should be, but what I love about it more than anything is watching my kids peering into the oven like I used to. Begging for more syrup like I used to. Licking their sticky fingers like I used to. Breathing new life into those things that were apart off my childhood makes me feel like we’re creating something bigger than breakfast here… we’re feeding on something that will nourish us for years to come. 

To make this pecan apple Dutch baby, we start with the batter. Eggs and milk are whisked with flour, sugar, and a smattering of spices. In the meantime, we melt some butter in a skillet in our piping hot oven. Carefully swirl the melted butter around the pan and pour the simple batter straight in. Allow the baby to bake and rise until brown and seriously puffed.

While the baby is baking, we can prepare the apples. More melted butter is combined with sliced apples, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir until the apples have just barely softened but not lost their shape. Remove from the heat while you wait for your pecan apple Dutch baby to finish baking.

When the pancake is complete, I like to top it with the cinnamon apples and glazed pecans. For this, I’m so thankful to have partnered with Diamond of California Nuts. Their glazed nut toppings triumph beyond salads and are a perfect crunchy addition of sweet and salty to a number of dishes including this pecan apple Dutch baby. Here, I opted for the Maple Glazed Pecans, but any number of their options would have been terrific. I caught myself nibbling on the pecans while I waited for the pancake to finish up, so beware… they’re addicting. 

Although it may look a finicky breakfast to prepare, this little skillet pancake is actually quite simple and is the perfect dose of comfort and tradition to add to your Saturday mornings. I hope you’ll give it a try this weekend and share it with some people you love. Happy Friday, y’all!

If you like this pecan apple Dutch baby you should try:

Maple Oatmeal Biscuits

Honey Nut Biscuits

Buttermilk Pancakes

Breakfast Danish

Brown Sugar Danishes 

This post is sponsored by Diamond of California Nuts. Thank you for supporting brands that makes the recipes on this site possible!

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Inspired by NYT.

Good shortbread cookies are always buttery, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture that keeps you coming back for that second bite. They tend to be simple cookies with short ingredient lists, where the butter is the star of the show. That doesn’t mean that you can’t add extra flavors to your favorite shortbread recipe, of course, and that is exactly what I did here. This Salted Toffee Shortbread has a classic buttery shortbread base, but is studded with sweet toffee bits and topped with a sprinkling of coarse salt.

To make the shortbread, cold butter is cut into a mixture of flour, sugar and salt. I prefer to combine the ingredients in a food processor so that the butter can be very finely chopped into the dry ingredients, resulting in a very even-textured shortbread. The food processor also makes the prep for this recipe take less than a minute! If you don’t have a food processor, you also can cut the butter in by hand, but be sure to get it as fine as possible.

The shortbread mixture will be very crumbly when the butter has been incorporated and the mixture will look very dry. Don’t worry, as that is exactly how the shortbread is supposed to look! Simply stir in the toffee bits, then pour everything into your prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer over the whole base of the pan. Next, firmly press the mixture down and pack it evenly (use your fingers or the bottom of a glass). Sprinkle the shortbread with the coarse salt, then score it lightly into pieces using a sharp knife. Scoring the dough before baking will allow you to cut it more easily once it has set.

This shortbread is similar in style to Walker’s shortbread, meaning that it the pieces are a bit taller and more tender than some other shortbreads. I really enjoy this style because it almost melts in your mouth as you eat it. If you like your shortbread to be extremely crisp, you can pack the shortbread base into a 9×13-inch pan and bake until lightly browned. The shortbread should still be scored before baking to ensure that you can cut it apart without crumbling the cookies too much.

Salted Toffee Shortbread
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup finely chopped toffee bits
1/2 tsp coarse salt, for topping

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to blend.
Cut butter into large chunks and add to food processor. Whiz for about 1 minute, until dough has a very sandy and starts to clump together. Remove from food processor and stir in toffee bits. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Use a flat-bottomed glass to press down the dough firmly, creating as smooth a surface as possible.
Score dough lightly with a sharp knife, marking 4 rows by 8 rows of shortbread pieces. Dock the dough with a fork, if desired. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until shortbread is very lightly browned all over and is set.
While the shortbread is still hot and still in the pan, use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut shortbread all the way through along the lines you scored prior to baking. Allow shortbread to cool completely in the pan once it has been cut.
When cooled, shortbread pieces should break apart very easily. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 32 pieces.

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