Tag

lemon juice

Browsing
Recipe

Green Lentil Soup for St. Patrick’s Day

The day of green! How are you celebrating St. Patrick’s Day (or weekend)? With the cold weather of late, a green soup recipe is the perfect choice for a warm cozy meal. Green lentil soup is hearty and filling, a must-have before embarking on a night of frolicking and drinking. It is easy to make — simply chop various vegetables and along with lentils, let it simmer in the pot until it is ready to eat. It is green, lean, and simply delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 2 large yellow onions, chopped
  • 1¼ teaspoons salt, divided
  • 2 tablespoons plus 4 cups water, divided
  • 1 cup French green (Le Puy) or brown lentils
  • 8 large green chard leaves
  • 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed
  • 12 cups gently packed spinach (about 10 ounces), any tough stems trimmed
  • 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground (see Tip)
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • ½ jalapeño pepper, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in pan and add onions until brown. Add two tablespoons of water, reduce heat and cover until onions are caramelized for about 25 to 35 minutes.
  2. Rinse and cook the lentils.
  3. When the lentils have cooked for 20 minutes, add in chard, potato, scallions, and broth. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  4. Stir in broccoli, cumin and coriander. When the onions are caramelized, add them to the soup. Return to a simmer, cover and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the reserved spinach, cilantro, mint, jalapeno and pepper; return to a simmer, cover and cook until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more. Stir in one tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or pepper, if desired.

Lentils are incredibly healthy and yummy. It is easy to make a homemade soup and any leftovers can be frozen for future use or gobbled up as a St. Patrick’s hangover go-to. Either way, in the chilly March weather, a delectable green soup full of protein and veggies will not be regretted.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Women’s Post!

by
Keep Reading
Recipe

Holiday Baking: homemade grape leaves

Stuffed grape leaves are a delicious snack and can often be found in Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants. Homemade grape leave wraps, also known as Dolmades, provide a delicious vegan treat not only during the holidays, but year-round. They are surprisingly easy and affordable to make, and combine some of the best spices out there, including dill, mint and lemon with rice and pine nuts. Can you say yummy?

Begin by making the filling of the grape leaves with rice:

  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • 1 ½ cups basmati rice
  • 1 small onion
  • ½ cup of fresh dill
  • ¼ cup fresh mint
  • 1 tbsp lemon
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

Begin by roasting the pine nuts and onion in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. After a few minutes, add the rice, one cup vegetable broth and cook rice al dente. If you completely cook the rice, it will be mushy in the grape leaves so only half cook. Once the rice is complete, add dill, mint, lemon, salt and pepper and allow to cool.

Prepping the grape leaves: 

  • Grape Leaves
  • Salt

Take the grape leaves (either jarred or fresh) and put into a pot of boiling water with salt. Allow the leaves to soften until pliable, but do not over-soften or they will tear. Remove from water and pat dry.

Wrapping and cooking the grape leaves:

Once dry, spread the grape leaf out and put two scoops of filling in near the base of the leaf. Fold the two bottom sections of the leaf up and then the sides of the leaf before rolling tightly into a grape leaf roll. Repeat.

Once the grape leaves are wrapped, pack firmly into a pot in layers. Pour the remaining vegetable broth, lemon juice and ¼ cup of olive oil over the wraps. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, but do not boil or the leaves will fall apart. Lower heat once simmering and use a plate that can be heated to press down on the grape leaves and keep them in place. Let the leaves simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Drain excess water and enjoy once cool.

The grape leaves are relatively easy to make and will give you a healthy snack to munch on while waiting for that main holiday meal. They also keep well, so you can eat them throughout the week once your leftovers run out. Enjoy!

by
Keep Reading