Spicy Lentil Vegetable Soup

(dairy free, gluten free, vegan, soy free) Makes approximately 8-10 servings

Lentil are very versatile, allowing cooks to be imaginative in using them. They seem to like being pairs with a wide variety of other foods and spices. Lentils were not something we had growing up, don’t know which parent didn’t like them but my mother never cooked us lentil soup even though both parents loved pea soup. In this recipe, I’ve paired my favorite vegetable soup with lentils. There are various other ingredients you can use in this recipe, depending on what your family likes. Here’s the basics along with some variations. You’ll need:

1 3/4 cups (an 8 oz package) of lentils, no specific type, I used a mixture of green, black and brown

6 cups of liquid (water, stock, etc., I used a combination of water and vegetable stock)

1 cup sliced carrots

1 large onion diced

3-6 stalks of celery diced for approximately 1 cup

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup sweet potato diced

1/2 cup regular potato diced

1 teaspoon curry powder (or 2 tablespoon curry paste)

1 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned)

1 cup frozen peas

1 medium turnip peeled and diced

Add the oil to the bottom of a heated Dutch oven. Add the curry powder and heat for about 15 seconds or until you can smell the curry, but be careful not to burn it. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, celery, potatoes, and turnip. Once the onion is translucent, add the lentils and the liquid. You can also add the tomatoes at this point along with the peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for approximately 45 minutes or until lentils are tender (if you’re using sprouted lentils, they don’t take as long as regular lentils). If you use curry paste rather than powder, add it here. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender, blend until you have the consistency you want. Add salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper). Serve.

Variations: Don’t want vegan – use chicken or turkey stock instead of the vegetable stock. You can also add some cooked sausage (either bulk or links cut into slices) or diced ham before serving.

If you don’t like potatoes, leave them out and add 1/2 cup quinoa when you add the lentils. This will also up the protein!

Don’t like curry? Leave it out and use 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon thyme instead. Or, you can add 2 teaspoons cumin seeds and 2 teaspoons turmeric. Add either of these when you add the lentils.

Want it more tomatoie? Stir in 1 small jar of tomato paste before you use the blender.

Don’t have an immersion blender? Cool the soup in the frig for about an hour and then blend in a standard blender. You might want to leave a couple of cups whole for texture.

Shepherd’s Pie (dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free)

One of my mother’s old standby’s, shepherd’s pie is a definite comfort food for many New Englanders. Warm and filling, it gives us energy and the calories we need to go out and shovel the snow or rack the leaves (which is what I spent some time doing this morning). Here’s my take on it, feel free to use any ground meat you like, I’m limited since I’m allergic to most red meats. Traditionally, its made with mutton or lamb but I use turkey or chicken in mine. Serves 4.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. You’ll need:

1 pound ground meat, lean
10 ounce bag of mixed peas and carrots (organic if possible)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
Seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder – about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of each)
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour such as brown rice or all purpose
1 1/2 cups of stock (whatever you have on hand works; I used vegetable in mine)
2 cups mashed potato (or as in my case, celery root and parsnip mash see recipe under side dishes)
2 quart baking dish

In a steamer, steam the peas and carrots until just tender. Put them in the baking dish. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add ground meat and seasonings. Stir as the meat cooks to crumble the meat up into small chunks. When meat is cooked, add the flour and stir to incorporate. Let cook for 2-3 minutes and add the stock. Stir and cook until thickened, another 2-3 minutes. Add to the baking dish; stir into the vegetables. Spread the potatoes or celery root/parsnip mash on the top and bake for 20-30 minutes until heated through and bubbling.

Turkey Osso Buco (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free)

One of our favorite cold weather meals is a turkey osso buco (or turkey stew) made with root vegetables. The hot gravy with the succulent root vegetables is so warming and very filling. I don’t always use the same vegetables but they are usually root ones although I’ve been known to add both peas and string beans to the stew.

You can cook this either in a dutch oven in your oven or in a crock pot. You’ll need:

Turkey leg quarter or breast
1 large Russet potato, peeled and diced
1 large turnip, peeled and diced
3 small to medium parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
3-4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
Salt, pepper and herbs to taste
1 quart turkey (or chicken) stock
1/4 cup gluten-free brown rice flour
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the turkey leg quarter in pieces (leg and thigh). Put in a gallon food storage bag, the brown rice flour along with salt, pepper and herbs to taste (I like to use some paprika, oregano, thyme, parsley, along with the salt and pepper; if I don’t have those, I’ll use a teaspoon of Mrs. Dash or other herb mix). Shake to mix and then add the turkey piece(s) and shake to coat.

In a skillet large enough to hold the turkey piece(s), heat the olive oil and then add the turkey over medium heat to brown. While the turkey is browning, dice the onion. If you are using a crock pot, add the onion to the cooker. If you are using a dutch oven, you’ll want to brown your turkey in that and add the onion when the turkey is browned. Be sure to brown all sides of the turkey. Remove the turkey and add the dredging flour to the oil and stir so that the flour absorbs the oils and drippings from the pan. If you are using a slow cooker, add the flour mixture to the pot and then add the turkey along with the stock. If you are using the dutch oven, simply add the stock and the turkey back in.

Using a slow cooker, turn it onto high and cook for 3-4 hours. If you’re using a dutch oven, you’ll want to prepare the vegetables (peel and dice them) and add them into the dutch oven before cooking in the oven at 325 degrees for 3-4 hours. I’ve found that the vegetables don’t cook well in the slow cooker so I peel and dice them and cook them on the stovetop separately, mostly cooked through and then add them to the crock pot during the last hour of cooking.

Makes six to eight servings. You’ll want to deskin and debone the turkey pieces before serving.

Leftovers Casserole (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free)

This is a great casserole for using up leftovers after a big meal like Thanksgiving or just a family Sunday dinner. It takes the meat, gravy, stuffing, vegetables, and potatoes and puts them together into one dish that’s easy and my family loves it. You’ll want a deep casserole dish so that you can get four layers. You could also make this quick and easy using rotisserie chicken or turkey breast.

Grease a 9″ round, 5-7″ deep casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

The first layer consists of:

2 cups of diced meat (chicken, beef, turkey, pork)
2 cups gravy (see recipe under Sauces)

The second layer consists of:

2-3 cups of stuffing (see recipe under side dishes)

The third layer consists of:

2-3 cups of leftover vegetables (I used my leftover string bean casserole; see recipe under side dishes)

The last layer consists of:

2-3 cups of mashed potatoes, or in my case, mashed celery root and parsnips (see recipe under side dishes)

Bake 30-45 minutes until the gravy starts bubbling to the top and the top is browned.

Potato Salad 2 Ways (dairy-free, egg-free)

German style Potato salad. I like to use the small multi-color potatoes because they make the salad more interesting. And you don’t have to peel them, just cut them into quarters and cook. For this recipe,

Use a half-pound of these potatoes.
While they cook, dice up a couple of stalks of celery and some scallion (I use scallion instead of onion because it adds the flavor of onion but doesn’t give me the digestive issues that raw onions give me).
Cook 2-3 slices of bacon, chopped.
If you don’t have a vinaigrette already made, mix up one of your favorites or use a bottled vinaigrette.
Put about 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette in a medium sized bowl, add the celery and scallion along with the crumbled bacon.
When the potatoes are cooked. drain and put them directly into the mixture. Adding them when they are hot helps the potatoes absorb the dressing.
Salt and pepper to taste.
You can serve this hot but I prefer to let it sit overnight and let the flavors meld. I often leave the bacon bits out until I’m ready to serve this so that they stay crispy.
Makes 2-3 servings.

Traditional Potato Salad.

One of my favorite parts of the potato salad my mother made was the hard boiled eggs. Since I can’t eat eggs any longer, I simply

mix together cooked potatoes (1/2 pound of the small potatoes and perhaps, if I’m feeling like it, a diced small sweet potato),
diced celery and scallions, along with some crumbled bacon. Dressing consists of:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (see my recipe for vegan mayonnaise under dressings)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon of my favorite herb blend (McCormicks or Mrs. Dash)
Salt and pepper to taste.

If you can still eat eggs, by all means add 1-2 diced hard-boiled eggs. This makes 2-3 servings.