LET'S EAT!!

When we talk about "fresh" food...right away we think of vegetables, fruits, a nice fresh tossed salad.... simple ingredients prepared in the simplest way, and as good for us it is to eat veggies and fruits, it gets challenging in the winter months... who wants a cold salad?...when the weather is cold we crave more hearty, warm and comforting foods. So, with our "fresh" theme today...seeing as how we are still in the winter and most of you live in pretty cold areas.... the dish I'm going to share with you today is a little bit of both, it has simple ingredients, packed with nutrition, plenty of veggies and is served warm to satisfy that hearty warmth that we seek in the winter. (Although here in LA, the weather's been pretty nice and warm.)

warm lentil salad with balsamic dressing

• 1 cup brown lentils cooked**
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, sliced ( I prefer red onion here)
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 zucchinis, trimmed and diced
• 1 cup of green beans, cut into short lengths
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• cilantro (optional)
  

** Rinse and drain lentils, in a medium pot cover lentils with plenty of cold water and bring to boil. Boil for about 10 min, then simmer for another 15-20 min, till they are tender but still have a bit of a bite. (I throw a bay leaf in the pot, gives it more flavor) Drain and move to a large bowl, set aside.

*In the mean time prep the veggies.



*Heat oil in pan, add the onions and celery first, saute for 2-3 min, till soft but not browned. Stir in the garlic, zucchinis, and green beans and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

*Add the bell peppers and saute for another couple of minutes.




*Stir in the mustard and balsamic vinegar and mix well with the vegetables.

*Pour the warm vegetables over the lentils, toss to mix well, season with salt and pepper, I like to add some fresh cut cilantro at the end too, ( nothing says fresh like fresh herbs). Serve warm with some crusty bread.





I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we have and decide to play along, just let us know here, so we can stop by your corner and see what's cooking as well.

Enjoy!!







love...peace...joy...

LET'S EAT... coming up

Just a quick reminder... our next LET'S EAT day is next Monday the 11th, the theme this time is "fresh". Hope you guys play along, start looking for recipes to share :)

Have a great weekend everyone, looking forward to it.


love...peace...joy...

right foot forward...

This was the first sunrise of the year and of the new decade we entered. I sat in my balcony, had my coffee, on that morning as the sun was rising... and promised to start the year with a positive attitude. Not that I've been negative throughout this difficult time in our lives. But...as time goes by, it is proving to be a bit more challenging. I find myself dragging out of bed on some mornings, I feel drained and lack energy and motivation. Naturally.. I miss him more and more, the reality of it all is really sinking in, the wear and tear, and the emotional stress of the past two years is starting to surface, the worrying about the future of the boys and the shop consumes most of my thoughts, and therefore not much space is left for being positive....

Ok, this is not sounding very positive at this point I know... but I feel unless we recognize the things that stand in the way of our happiness, we can't really address and overcome them. So perhaps by seeing all the negatives we can really appreciate the positives...
In our culture.. when we visit someones new home or are entering a loved ones house for the first time in the new year... we enter with the right foot first... I know it sounds silly, but don't all superstitious things? Anyways, it's meant to bring good luck and happiness into the home, by doing that you are hoping that good things will happen in that house, and that there will be much joy and love... does it really work? Who knows... I don't think people keep track.. but, we still do it because we hope that it works... On that note... I've decided to enter the new year with my right foot forward, and hopefully with all the tough times that lay ahead still I'll be able to stay strong and positive.

So, I think staying with the positive subject...it's time to schedule our next "LET'S EAT" day, I really wanted to have one before the holidays, but naturally I wasn't feeling up to it. Start looking through your recipes... the theme for this month is "fresh" for a fresh new start...
Let's start the year with a fresh and positive attitude and hope for a great year, I'm looking forward to more blogging and getting to know all of you better and hope to find some new friends in the blogoshpere..

Mark your calendars, get your recipes ready.. the next "LET'S EAT" will take place next Monday the 11th. Looking forward to it.

I hope you all start the year with your right foot and have a happy one.


love...peace...joy...

LET'S EAT!!

Well my friends our first recipe swap day has finally arrived, I'm very excited (as I often get when food is the topic :)... Looking forward to some good food today in the blogosphere.


I'll be sharing a family favorite on our Thanksgiving table. My mom has been making this dish for quite a few years, she's the kitchen queen on this holiday and is in no way ready to relinquish that throne to me just yet. But I have been taking on a few of the dishes year by year... squeezing my way in sort of speak. I've put my twist on this recipe of hers for the past couple of years and I'm happy to report... that she approves. So here it is without any further ramblings... (I know... I talk too much)...one of our favorites.... a simple yet delicious dish.

PECAN STUFFED APPLES

This recipe is for 6 apples, which makes 12 halves, believe me you will want to double or even triple this one.

This is what you'll need:

* 6 medium Gala apples
* 1 cup of roughly chopped pecans
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup cold butter cut or torn into small cubes
* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/8 tsp. of graded nutmeg or powder

* preheat your oven to 350*F

* mix all the ingredients but the apples in a bowl,
without over mixing, you don't want your butter to melt.



* cut apples in half lengthwise, leaving skin on,
* cut a very thin layer off the bottoms so they don't wobble,

* core the apples leaving most of the flesh in,
** make sure your stuffing is mixed before you prep the apples,
they will turn brown quickly.

* place apples on a sheet pan and fill with pecan mixture,
** make sure each one gets enough pecans and butter peaces



* bake for 25 to 30 min.

** take caution not to over bake
apples should still be a bit crunchy and
the pecans nice and toasty,
the butter and most of the sugar will melt.




* serve these warm delights either before dinner, as a starter with some nice Brie cheese,
serve them for desert or during the dinner.

Either way this is a very easy and a yummy addition to your table.

*and since we don't waste anything in the kitchen... if you end up with some pan drippings just drizzle the juices on top of the apples.

Enjoy and leave a note here if you are playing along....so LET'S EAT!


love...peace...joy...

update on recipe swap

Just a quick note to let you guys know that our recipe swap date has been set, it's on my side bar... so start flipping through your books and notes of all the yummy food you've had and share with us on the 23rd. Thanksgiving favorites.

I also want you guys to head on over to Just Jules today, she has a great post for Veterans Day.


Enjoy your day everyone!



Love...Peace...Joy...

recipe swap... tell me what you think???

Hey guys, I have a blog idea and wanted to see what you thought about it....

I want to start a recipe swap day.... and it will go like this:
Once or twice a month, say like on a Monday...(why Monday??? well it is the longest and the most boring day of the week, and just because...) whoever wants to participate will post a favorite recipe on their blog. I'm not asking you guys to give out old family secret recipes or anything... it could be something you created or something form a cookbook or a magazine that you like. We can make it seasonal, special holiday recipes etc. etc.

So tell me what you think and if any of you guys are interested in joining in the fun. I'm going to throw in a bonus recipe today. It looks like most of you showed interest in the delightful dish I had posted last week, so I will share this one today.

Looking forward to some feedback from all of you guys...

Ok, so this dish is a middle eastern one, we usually eat it in the morning, when we can have some friends over, and spend a nice Sunday morning. It is very hardy and will keep you going for most of the day.

FOUL

You will need a few cans of Fava Beans (depending on how many people you are having)

• *a 29oz can usually will feed two
• *empty the beans and the juice into a large pot and just warm it up

That's it for the cooking part of things, it's all the yummy condiments that make this dish, and this is all the extras you put on the table to add to it:

• *olive oil
• *lemon juice
• *tahini (sesame paste)
• *salt, pepper, paprika and cumin powder
• *chopped onions
• *minced garlic
• *chopped tomatoes
• *chopped jalapenos
• *chopped parsley
• *pomegranate seeds (optional)
• *crumpled feta cheese (optional, I like adding this to mine)
• *chopped hard boiled eggs (optional)

To serve, pour some beans with juice in a bowl, mash the beans a bit with your fork, pile on all the goodies, season to taste, mix it all in and enjoy, a shot of chilled vodka goes well with this, especially if you have some friends over.


So leave me a few words below and let me know what you think of the recipe swap idea and we'll go from there, Thanksgiving is around the corner, so we can start with some dishes for that holiday.


love...peace...joy...