Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Lentils, Kale, and an Egg

                     

In an attempt to eat better and less meat, I made the above dinner. It turned out great! My husband loved it! My 5 year old boy did not but I knew that was a possibility. 

The lentils are from Alton Brown. I googled "lentil soup recipe" and his recipe on FoodNetwork popped up. To find the kale recipe, I googled "fried egg over kale" and Poor Girl Eats Well was the number one hit. I had to alter the recipes just a little because I didn't have all of the ingredients.

Lentil Soup
Yields 6-8 servings
Total prep and cook time 1 hour 20 minutes

2 tbs coconut oil (that's what I had in my cupboard. Alton's recipe called for olive oil.)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tsp salt
3 ounces tomato paste
1 pound lentils, rinsed
2 quarts veggie or chicken stock
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's (Alton's recipe called for 1/2 tsp grains of paradise and 1/2 tsp coriander, neither of which I had in my pantry.)

Heat your oil over medium high in your big pot with a lid (I used a dutch oven) and add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. When the veggies are translucent roughly 8 min later, add the tomato paste.  Brown the heck out of that tomato paste for lots of flavor. It's ok if it gets stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the stock a little at a time while stirring and bringing up the tomato paste and veggies that are caramelized to the bottom of the pot. After the stock has been added, pour in the lentils and seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer over low heat. Cover the pot and walk away for about 45 minutes. The lentils should be tender. 



Garlicky Kale
1 tbs coconut oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups of kale
salt

Over medium high heat, melt the coconut oil and then add garlic. Stir the garlic quickly and then add the kale. Saute till the kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. 


Once the kale is ready, make your egg however you'd like. I prefer mine over easy. Now it's time to assemble your dish. Ladle the lentils in the bowl, top with garlicky kale, and add your egg. Time to eat! Enjoy!