Becky's Italian Style Lentil Soup

I think the lentil may very well be the perfect food. You can buy a pound of lentils for less than a buck and the nutritional value per serving is crazy good:
Fat: 0 gms
Protein: 8 gms
Fiber: 9 gms (HELLO!)
Carb: 19 gms
Calories: 70

And that is why I am sharing my favorite lentil soup with you! If you've never tried lentils, now is a good time. This flavorful, peasant dish will keep you going. My kids have been eating this soup since they started on solid food. Miracle! Nutritious, delicious and cheap to make. It also freezes very well. You can find lentils in the section where all the dried beans are sold in the market.

Becky's Italian Style Lentil Soup
Ingredients
2-3 Tbs Olive Oil
4 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped or crushed
1 cup sliced Baby Bella mushrooms (these hold up better in the cooking process than a white button mushroom)
2-32 Oz cartons of low sodium broth. Vegetable,chicken or beef stock will all work just fine for a total of 8 cups. I like Trader Joes stock because the price is good and the ingredients are healthy, no msg, etc. If you make your own homemade stock, all the power to you. Now's the time to use it up!
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 cup dried brown lentils
water
1 cup small pasta such as Orzo or Accini de Pepe.

Directions:

In a large pot, heat oil on medium/low heat. Olive oil heats up fast so be careful. Add onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook for approx 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add pinch of dried thyme and the garlic, cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir well.

Add 8 cups of stock, 1 cup of dried lentils, dried basil and oregano. Increase heat to high. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover, cooking for approx 40-45 minutes. The goal is to not have hard lentils so be not afraid of the cooking time. Add 1 cup of water if you find it's evaporating. While it is still on a good simmer, add the uncooked pasta and make sure you keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot so the pasta doesn't stick (adding a drizzle of olive oil here helps too). Another option: cook the pasta separately and add to the soup but I'm lazy and don't want to dirty another pan.). Simmer the soup until the pasta is cooked. Add more water if needed. This turns out more like a stew, not too brothy. Adjust seasonings if necessary with more salt and pepper and chopped fresh parsley.

My blogtographer Mark, who says he is not a fan of soup, loved this recipe. Picture credits to him, once again. Thanks, my fellow foodie and WW'er!

PS. The focaccia posing on top of the soup is another Becky creation. Recipe to follow!

All We Are Saying is Give Beets a Chance....

The beet. Yes, you heard me, the BEET. (P.S. Why is she writing about beets? Isn't this blog about food and fun? What's so fun about beets?) Like the title says...

The Beet is one of the most under appreciated, feared, and frowned upon amaranths of the vegetable kingdom. For years, they have been tossed aside from restaurant salad plates, not quite making the cut. I, too, was guilty of this crime until I learned how to make my own freshly cooked beets at the ripe old age of 40. Did you know that the Romans used beetroot as a treatment for fevers and constipation? And, Beetroot juice has also been considered an aphrodisiac? Huh?!

Now that I have your undivided attention, let me give you just one way to prepare and enjoy this lovely, colorful, deliciously, nutritious bulb.

First, you go to the market and buy your beets. Some stores sell them with the greens still attached. The greens may be sauteed like spinach with some olive oil and garlic or juiced raw (they have TONS of nutritional value, especially when juiced.) I have an old Juiceman, Jr. and went through a big juicing phase some years back. I wish you could have seen the looks my coworkers gave me when they saw my giant Rubbermaid straw cup filled with blood red beet juice while they sipped their DD coffee. Then there was the day the cup runneth over on my desk and they almost had to call Security due to the "crime scene" that ensued.

Moving right along. If the greens are attached, cut them off right against the beet bulb. Discard them if you REALLY have to or try the saute thing. Scrub the beets well with a vegetable brush and dry them (no need to peel 'em). Poke a few fork holes in them and wrap 2 or 3 beets in aluminum foil. Wrap them so that you can easily unfold the foil when you have to test them. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for approx 45-60 minutes. Smaller beets will cook faster. They should be fork tender when done. When you think they are ready, take them out and unwrap the foil to let them cool a bit. Once you can safely touch the beet, take a piece of papertowel and rub the outside skin layer off. The skin should easily peel off revealing the nice, shiny beet. By now, your fingers will be a lovely magenta color which will be difficult to wash off. (Side note: You could try the Glad Baggie Method, invented by my sister Jennifer. She would encase each hand in a plastic baggie while eating N.Y. System Hot Weiners so her hands wouldn't smell like B.O. for days. I've also seen my husband do this on the rare occasions when he is forced to touch raw chicken.)

Slice them up into desired shapes. I like to make 1/8" to 1/4" slices. Then I cut the slices in half so they are more manageable to eat. My mother, Ginny cuts them in crazy, random chunks. Place the beets in a plastic container that has a secure lid. Next, in a measuring cup pour about 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar and a splash of balsamic vinegar. To this, add about a 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix it up and pour over the beets. If you need more coverage, simply use more vinegar and sugar to suit the amount you are making. Cover tightly and shake it around so all the beets are nicely covered. Put in the fridge and every so often, shake it up to let the marinade do its happy dance all over the beets. I think they taste better the next day, but you can eat them the same day if you give them a few hours to set.

Enjoy as a side dish, on top of salad with some goat or feta cheese and your beet is back, baby!