Lentils Curried with Rhubarb and Potatoes

I found the recipe in English with ingredient amounts. 

Thank to:  http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/stuff

Ingredients:

1 cup dry "orange" lentils
1 very large sweet potato, peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon oil
1 cup rhubarb, diced
2 Tablespoons liquid sweetener
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger root, grated
1 teaspoon hot red chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Procedure:

Cover lentils with water in a deep pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and add raw sweet potato slices. Simmer until soft (about an hour). Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet. Once hot, add rhubarb. Reduce heat and cook until tender. Stir in sweetener and seasonings. Mix with drained cooked lentils and potatoes that have been mashed together with a fork. Pour into a oven-proof dish and bake at 400 degrees until piping hot (about 20 minutes). Garnish with coconut. Serve with chutney and a big bowl of brown rice.

More Rhubarb Recipes -- Curried Lentils

Another recipe from my neighbour -- she says this is so, so good.  Again....  English to follow French.

Faites cuire la rhubarbe, comme en Inde, dans un curry de lentilles et de patates douces. Mettez des lentilles roses dans de l’eau et amenez à ébullition. Ajoutez des tranches de patates douces et mijotez environ 1 h. Retirez du feu, pilez et réservez. Faites revenir des morceaux de rhubarbe dans de l’huile et cuire jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient tendres. Ajoutez un peu de miel, du gingembre râpé, du cari et, si désiré, du piment fort. Mélangez avec la préparation aux lentilles et mettez dans un four réglé à 240 °C (465 °F) pendant une vingtaine de minutes. Ajoutez de la noix de coco râpée et servez sur du riz brun avec un chutney.


Bring red lentils to boil in some water.  Add pieces of sweet potato and stir for about an hour.  Remove from stove, drain, and put aside.  Saute pieces of rhubarb in some oil unil just tender.  Add some honey, grated ginger, curry and hot peppers if desired.  Mix together with the cooked lentils and bake in the over at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Add some shredded coconut and serve on brown rice with chutney.

Rhubarb Salsa

This morning I got an e-mail from Arta saying Moiya had dropped by with some rhubarb. 

My neighbour has rhubarb and knows I love it.  She has told me many times I am welcome to share her plants.  Often I do -- usually just to make a little rhubarb sauce to put on my ice cream.

She made some salsa a couple of weeks ago and brought some over to share.  It was delicious.  Here is the recipe.  (English to follow the French -- as we say in government).

Salsa. Faites cuire des morceaux de rhubarbe jusqu’à tendreté avec des oignons et de l’ail émincés, des raisins secs, un peu de miel, du vinaigre de vin rouge et du piment jalapeno. Passez au mélangeur avec des feuilles de coriandre fraîche. Servez avec des croustilles de maïs chauffées au four.

Salsa.  Saute pieces of rhubarb just until tender with minced onions and garlic, raisins, a little honey, some red wine vinegar and some pickled jalapenos. Mix with fresh coriander and serve with warm corn chips.

Moussaka with low-fat white sauce

This is so, so, so, so good.  It takes a long time to make.  I split it between two small casserole dishes since I don't have kids who will eat this.  Leo and I ate one dish over two nights.  The other dish is in my freezer.  I keep dreaming about it.

• Nonstick olive oil spray
• 2 12-ounce eggplants, peeled, each cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 pound lean ground beef sirloin or ground round
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup plain dry white breadcrumbs
• 2 large egg whites, beaten to blend
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• White sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with olive oil spray. Arrange eggplant slices and half of zucchini rounds, overlapping slightly, on 1 baking sheet. Arrange potato rounds and remaining zucchini, overlapping slightly, on second baking sheet. Spray vegetables generously with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until tender and beginning to brown, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

 ... raw vegetables overlappiing ...

 ... the same raw vegetables, now roasted ...

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water if mixture seems dry, about 7 minutes. Stir in oregano. Add beef; sauté until brown, breaking up with back of spoon. Add tomatoes with their juices and tomato paste, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, egg whites and cinnamon.

 ... onions with garlic and oregano ...
the garlic is piled up in one spot but same colour as onions
...it maybe hard to distinguish...

Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil spray. Sprinkle 1/4 cup breadcrumbs over bottom of dish. Arrange potatoes in prepared dish. Spoon half of beef mixture over. Arrange eggplant slices over. Spoon remaining beef mixture over. Top with all of zucchini, overlapping slightly if necessary.

... layering of veggies and meat sauce ...

Pour warm Low-Fat White Sauce over moussaka. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over. Bake until top is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

 ... white sauce has been added ...

White Sauce

• 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 3 cups low-fat (1%) milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 1 teaspoon butter

Whisk flour in heavy medium saucepan to remove any lumps. Gradually add 1 cup milk, whisking until smooth. Add remaining 2 cups milk and nutmeg; whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in Parmesan, egg and butter. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat until heated through before using; do not boil.)

A Red Salad for Valentine's Day

Beet Root Salad

• 4 good-sized beetroots, different colours if possible, scrubbed, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
• 3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks
• 1 lemon oil dressing recipe / 3 T oil, 1 T lemon juice / 1 garlic clove
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 200 g feta cheese
• 1 small bunch fresh mint, smallest leaves picked
• 1 large handful sunflower seeds, optional

Raw beetroot is amazing in salads, giving you a deep, earthy, minerally flavour, lots of crunch and, of course, incredible colours! Did you know you can get golden and stripy beetroot as well as purple? Have a look next time you're at a farmers' market or buy some seeds and grow a few yourself.

Dress the beetroot and pear matchsticks in a little of the lemon oil dressing and season with some salt and pepper.

Taste to check that the flavours are balanced and lovely, and add a little more lemon juice to check the sweetness of the pears and beetroots if you need to.

Divide the salad between four plates or put it on a big platter, crumble over the creamy white feta, and sprinkle over the baby mint leaves and the sunflower seeds if you're using them. Simple, but it's a treat and a half.

(I found the recipe on the internet, but can't give you the name of the author here, even though I have searched to find the recipe and her name again.  At any rate, I have done this recipe twice now, each time just leaving out the ingredients I don't have.  I am waiting until the farmer's market has fresh mint available or until I am at the lake, for example.   The first time I prepared this dish,  I just didn't have pears in the house but the salad was still good. Last night I put in a large apple pear and halved the recipe.  The salad is amazing -- a gourmet addition to my salad notebook.)

Cracked Wheat Bread

Cracked Wheat Bread   (Bulgar or cracked wheat)

3/4 c.                     cracked wheat or bulgar
1 1/2c.                   boiling water
1 Tblsp.                 active dry yeast
pinch                     sugar
1/4 c.                     warm water
1 c.                         warm buttermilk
1/4 c.                     molasses
1 Tblsp.                 honey
4 Tbsp.                  butter (cut into small pieces - room temp.)
1 Tblsp.                 salt
1/4 c.                     raw sesame seeds
1 c.                         whole wheat flour
2 1/2 - 3 c.            bread flour

1.            In a bowl, place cracked wheat or bulgur and pour boiling water over it. Let sit for 1hour to soften.
2.            In a small bowl, place warm water, yeast and a pinch of sugar. This process is called proofing the yeast.  It will bubble.
3.            Combine the buttermilk, molasses, honey and butter in a bowl and set aside.
4.            In mixer, mix together the whole wheat flour, salt and sesame seeds.  Stir in the milk mixture    and stir until smooth, about 3 min.  Strain the cracked wheat and add to the flour mixture until combined.  Add the flour about a half a cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the side of the mixer.  Dough should be soft and springy, but still tacky.  Dough should spring back   when touched with finger.
5.            Let rise until double in bulk at room temp.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
6.            Divide knead and make two or three loaves, depending on the size of your bread pans.  Put into greased loaf pans.  I use shortening or lard to grease my pans. Let rise until about double in size.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7.            Put into oven and bake for 35 - 40 min.  The loaves should be done when tapping them with    your finger sounds hollow.  Remove bread from the oven and place on racks to cool. 

Whole Wheat Spaghetti

... old tupperware, resurrected for a good cause ...

I am trying to turn over a new leaf and think about vegetables, fruit and white meat in a more complimentary light.

Not that I haven't always loved them.  But they are not even a close second to desserts which I think about all of the time.  I collect recipes I will never use, I file them by dessert category, I read them while I eat lunch.  And my supper.

Lately I have been trying to put them out of my mind and think about vegetables, fruit and white meat.  Another category has also loomed large.  Pasta.  Nutritional pasta -- made from whole wheat.  A few years ago I tried it out and thought, "Better to eat no pasta than this pasta."

But in my present state of mind, I am even trying to add that kind of nutrition back into my diet.  My friend, Pouria, says that it is possible to develop a taste for it, so much so that a person will begin to choose it over the "white stuff".

So, in the interest of making real change, I bought some whole wheat spaghetti and used it for the noodles in a dish called  "Make-Ahead Party Thai Noodles" from Anne Lindsey's Light Kitchen.(p. 165)  She says, "These are particularly suitable for a buffet or when entertinaing as they can be made in advance and reheated."

Make-Ahead Party Thai Noodles

1/2 lb spaghetti
half each sweet red and yellow pepper, cut in thin strips
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/3 cup chopped green onion
4 cups bean sprouts

Sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sodium-reduced soy sauce
1 tbsp minced ginger root
1 1/2 tsp packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp chili paste or hot pepper sauce

1. In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until tender but firm; drain.  Transfer to a 12 cup baking dish.
2. Sauce: Combine vinegar, hoisin sauce, water, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger root, sugar, garlic, mustard and chili paste.  Set one-third of the sauce aside; stir remaining sauce into noodles.
3. Stir in red and yellow peppers, coriander, onion and bean sprouts.
4. Add remaining sauce; bake, covered, in 350 F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot.

Makes 8 servings

My Notes: 
My purpose was to get a good sauce on the whole wheat noodle.  I didn't have dry mustard and used the regular yellow mustard.  I didn't have hoisin sauce, but had black bean sauce, so made the substitution there.  I could see that the sauce is not cooked and I don't like that much fresh garlic, so I left that out.  Still, the noodles were excellent -- I am going to do this again and again with the whole wheat spaghetti I purchased (cheapest when you find it at Costco).  And I have done the requisite shopping trip to T&T groceries over at the Pacific Rim Shopping Centre to refresh my supply of hoi sin, sesame oil and dried shitake mushrooms, of which I will thrown in a few next time.

Now for the vegetables.  I just did a regular stir fry of the veggies I had in the house.  I substituted -- about 8 small carrots (but not baby) that I had julienned in my food processor (for speed); I didn't have coriander but would have loved to try it; I put in some celery.  Just do what  your family likes for a stir fry which is faster than baking everything in the oven.

Pouria and I tasted the dish.  We thought we could triple the vegetables next time.  Kelve tasted it.  He thought the dish should have 1/3 that number of vegetables.  But none of us complained about the noodles.

And here is a bonus.  Calories per serving?  168 and 2 grams dietary fibre