Red Lentil Soup

Hi All!

This recipe is a family favorite. I think my mom invented it, I just added the kale! It's a great way to have a kind of creamy soup since the lentils break up and lose form, and all the veggies make it super tasty and healthy too!

Last night, I read that gram-for-gram, cooked kale has more calcium than milk. So get your greens in for healthy bones, people! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup of split red lentils, sorted for imperfect lentils and small stones
Water
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium zucchini, chopped
3-6 leaves of kale, depending on size, de-stemmed and chopped into thin ribbons
olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Directions:

In a saute pan, add about a tablespoon of olive oil, and heat to medium. Add chopped carrots, onions and celery. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Saute over medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes - until onions are translucent and veggies are soft.

Meanwhile, place sorted lentils into a sieve and rinse under running cold water. Bubbles will appear among the lentils as you rinse them. Rinse until no more bubbles appear! I think this helps them become more digestible...

Fill a soup pot about half way with water. Place lentils, a teaspoon of salt, and some pepper into the water and stir. Heat to boiling. Turn down to a simmer. Skim off any foam that the lentils produce. This will also help with digestion! Let simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in sauteed veggies into the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Add kale and simmer, once again, for another 15 minutes.

Test the soup for seasoning, and adjust for taste. Serve soup over some brown rice if you want to make a more filling meal.

Enjoy!

Video! Broccoli in Garlic Sauce Made Gluten Free

Hi All,

I wanted to try to make a video of my Broccoli in Garlic Sauce recipe. The audio is not so good, but I used my laptop to film. This is my first attempt at editing and on-camera stuff, and though I'm a bit green, I'm excited to do more and get better!

I hope that you enjoy seeing how this recipe is made!

PS, I cut out the part where I can't stop laughing - but maybe I should include it in a bloopers reel!

xo

Broccoli in Garlic Sauce - Made Gluten-Free!

Hey all!

Being gluten-free can be tricky, since gluten is found in so many products where you wouldn't expect to find it. One of those is regular soy sauce. One of my favorite Chinese food take-out meals is Broccoli in Garlic Sauce (shout out to Oriental Pearl and China Chef!). Alas, any of the brown sauces is usually an indication of the wheat-containing soy sauce. I needed to create my own recipe so I could once again have that delicious sweet/salty/slightly-spicy taste again!

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:
3 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (delish wheat-free soy sauce substitute)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3-4 dates (instead of sugar!)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust for taste)

For the Saute:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 large heads of broccoli, chopped into florets

Directions:

In a blender, blend together the Liquid Aminos, rice vinegar, olive oil, water and dates. In small sauce pan, saute the garlic and tsp of olive oil for one minute over medium heat. Pour the blended mixture into the sauce pan. Turn to low. Add red pepper flakes and stir.

Meanwhile, heat large saute pan to medium-high. Add tsp of olive oil and coat the bottom of pan. Add broccoli florets and saute for about 3 minutes. Once the broccoli turn bright green, pour the garlic sauce over top and saute for 30 more seconds. Take off heat.

Plate the broccoli and serve with steamed brown rice. Pour extra garlic sauce over the rice. Enjoy!

This serves two really hungry people, or four medium-hungry people.

If you want lower sodium, use 1 tbsp less Liquid Aminos and 1 tbsp more water, or use a reduced sodium gluten free Tamari. Here's info on Bragg's Liquid Aminos and San-J Tamari.

Note that this is not a thick sauce - I did not use any thickener. You can if you want, but I have a fear of corn starch. For reals.

xo!