French Lentil Salad !!

I discovered French lentils in Paris, no big surprise I guess. I had no idea they were that different from other lentils I have know. They seem to be quite popular in Paris, all sorts of  lentils in fact. I had them as side dishes several times and once as a salad. It is the salad made with these special French lentils that I want to try and recreate.

I went to the bulk section of my local market and found them, French lentils. They are tiny and green. Before you cook them for any recipe, you must sort out any small rocks or other bits that are not lentils.

They cook very quickly, which is a nice feature. I was quite pleased with my first try and will definitely keep making them. Here is what I did and what I would do differently next time.

French Lentil Salad

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup uncooked French lentils
1 bay leaf
2-3 springs fresh thyme
water to cover for cooking

juice of one lemon
I teaspoon Dijon mustard
one clove grated garlic
two small sprigs of thyme, chopped ( or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup feta cheese in cubes or crumbles
3-4 radishes
2 cups baby greens or lettuce
1-2 tsp olive oil to drizzle
a few grounds of fresh pepper (optional)

1) As mentioned above you should sort the lentils then rinse them.

2) Place them in a large saucepan with plenty of water to cover them plus a couple of inches.

3) Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes. All the recipes I read stressed NOT to over cook them. So check them after 20 minutes, they should be easy to bite, not too tough but still a bit "al dente".

4) While the lentils are cooking make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl add the juice of one lemon, a clove of grated garlic, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and the chopped fresh thyme.
Mix together.

I took this photo before I added the thyme, oops.

 5) Slowly whisk in the 1/2 cup of olive oil.

6) Once the lentils are cooked, drain them well and add vinaigrette. Mix it in gently.
     At this point you can serve them warm or chill them for later use.

7) When you are ready to serve, thinly slice the radishes, chop or crumble the feta and wash and dry your greens.

8) To plate, I originally made a bed of butter lettuce, which you will see in the photos. It turned out to be hard to serve and eat that way. In the future, I will make a lovely mound of lentils in the middle of the serving plate and surround it with baby greens, the feta cheese and the radishes. Drizzle the greens with olive oil, lightly dust with fresh pepper.

Whole Black Bean Dip

Can you tell that beans are my current obsession ? Three bean post in just two week :-)

This one is inspired by the white bean bruschetta, I take it south of the border.
 I got all my fresh ingredients at my farmer's market.
Make it up ahead of time so the favors will marry.

This would be a great dish for your Super Bowl party.
It's a fresher, healthier version of those layered bean and cheese dips, so easy and delicious !!

Laurie's Whole Black Bean Dip

Ingredients

1 can black beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup finely chopped red or green cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2-3 cloves finely minced garlic

2-3 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

 a few drops of hot chili oil or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

(If you like them you could try adding 1/4 cup finely chopped green or red onions.)

1) Grate the carrots, mince the garlic, chop the cabbage and the fresh cilantro.
2) Toss into a bowl with the drained black beans.
3) Add the olive oil, chili powder, hot chili oil.
4) Mix together gently, salt and pepper to taste.

5) Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole.

It is easy to scoop onto a chip !!

I thought this recipe would make lunch for two with lots for later in the week...nope, we were left with only about a half of a cup !!

Note: This mixture would be great as a taco filling !!

Laurie's Chili

I made up this recipe the other day for a football game meal. My team lost but the chili is a winner. This dish can easily be meaty or vegan !! And the making it ahead only helps the flavors marry :-)

Ingredients
2 chopped onions
4 cloves smashed garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lbs, grass fed beef
1 tsp. chipotle powdered chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano or 3 sm fresh sprigs
1/4 tsp red chili flakes ( more if you want it hotter)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 smoked paprika
1 to 2 roasted bell peppers, chopped
1 pint stewed tomatoes
1 16 oz.can black beans
1 16 oz.can kidney beans

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil, as they begin to soften add the herbs and spices.

If this is meaty chili, add the meat once the onions are soft.

Cook until the meat is no longer pink, stir to keep it from burning on the bottom.

Add the stewed tomatoes, beans, roasted bell peppers. If this is vegan chili, you could add another can of beans, maybe pinto for variety.
Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for an hour. Stir occasionally to be sure it's not sticking to the bottom. You can add more stewed tomatoes if it is too thick or let it cook longer if it is too soupy. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with tortilla chips, fresh avocado or guacamole, grated cheddar cheese, hot sauce and fresh chopped cilantro or sour cream (not pictured).