Author: Megan

What are you having for dinner tonight?  Looking for something easy and delicious?  I have the recipe just for you! 

I’m not sure how the weather has been for all of you, but around here the weather seems more chilly than usual for this time of year.  When the weather changes and the temperature slowly dips down to just plain cold outside there is nothing that warms the soul like a bowl of fresh, delicious, hearty, and easy soup to sip and simply enjoy. 

Making soup is easier than you think and soup is amazing to freeze and pull out later for a quick meal.  Which is one of the many reasons why I love soup!!!  Generally, when I make soup I usually make a bit more so that I can freeze it for a later use and more specifically for those brutally cold winter months when you don’t always feel like making something.  Soup is easy to dethaw, heat up and eat within 20-30 minutes.

What are lentils?  Why are they so healthy for you?

Lentils are a legume, along with other types of beans you probably consume on a regular basis.  These little power houses grow in pods about the size of an eraser on a pencil. Lentils can be black, red, yellow, green or brown in color and will retain their shape even after cooking. 

Lentils are high in fiber and protein, not to mention a whole host of other essential vitamins and minerals packed into these tiny little powerhouses, many people from vegan to non-vegetarians can add lentils to any dish giving their meals a boost of nutrition thanks to the mighty lentils versatility in cooking.

Lentils have been in cuisines for centuries and like the Garbanzo bean are a staple in many cultures.  Here is a list of only some of the amazing health benefits lentils provide:

• Reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease:
  • Lentils contain fiber and folate. Research suggests eating high-fiber foods may help decrease the risk for heart disease, while the added benefit of magnesium helps regulate blood circulation.

• Reduces the rate of digestion and sugar absorption:
  • Since lentils are high in fiber this helps slow the rate of digestion. This slower rate leads to a slower absorption of glucose, or sugar, thus helping to control or balance blood sugar levels.

• Can aid in weight loss:
  • Lentils are naturally low in calories, keeping you feeling fuller longer and the more fiber you have generally the more nutrient dense the food is which means you may not be consuming as much food due to the above factors.  When you have the feeling of satiety you generally do not eat as much thus resulting in less calories consumed.

Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of dry lentils
• 3-4 carrots (regular not baby carrots)
• 2-3 stalks of celery
• 1 medium white or yellow onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 container of fresh mushrooms
• 1/2-3/4 c. grape sized tomatoes
• 4-6 cups of Vegetable stock or Beef Stock

Directions:

1. Add a 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil to your soup pot on the stove.
2. Chop celery, carrots, and onions and add them to the pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn stove on med to low heat.
3. Dice up garlic and add the garlic so it’s on top of the other ingredients in the pot.  Note that adding your garlic last to sauté will help so it won’t burn.
4. Chop up tomatoes and mushrooms and add to the pot. Stir the mixture as you go so the mushrooms can be steaming.
5. After about a minute add your vegetable stock or beef stock and stir.
6. Turn burner down to medium and add your bag of lentils to the mixture.
7. Cook 20-30 minutes.
8. Enjoy!!!

When it comes to seafood and fish I do have my absolute favorites as well as options that do NOT make the list…I mean that would never make the list! However, I am only sticking to the options I prefer to make and one of those choices unequivocally would be wild fresh Salmon. Out of all the ‘fish dishes’ this is my regular and most preferred fish on any menu to make or order when dining out!
I have heard over the years from friends and family that making a new type of fish or fish in general can be somewhat intimidating to make, prepare and ultimately fish and would prefer to opt out having any fish on the menu because of their uncertainty.

So let’s get started on how I prepared my fish.

Depending on the amount of servings of salmon I am preparing will be the amount of aluminum foil sheets I will need per salmon filet. Make sure aluminum foil is large enough so each individual salmon has its own pouch while baking in the oven.

I found that fresh salmon is easiest to work with but if you know you are going to make this recipe preferably de-thaw your salmon overnight in original packaging on a plate and place on the bottom shelf in your refrigerator. Once salmon is de-thawed place each piece of salmon on the foil and sprinkle a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. I then take a fork and poke it to allow the olive oil and salt and pepper to marinate the salmon.

I then take the time to cut up my other ingredients that I will be using to eventually pour over each salmon filet. I preheat my oven to 375° degrees and then place my individual sealed fish pouches either in a glass baking dish or pan and bake 35-45 minutes.

I think people get nervous preparing fish for fear of overcooking or undercooking the fish. To test for doneness, fish becomes flakey. You can cut a small piece in the thickest part of the fish and see if it looks cooked through thoroughly or not. If it’s cooked it’s done. If however, the fish is not done cooking it will appear to resist flaking and be more translucent. Place fish back in the oven for a few more minutes carefully monitoring, since fish cooks rather quickly.

Well, that’s all for now!
I hope you all have a chance to experiments in the kitchen with this recipe!

Cheers!

**(On a side note, I am sharing my other Salmon recipe in another blog later on!!)