DARK GREEN LENTIL SUPER SOUP: Vegetarian, carnivore opt

 This dark green lentil soup, a 5-star wonder with loads of flavour and texture, is a winner on a cold, dark October evening...

The best lentil soup 67goingon50 has ever had; superb flavour & texture

first posted Nov 2015

Green Lentil Super Soup served in a big tureen makes a wonderful party dish. Trust me - vegetarian or carnivore -  they'll love it. 

It's designed to feed plant and meat eaters with an intensely flavoured vegan base.  But to make life really easy, there's none of the usual divvying up of the base into two separate soups.  The meat option is served separately, on the side, almost as a garnish.  

It's a Cook Clever dish; even half a recipe gives plenty of leftovers which can be frozen. 

Adapted from the incomparable Ina Garten*, the soup's ingredients are beautifully balanced.  It does need reconstituted dried green lentils; red ones won't work as well and tinned won't have half the flavour.

The soup is heavy on chopped vegetables but they give the soup its distinctive character.  A good sharp knife will make short work of the onions; the coarse blade of a food processor will also do a good job.  

For vegetarians, a sprinkling of parmesan or rice crackers or wholemeal bread ensures a good balance of amino acids.  Or add a good vegetarian frankfurter like Tivali.   

For meat eaters, spicy Polish sausage like kielbasa, or shards of ham hock, or sliced chicken frankfurters, will take it to higher level. 

Cost: £4.50 + garnishes
Serves: a large crowd; for family, halve the recipe or make the lot and freeze half for a busier time

Ingred:
      
    450gm/16oz green lentils  
    
    3 lge yellow onions (about 600 gm/21 oz small dice
    2 lge leeks, whites only (600 gm/21 oz) small dice
    3 cloves garlic, grated
    1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried thyme
    1 tsp cumin
    min 1 tsp  - max 1 tbsp salt
    1 1/2 tsp pepper
    
    8 stalks celery (10 1/2 oz/300 g) peeled and in small dice
    4-6 med carrots, scrubbed and in small dice
    5.3 pints/3 litres good stock (home-made if poss, chicken for pref)
    min 1 - max 2 oz/ min 30 - max 60 ml tomato puree
    2 tbsp red wine/ red wine vinegar/grape juice

Method:

1. Cover lentils with boiling water, leave for 25 mins. Drain and rinse
2. Leeks: slice the white part down the middle, making two vertical halves; cut each in half horizontally; lay flat sides down on a chopping board and cut into four strips, then into small dice.  Rinse thoroughly.  
3. In a large heavy bottomed pan, saute onions, leeks, garlic, thyme, cumin, salt & pepper in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat. Cook 20 mins or until very tender, stirring occasionally to prevent catching.
4. Add lentils, celery, carrots, stock, tomato puree, red wine/red wine vinegar/grape juice and stock
5. Cover & bring to the boil; bubble hard for 5 mins; reduce heat to med low; uncover; simmer at a soft bubble one hour or until lentils cooked through.  
6. Serve with cheese or meat options on the side

Tips:

• The soup can be served over white rice, or with a handful of washed rice added to the mix in step 3 
• Vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, either cooked in or added to the soup, will ring the changes 

*Ina Garten:Freeview 43 & Food Network

                   

   

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This recipe has been adapted by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission. 

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN CHILLI HOTDOGS, opt for carnivores

Celebrate longer darker nights with a perky vegetarian lovechild of chilli and hot dogs...

67's Non-meat versions of the popular American Chilli Dog
(the frankfurters taste like the real thing: the dark ones are vegan; the light is vegetarian, containing egg)

Mixing chilli and hotdogs is now a very American thing but in fact might not have been created at all if the British hadn't brought the classic 'banger' across the pond in the 17th/18th centuries.  Later, finer textured frankfutrters arrived courtesy of the Germans.  

The spicy meat sauce poured on top of the franks hailed from Mexico with, later, a Greek twist involving cinnamon and oregano.   

The chilli dog took off when American car culture exploded in the 1950's and '60's.  A whole generation formed long queues at local & highway food stands to buy chilli 'dogs', eaten in their cars carefully and with lots of serviettes. 

Today chilli dogs are found in many regions of the US, each with their own individual spicing. 

In the UK we are still in the grip of plant food and clean eating.  67's non-meat version of Chilli Dogs involves Vegetarian franks* (Tivali: £3 for 10) which taste remarkably like the real thing.  They contain egg.  

Vegan Taifun soya frankfurters, which also have the taste and texture of real franks, are available.  But they cost a shocking £5 for 4 large franks and easily overcook.  

Both versions look great, are as beguilingly messy as the original but are low in cholesterol, fat, salt and preservatives.  And they are lovely to eat, especially as the weather cools. 

The recipe for spicy meat-free chilli, providing plenty of leftovers to freeze was posted recently.  If you have some standing by, this will be a very easy meal.  

If not, make do with tinned chilli  Make a batch as soon as you can, stocking the freezer for times when you need a quick tasty dinner.  

Carnivores looking for a healthier meat version should opt for brand with the lowest fat/sodium (Check the labels); chicken frankfurters may not necessarily be
healthier.

It's best to go for sturdy rolls with this recipe or serve in a bowl with knife and fork!

*Tivali & Taifun Frankfurthers/ Mr Mistry, South End Green 

Cost: min £3.25, more if you need to buy chilli, rolls or make hot dog relish
Makes: 12 small

Ingredients:

    Vegan Chilli

    Home-made or supermarket frankfurter rolls

    mild yellow mustard or Dijon 

    Garnish: grated cheese (plant or dairy) (opt)
                  67's Sugar Free Hot Dog Relish (opt)
   

Method:

SUMAC ROASTED CHICKPEAS, frugal, sophisticated, healthy, low fat & cholesterol

Roasted Chickpeas are such a healthy appealing snack; this sophisticated version goes well with chilled white wine (kids' option below)

 Sophisticated Sumac Roasted Chickpeas
'as more-ish as crisps but probably a lot less fattening.' 'Great crunch; really fresh.'

Roasted chickpeas have all the crunch of crisps but little of the fat and none of the preservatives.  Kids love them.  Adults, too, when they realise how healthy they are and how well they go with wine.

They're easy to make, and 67's original chickpea recipe Roast Spiced has been popular. 

Here's a more sophisticated take based around the MidEastern Spice Sumac - lemony, sweet-sour and fruity.  It brings the Souk to the table, in the best way.  They'll be glorious with a chilled glass of white.

For kids, though, the flavour is strong and Roast Spiced Chickpeas is recommended.   

If there is the time and patience to reconstitute dried chickpeas you'll have a snack ten times better than you could ever imagine.  But tinned chickpeas also produce a good result. 

67 found bottled chickpeas were too delicate for this recipe.  

Whatever is used, the trick with roasting chickpeas is to dry them thoroughly, before they go in the oven: rinsing and draining the chickpeas, roll them in a clean tea towel or paper towels.  

These are best on the day they're made but should keep a couple of days in a air tight container. 

Cost: 1.50 
Feeds: large bowlful; recipe multiples easily

Ingred:
   2 x 240gm tin chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried (or equiv made from dried)
   
    2 tbsp olive oil
    1 tsp lime (or lemon) zest        
    1 tsp grated garlic         
    1 tsp sumac
    1/3 tsp smoked paprika
    pinch of chilli flakes (or to taste)
    couple of pinches pepper
    1/2-1 tsp salt

Garnish
     juice of 1/4-1/2 small lime
   up to 1.5 tsp 67's Savoury Spice Mix  (or seasoning salt)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 230C, 200c fan, 400F 
2. Line with tinfoil a tray with one inch/2cm sides that will take the chickpeas in one layer; the foil should be the height of the sides 
3. Spread out the chickpeas; bake in the lower part of the oven, stirring once, for 25-30 mins or until medium crunchy.  Remove from oven and TURN OVEN OFF.
4. Mix oil with spices; taste; adjust as necessary
5. Pour over chickpeas in the pan, tossing to coat
6. Return chickpeas to oven (which is now off); close oven door; leave 20 mins or until ultra crisp and crunchy
7. Cool 
8. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh lime/lemon juice & 67's Savoury Spice Mix if using
9. Serve as a snack or a garnish for salads
10. Should keep well in an air-tight tin for 2-3 days

Comments:
'They are a great snack, as more-ish as packets of crisps and probably a lot less fattening.' Political agent
'Absolutely great; really nice crunch with a lime-scented flavour thing-y at the end.  Tastes really fresh.' Jacob, political intern from Boston University

Tips:

• ovens vary; the chickpeas go from beautifully crisp to overdone very easily; if your oven tends to be very hot, lower the temperature slightly
• See Healthier Bar/Party Snacks for more snack ideas

Please leave a Comment in the box  below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.

ONE-POT UNFRIED TUNA SWEETCORN RICE, frugal, party perfect, low-fat & cholesterol

Simple, easy rice dish to please the crowds....

Updated 10/24; first posted 2019

Kids and adults will be drawn to this perennial favourite of tuna, sweetcorn & rice,
this one healthy and fat-free

A simple comforting crowd-pleasing rice dish is a treat for cooks -- it's made and served in one pot and maintains residual heat.

It's funny how the combo of tuna, sweetcorn and carbs is appealing to all ages, accounting for countless variations of tuna sarnies, fried rice and pastas.

This variation is based on fat-free steamed rice and is so easy to make.  The rice is cooked in the usual way then corn, tuna and spring onion are stirred through it.  

For a crowd, the completed dish remains in the pot where it stays warm through residual heat - at least for first service.  In the photo above, the rice was moved to a serving dish for a sit-down lunch. 

It's a budget-friendly dish, needing only one cup of rice and a single tin of tuna for several party-size portions but it will also make a main for lunch or dinner (see tips below).  

The recipe uses easy-cook rice but can be replaced by regular white or brown rice.

Cost: £4'ish (2024)

Makes: enough for a crowd

Ingreds:
    1 cup raw quick cook or brown rice

    1x160 gm/5.6oz tin tuna, drained and roughly flaked (2 tins, if you like)
    240gm/8/5oz drained sweetcorn or equiv off the cob
    2/3 bunch green onions, topped & tailed, trimmed of wonky leaves, finely chopped (if worried abut fodmaps, use only green leaves and double the amount)

    small florets of cooked cauliflower (opt)

Garnish: (opt)
    finely chopped hard boiled eggs

Method: