Lemony Lentil Soup

This may be one of my favorite recipes I've ever made! I love soup and wanted to make something quick the night before the ballet program started. There ended up being enough left over to have for dinner another night and a half, which made life easier too. I started with a recipe from Anja's Food 4 Thought, but ended up altering a lot of proportions and ingredients to accomodate what I already had. However, I did follow her cooking directions, which were great as always. This soup would probably be good chilled as well, but I haven't tried that.

Lemony Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 c cooked lentils
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 c chopped spinach
1.5 celery stalks, sliced
Olive oil for sautee
2 cloves garlic, minced
1t curry powder
1t cumin
1t Singapore seasoning
1/2t cinnamon
2 1/2 T lemon juice


Step 1: In a large pan, saute onions, garlic, and spices in olive oil on medium-high heat until onions are tender. Stir in celery, lentils, lemon juice, and vegetable stock.

Step 2: Let simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Add spinach. Let cook uncovered for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Thai Red Curry with Noodles and Veggies

I was very apprehensive about trying this recipe for the first time. Why? Well, it's VERY easy to make a bad curry. The flavors are so important and if there's a disproportionate amount of one particular spice, the whole thing just tastes weird. Understandably, it would not have surprised me if my first curry came out less than fantastic. However, I got lucky and found a great recipe and was very happy with the result! My parents even thought it was great. My dad said it was "restaurant quality." Then again, they may just have been being nice. I ate it as well, though, and thought it was quite tasty. I topped this dish with the Curry Baked Tofu and loved the combination.


Thai Red Curry with Noodles and Veggies
Adapted from Vanilla and Spice

Ingredients:
8 oz dry rice noodles (I used Mai Fun)
2T canola oil
1/4C Thai red curry paste
1t curry powder
1/2t turmeric
1 inch piece of minced ginger, or about 1t powdered ginger
1 can coconut milk
1/2t sucanat (This is a form of brown sugar)
1t soy sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1 zucchini, sliced
1-2c diced carrots
3 sticks of celery, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, peeled and diced
Limes for serving

Step 1) Cook the rice noodles according to the directions on the package. It usually only takes a few minutes in boiling water. Set aside.

Step 2) Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the red curry paste and stir for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric.

Step 3) Add the onions, veggies, and ginger to the curry mixture. Cook until onion becomes translucent and vegetables become tender, constantly stirring. Make sure the veggies are evenly coated in seasoning.

Step 4) Pour the coconut milk in the pot, stir, and bring to a boil. Add the sucanat and soy sauce, stir until evenly mixed, and then add the vegetable broth. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Step 5) Serve by placing some noodles in a bowl and spooning the vegetable curry on top. Finish with a squirt of lime. You can also garnish with some chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

Curry Baked Tofu

One of my favorite things to make is baked tofu. I love the variety of flavor options, as well as the great source of protein. I bake mine for a relatively long time at a higher temperature to form a crust on the outside of the tofu.

I had made baked tofu before, but this was my first curry recipe that I've tried. I also baked my tofu when the recipe said to grill it. Because of this, I had no idea how this would turn out. I was pleasantly surprised and consider this tofu quite a success. There is some spice to this recipe, but I love my food to have a little kick to it.

Enjoy!

Curry Baked Tofu
Adapted from Edible Perspectives
Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu
1T brown rice flour
1T ginger
1T lemon juice
1T olive oil
1t garam masala
3/4t cumin
1/4t coriander
1/2t salt
1t chili powder
1/8t cayenne pepper
1/2t turmeric
1 1/2t paprika
1T curry powder
1 T minced garlic
1 C plain, nonfat greek yogurt

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drain the tofu and place the block on a plate. Cover it with another plate and add weight to the top. Allow the tofu to press and release excess fluid while you make the coating. You can also use a tofu press.

Step 2: Combine all ingredients and whisk together until smooth and completely blended.

Step 3: Slice the tofu into 10 even strips, about 1/2 inch thick.

Step 4: Dip each slice into the curry- yogurt mixture until evenly coated and place on a greased baking sheet.

Step 5: Bake tofu for 7-10 minutes on each side, or until a crust has formed. Tofu will stick to pan when flipping, so make sure you don't separate too much of the coating from the tofu when flipping.

Serve over noodles, veggies, or on it's own as a snack or appetizer!

                             Curry Baked Tofu Served Over Thai Curry Noodles and Veggies