Lime and lentil soup

Lime and lentil soup a tad odd yes? It is, but surprisingly tasty! This is part of one of my recipes from the series: "Made from random stuff in my kitchen" and this one I must say turned out rather well! The rich earthy flavour of lentils and cumin is offset by the smooth sourness of the limes and the citrusy flavour of roasted coriander. These powerful flavours then go well with a whole mix of veggies and the slight tang provided by a touch of tomato! This is a good, out of the ordinary, easy and tasty soup, just the kind of thing you might want around for the snowy days that are just beginning, it even has the added benefit of clearing your sinuses!

Ingredients:

-2 Yellow onions

-2 Bunches green onion 

-3 Cloves garlic 

-6 Carrots 

-1c Brown lentils

-½ tsp. Whole cumin seeds

-2 tsp Whole coriander seeds

-1 Lime zest and juice

-2 tbsp. tomato paste

-1 Large handful of spinach

-1 Cube vegetable broth

-~8 cups water

-1 tsp. Olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

1) Let lentils soak at least 1 hour before cooking, once ready boil for 20 minutes in 2 of the cups of water

2) Slice yellow onions and carrots, crush garlic, heat olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot, and add these vegetables, cook until onions have softened

3) While the vegetables cook, heat whole coriander and cumin until browned and fragrant, grind in a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder or with a glass bottle or rolling pin on a cutting board.

4) Add spices to vegetables alongside lime and mix thoroughly, add 4 cups of water to the mix as well as the tomato paste, salt, pepper and half the lime juice (Taste and add more if you like it, if you plan on serving it the day you prepare it, half a lime might be best, if it sits you can put the juice of the entire lime, it mellows overnight) as well as the broth cube.

5) Drain the lentils, reserving the liquid  in a bowl, add the lentils to the soup and lentil liquid to taste

5) Cook the soup to meld flavours at medium heat for at least 10 minutes before adding sliced green onions and spinach as well as the liquid the lentil's were boiled in and extra water to taste.

Shakshouka

This typical Middle Eastern dish makes for excellent, warming comfort food on a cold day. Spicy, warm and mindbogglingly full of flavour this dish seems to originate in Tunisia but is rather popular throughout swathes of the middle East going all the way to Israel where it has become pretty popular. The recipe was originally brought to my attention by my friend Sara who found it over on smittenkitchen, I toyed with quantities added some green peppers and changed the consistency and voila, my recipe was born! Keep in mind that the eggs are absolutely necessary to counter the acidity of the tomatoes, enjoy!

Serves 4
-1/4 c. olive oil
-3 Jalapeno peppers
- 2-3 Yellow onions
-1 Green Pepper
-4 cloves garlic, crushed
-2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (or to taste)
-1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
-1 Teaspoon coriander
-1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
-2 raw tomatoes, chopped, for texture (optional)
-Salt/pepper to taste
6 eggs
- feta cheese, crumbled to taste
-Fresh parsley or cilantro to taste ( Although not traditional, I rather like cilantro on it!)
Fresh bread or warm pitas for serving

1) Crush garlic, slice onions and chop pepper into large chunks, mince jalapenos (seed them if you would like to make it less spicey)
2) Heat oil until hot, add onions, garlic, pepper and jalapenos, cook until soft and fragrant
3)In a separate pan, toast whole cumin until fragrant, grind down with paprika and add to the vegetables
4) Add the tomatoes and their juice to the mix, simmer for about 20-30 minutes until reduced, thick and brown, season to taste and let simmer a few minutes
5) Break eggs into the vegetable mix and bury them in the tomato sauce being very careful not to break them (you can cheat by putting a lid over it as if making eggs sunny side up)
6) Serve accompanied by bread with a dusting of feta and parsley or coriander

Roasted Radishes

Most often eaten raw, I would not even have thought of roasting this wee root vegetable had it not been for my brother Joe and his fiancée Sara so I owe them a big thanks! This recipe might surprise even the most dedicated radish hater, delighting them with the surprisingly subtle flavour of roasted radishes. Not only are they healthy and tasty but the bright colour of radishes also makes for an extremely festive looking side!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

-8-10 Radishes

-1 tsp. Garlic infused olive oil (Or just olive oil)

-1/4 tsp. Parsley

-1/4 tsp. Rosemary

-1/8 tsp. Garlic powder

-Salt/Pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2) Trim and clean radishes

3) Coat radished is oil and shake them in all of the seasonings

4) Bake for 15-20 min. until tender, easy as that!