Moroccan Lentil Salad

• 1 cup dried green lentils, sorted and rinsed 
• ½ tsp. fine sea salt 
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated 
• 2 cups loosely packed chopped kale, stems removed 
• ½ cup chopped toasted pistachios or almonds 
• ½ cup chopped dried Turkish apricots 
• ¼ cup pitted, chopped Kalamata olives 
• 1 Tbsp. Ras el Hanout (Moroccan spice blend) 
• 1 cup uncooked couscous, prepared according to package instructions 

Place the lentils in a medium pot, add the salt, and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Place the carrots, kale, nuts, apricots, olives, and Ras el Hanout in a large salad bowl. Add the couscous and lentils and toss until evenly combined. Add two-thirds of the dressing (recipe below), toss, and taste. Add more dressing to taste, if needed.

Cover the salad and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 
• ½ shallot, minced 
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and pepper in a glass jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until emulsified.

Maple-Dijon Apple Cider Vinaigrette: Add 2 teaspoons maple syrup to the basic recipe. This sweet variation goes superbly with lentil salads. Try it on our Moroccan Lentil Salad with Cauliflower Couscous. Each variation makes ½ cup

Serves 6.

VERDICT: This seems like an odd assortment of ingredients--carrots, apricots, olives--but everything came together really nicely, and it holds up well over a few days for lunches. I added extra olives--my favorite part.  Keep!

Chickpea-Pesto Tomato Soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 15-ounce can drained, rinsed chickpeas
• 1/4 c. basil pesto

In a pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat till soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar and black pepper.

Add one 15-ounce can drained, rinsed chickpeas. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Top each serving with a dollop of basil pesto.

Serves 4; 258 calories.

VERDICT:  Very easy, not bad result.  Keep.

Red Lentil and Black Bean Stew

• 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 2 minced garlic cloves 
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika 
• 4 cups vegetable broth 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 3/4 cup red lentils 
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed, mashing half the beans with a fork 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• juice of one lime 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and paprika; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Add the lentils, lower heat, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes.

Add the beans (whole and mashed), lime juice, salt and pepper. Cook five minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4; 248 calories.

VERDICT:  Winner!  This is easy, hearty, healthy, and really, really good.  I'm already plotting to make it again.  Keep.

Mushroom Tacos al Pastor

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms (creminis and portabellos work well), cleaned and cut into large chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, miced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons dark chili powder
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced, plus two wedges of lime
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cilantro
• 6 small corn tortillas
• queso fresco, optional

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high-heat. Set aside 3 T. onion.  Add remaining onion and mushrooms to the skillet and sauté for about 10 minutes--until onions are tender and mushrooms begin to brown.

Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and chili powder to onions and mushroom.  Saute for 30 seconds until garlic is aromatic, then add orange and lime juice, and salt.  Cook for two to three minutes until the juice reduces.

Heat tortillas according to package directions.

Spoon mushroom mix into tortillas and garnish with reserved raw onion, chopped cilantro, and queso fresco, if using.  Squeeze lime juice on top.

Serves 2; 498 calories.

VERDICT:  These are good, and probably would be even better with a little fresh pineapple, as suggested by the recipe note.  However, a pound of mushrooms for two people is a considerable expense and cleaning effort.  Toss.

Chickpea Spread for Bruscetta

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 red onion, diced small
• 1 carrot, diced small
• 1 celery stalk, diced small
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1/2 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
• Loaf of country bread
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery, and chile flakes. Cook until softened and translucent, about three to four minutes. Deglaze with white wine and reduce completely. Add garbanzo beans and the spinach, along with 1/4 cup water. Stew for about 20 minutes, adding more water if needed. In the last few minutes, finish with parsley. Roughly smash with a potato masher. Cut the bread into 10 slices, drizzle with olive oil, and grill until nicely charred. Spread the garbanzo bean mix on the bread. Finish with any of the following toppings: a fried or poached egg; oil-packed tuna and arugula; goat cheese; or avocado and tomato.

Serves 10; 184 calories.

VERDICT:  We made this for the Oscars on wheat baguette and added goat cheese--surprisingly good and a just fancy enough.  I also added a bit of leftover Swiss chard, which I don't think anyone noticed.  Keep!

Chickpea, Cherry, and Ginger Salad

• 2 15.5oz cans chickpeas
• 1 11oz can mandarin oranges
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 2 T. minced ginger
• 2/3 c. chopped pecans
• 2/3 c. dried tart cherries
• 1 minced jalapeno
• 1 c. chopped parsley
• 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese or feta
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 2 T. olive oil
• salt & pepper

Combine all salad ingredients in large bowl. Whisk together cider vinegar & olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over salad and mix well.

Serves 4; 587 calories.

VERDICT:  I thought the canned mandarin oranges might be weird, but the whole thing is oddly good and satisfying.  Keep.

Tabbouleh

• 1/2 cup fine-grind (#1) or medium-grind (#2) bulgur
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup peas or fava beans (frozen are fine; run them under cold water to thaw)
• 6 radishes, chopped
• 1/2 cup scallions, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 6 black olives, pitted and chopped, or more to taste (optional)

Soak the bulgur in 1¼ cups boiling water to cover until tender, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the grind. If any water remains when the bulgur is done, put the bulgur in a fine strainer and press down on it, or squeeze it in a cloth. Toss the bulgur with the oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (You can make the bulgur up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before proceeding.) Just before you're ready to eat, add the remaining ingredients and toss gently; taste, adjust the seasoning, adding more oil or lemon juice as needed.

Serves 4; 280 calories.

VERDICT: I loosely followed this, doubling it and using edamame, plus a little less mint and a lot more olives.  It's not bad, but not very strongly seasoned.  Toss.

Crunchy Coffee-Cocoa Shake

• 4 ounces chilled coffee
• 4 ounces fat-free milk
• 1 banana (preferably frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons whole almonds
• 2 teaspoons natural cocoa powder

Combine in blender, process until smooth.

Serves 1; 259 calories.

VERDICT:  Not bad at all--the almonds processed until not crunchy at all, which I appreciate in a breakfast smoothie.  Keep.

Dal with Cauliflower, Eggplant, and Zucchini

• 1 T. vegetable oil, plus more as needed
• 1 T. butter
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 2 T. peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 2 c. cauliflower florets and stems cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 c. cubed eggplant, salted, rinsed, and dried
• 1 c. cubed zucchini
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 T. mustard seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• black pepper
• 1 dried mild chile, like ancho (optional)
• 1 c. brown or red lentils, washed and picked over
• water
• salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  When the butter is melted, add onion, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until soft.  Remove from the pot.

Raise the heat to medium-high.  Add the cauliflower and cook, 5-10 minutes, or until browned.  Remove the cauliflower and add a little more oil to the pan.  Add eggplant and zucchini and cook, stirring, 5-10 minutes, or until browned.  Add the cardamom, mustard seeds, cloves, pepper (to taste), and chile pepper, if using,  Stir for 1 or 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant but not burning.

Return the onion mixture and cauliflower to the pot.  Add the lentils and enough water to cover by about 1".  Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if necessary, for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.  Remove cardamom pods, cloves, and chile pepper.  Sprinkle with salt, adjust seasoning.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Serves 4; 281 calories.

VERDICT:  This ended up looking gross and tasting bland.  I also couldn't find all of the cardamom pods, as they were exactly the same color as the dal, so I ended up eating one.  There is a quick version, which involves using ground spices and just tossing everything into the pot at one time, but I don't think it's worth trying.  Undoubtedly healthy, but not that enjoyable.  Toss.

Blueberry-Oatmeal Smoothie

• 1 c. fat-free milk
• 1/2 c.  frozen blueberries
• 1/2 c. fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 T. ground flaxseed

Combine the milk, blueberries, yogurt, oats, and flaxseed in a blender.  Process until smooth.

Serves 1; 306 calories

VERDICT:  No amount of processing made the oats smooth, and the flaxseed doesn't help texture matters any.  Toss.

Melon Mango Breakfast Smoothie

• 3/4 c. frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 c. frozen or fresh banana slices
• 1/2 c. cantaloupe, diced
• 1/3 c. low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 c. vanilla soymilk (or lowfat milk w/ tsp. vanilla)
• 1/4 cup low-fat granola for topping

Place all of the ingredients except granola in a food processor or blender and puree until thick and smooth. Spoon into a dish or glass and sprinkle granola over the top. Serves one.

Serves 1; 371 calories.

VERDICT: Delicious and pretty.  I may just start drinking smoothies for every meal.  Keep.