A soup made with ingredients on hand; this hearty lentil stew is a warm and filling meal perfect in the cold months of Chicago’s winter. The recipe can easily be modified to fit whatever the ingredients you have and is designed with leftovers in mind.  Made for two tonight with plenty for tomorrow’s lunch.

Recipe :
1 1/2 cup lentils soaked for at least an hour
8 cups vegetable stock
2 large carrots chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
5 cups kale (bite sized pieces)
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño
1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon turmeric

Sort through the lentils making sure that there are no foreign objects  in the mix (stones or anything else you wouldn’t want in your soup), rinse thoroughly. Pre-soak the lentils for about an hour or more, this will allow them to soak up some water and soften up a bit before you add them to the soup.

Prepare your ingredients; chop the carrots, celery, and mince the jalapeños. Remove the stems from the kale and tear the leaves into bite size pieces.

Warm your soup pot over medium heat with a splash of olive oil, add jalapeños and fry for a moment. Toss in black mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop, add cumin, turmeric, & asafoetida. Once cumin seeds begin to brown, add vegetable broth. Be careful, as the pot is hot; it will steam and hiss as the stock pours in.

Add lentils and bring to a boil for 5-10 minutes. Include carrots and celery and return to a boil. Add kale and simmer until all ingredients are cooked to the desired tenderness. Salt to taste and enjoy.

Our roommate Matt went away for the weekend and brought home a new meal idea.  He and his lady Jane made it together first, then Joe and I were lucky to try it and help with the second batch!  We ate it for dinner; it’s filling enough to qualify as a meal but light enough to treat it as a snack. It’s a healthy pita pizza!

Ingredients :: chopped walnuts, goat cheese, arugula, mushrooms, walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, pita, thyme, salt & pepper.

Preheat oven to 400°.

The amount of ingredients you need will depend on how many pitas you want to make.  We made 6 and measured everything by eye, dividing the ingredients into 6 portions.

Place goat cheese in a bowl and mix with walnuts.  We used about a 3 inch log of cheese and about a cup of walnuts.  Don’t bother measuring it out, just pour some walnuts in, mix up and add more until there’s enough.

Slice mushrooms and lightly sauté in olive oil.  We used about a half pack of baby bellas.  I think most other types of mushrooms would work nicely in this dish as well.  Use whatever you have and however much is necessary.

Prepare your thyme by removing the leaves from the stem and lightly chopping. We used 1-2 tablespoon across the 6 pitas; adjust according to how strong you prefer the flavor.

Place your pitas on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle your chopped thyme and divide mushrooms on to the pita.

Spread the walnut goat cheese and sprinkle lightly with fresh black pepper. Place in to the oven and cook it for 10-15 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, you’ll want to remove it from the oven once the cheese has softened and is slightly browned.

As it is cooking prepare the arugula.  Toss it with walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, and a dash of kosher salt.  Splash these ingredients on, you don’t need much, taste as you go.  Avoid using too much oil, you want it to feel fresh and light but have a hint of flavor with this simple dressing.

Once the pita pizza is done cooking remove it from the oven, serve it on a plate, and top it with your arugula salad.