Gluten Free Black Bean and Lentil Soup

Is it still cold where you live?

Here too.

I just had to whip up a pot of 

Black Bean and Lentil Soup.

Yes, it sounds healthy and looks healthy because it is.

Leave off the sour cream and you have a thick, filling vegan dinner.  The black beans and lentils are good sources of protein and fiber-rich carbs.  The body will absorb these nutrients slowly, keeping energy and hunger levels on an even keel, meaning you will eat less and have not experience the spike in energy followed by that unwanted drop.  

Besides all the health benefits, it's really tasty.  

I got both my husband and 3 year old to eat and then ask for seconds.

Yep, it's that good.

Gluten Free Black Bean and Lentil Soup

1/2 large onion

1/2 T. olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 t. chili powder

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. paprika

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 T. ketchup 

1/2 cup uncooked lentils

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 t. salt

2 T. lime juice

1/4 t. pepper

Sour cream

Avocado

Cilantro

Chop the onion and saute in olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat until soft.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, saute 1 min.

Add 2 cups of broth or water and ketchup, bring to a boil.  

Add lentils; cook until tender, about 25 minutes.  

Partially mash 1 cup of black beans.  Add to soup as well as the other whole beans.

Add salt, lime juice, and pepper.

Cook 5 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.

Serve with GF bread, crackers, or tortillas.

Gluten Free Brown Rice and Lentils

Brown rice, lentils, veggies...doesn't get much healthier than that.
But don't think that because this might be labeled as "health" food that its not good.
Because trust me, this is a casserole that is full of flavor, easy to make, and dirt cheap.

Gluten Free Brown Rice and Lentils

This recipe has been made quite a few times around our house.  

Lentils are named as a belly-flatting food, because they fill you up, not out.

Gotta love that.

The best part...

it changes every time you make it depending on what veggies you have laying around.

We've tried many different combos, some we like some we don't.

Good veggies to add in are:

- corn

- peas

- red pepper

- green pepper

- onion

- green onion

- asparagus

Veggies not to add in:

- zucchini

- squash

- mushrooms

(They just get too mushy)

Not only can you add anything to casserole you there's also many different ways you can serve it.

You can serve it like a casserole, with a green salad on the side, use as a sandwich filling or my personal favorite, as taco filling with a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Brown Rice and Lentils

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup dry lentils

1/3 cup brown rice

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups mixture of your favorite veggies, chopped 

(peppers, corn, peas, etc...see list above)

1 t. Italian seasoning

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 cup cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together except cheese and sour cream in a baking dish.

Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Remove foil, add cheese and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream.

Make tacos and wrap in corn tortillas,

or make a sandwich with GF bread, 

or just serve beside a green salad.

Gluten Free Lentil Tacos

Starting off the New Year on a healthy foot?

This recipe is for you!

Lentil Tacos

The first time I made these delicious tacos we had this conversation at the dinner table:

 husband says "these tacos taste a little different, did you use hamburger?  They are good, just different".

"Haha," I said, "it's lentils!"

Lentils are a great food to add your diet.  

They are rich in iron and high in protein.  And the best part, low in calories and dirt-cheap.

They are a great meat replacement and are actually a staple in vegetarian cooking.

The issue that I was having when first experimenting with lentils is I couldn't find a good recipe that didn't taste "weird", "earthy" (not in a good way earthy, like granola, in an earthly way like dirt.), or ended up looking like someone threw-up all over dinner.

Sounds appetizing right.

Then I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest.

It sounded pretty good.  I decided to give them another try.

And I'm so glad I did.

The original method is to not mash/puree the lentils and then cook out the liquid.  I ran the lentils through the food processor to make them appear more and have the same texture as ground beef.  

And here's a time saving tip:

Instead of cooking the tortillas one at a time over the stove I placed 6 corn tortillas on a baking sheet.  I then sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese over the top and baked at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, until the cheese was melted and the edges looked crisp.  Not only delish but super fast too.

Or you can just cook the tortillas one at a time and sprinkle the cheese on with the rest of the toppings.

Gluten Free Lentil Tacos

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 t. oil

2/3 cup lentils

2 t. chili powder

1 1/4 t. cumin

3/4 t. oregano

1 2/3 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)

2/3 cup salsa

Corn tortillas

Shredded Lettuce

Chopped Tomato

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cubed Avocado or guacamole

Sour Cream

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil in a pot.  When tender add the spices, lentils and chicken broth.  Boil about 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. 

Put lentil mixture in the food processor or blender.  Add the salsa and blend together.  

Place mixture back into pot and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.