Lentil Soup

This is more like a stew because it's rather thick. I prepped all my ingredients and made TWO pots of it, side by side. One contained cooked Italian sausage and the other remained meatless, for the vegetarians in our family.  You can omit the sausage completely if you want to make this meat-free. The photo shows the vegetarian lentil soup on top with the soup containing sausage beneath it:

For ONE pot of soup:

Start by cooking 1/2# (3-4 links) of Italian sausage, casing removed - either bake or fry it, then drain it well, mince it and cool it off. Set aside.

In a dutch oven or small soup pot, heat 2 Tblsp. olive oil (or vegetable oil) and once it's hot, add:

1-1/2 cups chopped onion

1-1/2 cups sliced celery

1-1/2 cups sliced carrots

few cloves of minced garlic

Saute until softened.

Add 2 C. chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned) with their juice.

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. Trader Joe's 21 season salute (OR 1/2 tsp. all-seasoning, like Ms. Dash)

a few 'grinds' of Trader Joe's South African Smoke seasoning

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (or cayenne) - or more, if you like more of a zap!

Simmer for 20 minutes and then add one (16 oz.) package dried lentils.

Add 6 cups water and 1 cup tomato sauce.

Add the reserved sausage at this point.

Cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.  If (toward the end of the hour) the soup appears to be TOO thick, add another cup or so of water.  Test for seasoning.  Add more S&P, if needed.  After an hour of cooking, taste the lentils to make sure they're softened enough.  If not, cover and continue to simmer a bit longer.

Fresh Chopped Salad

Easy as PIE:  Cut a cucumber, remove the seeds (make them burpless!), dice them.  Do the same with some fresh tomatoes. Add chopped onion (or not) and thinly sliced fresh basil (buy a little plant - keep it inside the house!!),  drizzle with olive oil, vinegar (red wine or balsamic), add sea salt & freshly ground pepper.  Mix it all up & eat it as is or over chopped lettuce/field greens.

Grilled Cod w/tomatoes and basil

Cod is a fleshy, moist fish that grills well without becoming dry. You could probably substitute other fish with this recipe, but the cooking time will vary.  Cooking time will be shorter for thinner filets (flounder, sole..) and longer for thicker, denser fish (salmon, halibut, swordfish..).

Heat your grill. Get a large piece of heavy duty alum. foil and spray with nonstick spray.  Place your fish filets on the greased area. Drizzle with olive oil.  Season generously with S&P and a few shakes of Old Bay seasoning.

On top of the fish, place thinly sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced onions, sliced/chopped fresh basil and again, season with salt and pepper.    Bring up the foil and close it over the fish, sealing it so that the heat stays in the packet (& cooks the tomato/onion).  Place the packet on the hot grill - cover the grill and set a timer for 15 minutes.   Carefully open the foil - if the fish is done you will see it 'separating' (flaking apart), indicating that it's fully cooked.   If you take a fork and pierce the fish in its thickest part - it should easily flake apart... if not, re-cover and cook another 5 minutes or so, checking until it's done.

Carefully remove the packet from the hot grill  (I slide a sideless cookie sheet under the packet and shimmy it on - you can gently use a spatula if you need help!).  

Butternut squash, mashed/spiced

Preheat your oven to 375º.

Scrub, then cut a butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds. Season with S&P, turn upside down and put into a greased 9 X 13 baking pan cut side down.  Pour 1-1/2 cups water into the pan.  Bake for an hour (maybe more if the squash is large), until the thicker (stem side) part is done/soft. Remove from oven (let sit 10-15 min) until it's cool enough to handle.

Scoop the squash into a mixing bowl. Add 2 Tblsp. butter.  Add remaining ingredients (go heavier on the spice if you want it amped up!), add:   1/4 cup maple syrup, a few 'scrapes' of orange zest, 1/8 teasp. cinnamon, less than 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. curry powder, a dash of cayenne, 1/4 cup heavy cream, salt & freshy ground pepper. Mash with a fork/potato masher until everything is blended (you don't need to whip it too much).  Spoon into serving bown, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Even those who don't normally like curry love this dish!