Indian Lentil Coconut Soup

Christmas Day has come and gone...are you as worn out as I am? My past week and a half has been a whirlwind of weddings, dinners, parties, decorating, gift wrapping, party planning, making lasagna for 100 plus people (it was delish I might add). So I am not surprised that when I woke up this morning I was a little under the weather!

I don't have much of an appetite (probably because I'm not feeling well...or maybe because I've eaten so much wonderful/rich/delicious food lately !?!). But soup sounded good to me, I love this recipe, I haven't blogged in FOREVER, and I haven't shared it with you yet...so here it is.

The soup freezes well and I'm heading to Orlando on Wednesday for the Capital One Bowl, so most of it went straight into the freezer...but the serving I had today really hit the spot. Feeling better already!

Indian Lentil Coconut Soup

adapted very liberally from Health.com

makes 16 1/2-cup servings

Printable Recipe

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

5 cups water

1 pound dried red lentils, washed and picked over

1 13.5 ounce can light coconut milk*

2 bay leaves

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and saute 5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, and other spices; cook until fragrant and spices coat onions. Add water, lentils, coconut milk, and bay leaves; stir to combine.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes or until lentils are soft. Add more water if soup becomes too thick.

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Per serving (1/2 cup) - 126 calories, 2 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 19 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 8 g protein (exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 vegetable, 1/2 fat, 1 protein; WW points: 2)

* Coconut milk is usually found on the ethnic food isle...not by the alcohol (don't by cream of coconut, save that for pina coladas!)

EDF November...Thanksgiving!

So, until football season is over, it looks like all I'm capable of is a few posts per month! I had 3 in September, 2 in October, and this is my first for November...not a way to create a following!

But since its Thanksgiving week, the studio is closed and there is no Saintsations practice until Sunday (for the BIG game on Monday night, look for me on the sidelines!)...I have the whole week off. Time to blog!

I'm only in charge of the salad for Thursday. We are having Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's side of the family in Venice, Louisiana (way down at the mouth of the Mississippi). My dad and brother are both river boat pilots (well, Adam isn't really a pilot yet, but he's working his way up). My dad's brother's 2 sons (my cousins) are also pilots...and they all have to work this week. So we are taking our feast on the road to my Aunt and Uncle's camp. Aunt Millie is the BEST cook! Such a treat to have a delicious home cooked meal when you are usually the one cooking!

Even though I won't be trying out any new recipes, here are some easy recipes for the November issues of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food, all of them perfect for Turkey Day.

photo from marthastewart.com

Turkey Roulade

- per serving: 251 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 39 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 5 protein, 1 1/2 fat, 1/2 starch)

- suggestions: If you are cooking for fewer people, give this a try instead of the traditional roasted turkey

photo from marthastewart.com

Apple Stuffing

- per serving: 218 calories, 8 g fat, 5 g protein, 33 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber (exchanges: 1 1/2 fat, 1/2 fruit, 1 1/2 starch; WW points: 4)

photo from marthastewart.com

Cranberry and Dried-Cherry Relish

-per 2 tbsp serving: 62 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1/2 starch; WW points: 1)

- suggestion: use leftover turkey and relish to make turkey-brie quesadillas...just spread Dijon mustard over a tortilla and top with turkey, brie, relish, and black pepper

photo from marthastewart.com

Brussels Sprouts Vinaigrette

- per serving: 82 calories, 4 g fat (.5 g saturated), 4 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 fat; WW points: 1)

- suggestions: I had something like this at one of my favorite Houston restaurants, Dolce Vita, but the sprouts were shredded (like slaw)...I might try that here!

photo from marthastewart.com

Roasted Acorn Squash with Cinnamon Butter

- per serving: 117 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated), 1 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 fat; WW points: 3)

photo from marthastewart.com

Pumpkin-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

- per cookie: 78 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated), 1 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fat; WW points: 2)

- notes: these cookies are very cake-like (sort of like muffin tops); many of the reviews said to double the spices

Lagniappe...

Here is a recipe for a Crustless Pumpkin Pie (its more like a pumpkin pie crisp...there is a brown sugar and oat topping) that I made a few years ago...pretty good! I left the orange zest out though.

Per serving: 185 calories, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 6 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber (exchanges: 3 starch; WW points: 3)

Pumpkin Muffins

Okay...I'm officially the worst CEiMB member! I can not keep up with life, much less blogging. Needless to say, it has been yet another month since I've participated...but today when I realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand for this week's recipe (chosen by Oddball Oven Mitt) and a little extra time, I jumped at the chance.

The muffins are a perfect match for a cool fall morning and a warm cup of coffee. They aren't overly sweet, making them a great breakfast option...but I bet if you topped them with a little cream cheese frosting they would make delicious cupcakes.

Pumpkin Muffins

• Per serving - 205 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 32 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein (exchanges: 2 starches, 1 fat; WW points: 4)
• Notes - I doubled the cinnamon, used maple syrup instead of molasses, swapped Greek yogurt for the buttermilk, and omitted the pumpkin seeds...the reviews said the spices were a little muted...the other changes were because of what I had and didn't have in the house; the recipe is supposed to yield 12 muffins, but after filling 12 I still had leftover batter...so as you can see in the pictures I filled 2 ramekins with about 2 muffins worth of batter...I guess I would have gotten about 16 regular muffins; if you have been reading this blog for a while you already know that my leftover muffins are now in a zip-top bag in my freezer

Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee

I look forward to Autumn for several reasons...cooler weather (um, I'm waiting...where is it?), football, warm comfort foods (pot roast is #1 on my list), and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I usually don't sweeten my coffee, but for this I have to make an exception (I do ask for only 1 pump of syrup though).

A few weeks ago I came across this recipe for a DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte...just like Starbucks! And while I haven't actually tried the recipe yet, it did inspire me to flavor my iced coffee with pumpkin spices! I just add pumpkin pie spice to the coffee grounds before I add water and then allow it all to steep overnight. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, just use a mixture of any of the following: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves...go easy on the last 3 and heavy on the cinnamon.

I add about 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice to this recipe. Then for each individual drink, I add skim milk and sweeten with condensed milk...such a treat! Happy Fall!

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

I haven't blogged since Sept 2nd and I haven't made a CEiMB recipe since Aug 27th...what is going on??? Football season!

I'm used to having LSU games take up my Saturdays, but I am not used to NFL football game days! Now that I'm the Saintsation choreographer and the season is in full swing, my Tuesdays are filled with practices, Thursdays occasional games or practices, and Sundays more games! If I wasn't a Saints fan before now (and I'll admit, I wasn't), I will be by the end of the season!

Needless to say, not a lot of cooking has been going on in my house! But I haven't been eating out either. Every week I make sure that I have the ingredients for "assembling" things...eggs, veggies, chicken, turkey, and cheese have been turned into salads, omelets, and sandwiches.

It just so happened that the recipe chosen by Lethally Delicious for this week was a sandwich...something my crazy schedule could handle! And who can resist a grilled cheese?

This is not your typical grilled cheese sandwich...a mix of cheddar and pepper jack cheeses are topped with sauteed red onions and perfectly ripened tomatoes - Delish!

I added a splash of balsamic vinegar to the onions to play-up the sweetness factor. I used tiny yellow tomatoes because they were on sale and organic. And because my bread had gotten moldy (Adam, this is why I keep my bread in the freezer!) I used some whole wheat rolls that I had stored in where else? The freezer.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

• Per serving - 350 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated), 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 16 g protein (exchanges: 2 starch, 3 1/2 fats, 2 protein, 1/2 vegetable; WW points: 8)
• Notes - If you aren't a cheese snob and don't mind sacrificing a little flavor and deliciousness, you could swap the full-fat version for a 2% reduced fat cheese...or you could just make sure the rest of your meals that day aren't particularly high in fat (and saturated fat) and enjoy the real deal...it's only 350 calories for the whole sandwich; I recommend adding the balsamic like I did...the onions were so good; as you can see in the picture, I didn't dice the onions, just sliced them into half-rings; I love my All-Clad panini pan!

EDF September

Remember how I said I was going to post seasonal recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine every month? Well it's September....so here goes:

Romaine, Avocado, and Corn Salad

- per serving: 166 calories, 8.9 g fat, 4.7 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 1 1/2 fat, 1 vegetable, 1 starch; WW points: 3)

- suggestions: add some shredded chicken or black beans, for added protein, and make it a meal

English Muffin with Apple and Cheddar

- per serving (1/2 an English muffin): 173 calories, 7.7 g fat, 7.5 g protein, 18.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 1/4 fruit, 1 fat, 1 protein; WW points: 4)

- suggestions: use a whole wheat English muffin; Martha says 1 serving is both halves of the muffin, which would be fine if you were eating this as a meal...I would eat half and have it at breakfast or as a snack

Roasted Vegetable Soup

- per serving: 172 calories, 7.5 g fat, 3.6 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 4 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat; WW points: 3)

- suggestions: I would only use 1 tablespoon of oil

Chicken and Artichoke Stew

- per serving: 355 calories, 10 g fat, 40 g protein, 25.4 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber (exchanges: 2 fat, 5 protein, 1/2 starch, 3 vegetables; WW points: 7)

- suggestions: to make this recipe quicker, use a shredded rotisserie chicken purchased from the store; note, the optional rice is not included in the nutritional info; you could use shredded breast meat instead of thighs

Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

- per serving (1 cutlet...w/o tomato sauce...but that won't add much!): 192 calories, 7 g fat, 29 g protein, 1.8 g carbohydrates (exchanges:4 protein, 1 1/2 fat; WW points: 4)

- suggestions: Martha thinks you should eat 2 of these (for 384 cals and 58 g protein), but unless you are a man, you do not need that much protein at 1 meal...so my serving is 1 cutlet; this is a make ahead and freeze meal...perfect for a quick dinner

Broccoli Chowder with Corn and Bacon

- per serving: 264 calories, 6.1 g fat (2.6 g saturated), 14.4 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 2 protein, 1 fat, 1 vegetable, 2 starch; WW points: 5)

- suggestions: I would probably add garlic with the onions

Herb Crusted Salmon with Spinach Salad

- per serving: 383 calories, 18.5 g fat (3 g saturated), 36.5 g protein, 16.7 g carbohydrates, 2.6 g fiber (exchanges: 3 1/2 fat, 6 protein, 2 vegetable; WW points: 9)

- suggestions: Don't be scared by the amount of fat...it's mostly from the fish (heart healthy omega-3's); I would use whole wheat bread

Iceberg Wedges with Gorgonzola Dressing

- per serving: 80 calories, 2.7 g fat (1.8 g saturated), 5 g protein, 9.6 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber (exchanges: 1/2 fat, 1 protein, 1 vegetable; WW points: 1)

- suggestions: I might add a little more cheese!

Latte e Miele

Did you know that Baton Rouge has a gelateria (a place where gelato is served)???? I was just flipping through 225 magazine (check Hil out on page 31!) and read this article about Latte e Miele (Italian for "milk and honey") and got soooo excited! Apparently it has been open since April (how am I just now finding out about this?)

Gelato reminds me of big cities...Houston, NYC, LA...not Baton Rouge! But it's here and I will be sure to visit soon!

Here are two blog posts about Latte e Miele: First Bite and Cuisine Rouge.

Latte and Miele is located on Highland at I-10 (near CCL) and is open 7 days a week from 10 am to 10 pm. If you aren't into gelato (and really, you should be) you can also get cappuccino and espresso...or gelato topped with a shot of espresso!

Latte e Miele, I'm on my way!