Winter Lentil Stew

Lentils come in a variety of colors, any of which are fine for this stew. It will taste the same, the only difference will be the appearance. I make this stew with a chicken broth, but it can be made vegan by using a vegetable broth instead.

Ingredients
1 sweet potato, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
2 parsnips, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
1 turnip, scrubbed, peeled, and diced
1 cup of grated carrots
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup of Italian parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon basil
1 ½ cups of lentils
½ cup of split peas
8 cups of vegetable or low sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Rye bread, sourdough, or rolls

How to make Winter Lentil Stew
Cook and stir the vegetables in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over medium high heat until they begin to tenderize, about 5 minutes.
Add the herbs, lentils, split peas, and broth to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
Cook 45 minutes or until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this soup with a hearty rye or sourdough bread to dip in the juice.

Some of the different types of lentils, also called masoor, are shown here.

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Black Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker

Beans are an inexpensive way to add protein and fiber to your diet. In addition, they are low fat and filling. This bean soup cooks all day in the slow cooker to let the flavors develop. Pair it with homemade bread from the bread machine and a salad, and you've got a meal!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of black beans
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ½ cup grated carrots
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups red leaf lettuce
• ½ cup of cilantro
• 1 chopped tomato
• Croutons
• Salad dressing of your choice
• Flour and yeast for the bread machine

Preparation the night before:
Soak the beans overnight in water.

Preparation in the morning:
Rinse the beans.
Add all the bean soup ingredients to the crockpot.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Place the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine.
Set the machine to delay bake to be ready at dinnertime.

Preparation in the afternoon:
With a potato masher, slightly mash the beans in the soup.
Toss the salad ingredients together.
Take the bread out of the machine. Allow it to cool slightly before slicing.

Enjoy!

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Spaghetti Pie

Don't throw away your leftover pasta again! This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover spaghetti and sauce. The kids will love it, and they might not even realize they're eating leftovers. Of course, you can make this dish out of fresh ingredients as well.

Ingredients for the crust of the Spaghetti Pie:
2 to 3 cups of cooked spaghetti
2 eggs, beaten till frothy
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese

Spray a pie plate or an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. If the pasta isn't hot, warm it in the microwave. Mix the heated spaghetti with the eggs and cheese and press into the bottom of the pan.

Filling ingredients:
1 cup of cottage cheese (use low fat or fat free to make this dish lighter)
2 eggs
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup of Parmesan cheese

Place the ingredients in a blender or mini-chopper. Whip together until well blended. Pour the cheese mixture over the spaghetti crust.

Topping ingredients:
1 cup of spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup of Mozzarella cheese

Top the cottage cheese mixture with 1 cup of spaghetti sauce. If you have some leftover All Day Italian Spaghetti Sauce in the Slow Cooker, wonderful! The second day after marinara sauce is made, it is more flavorful. If you don't have any leftover sauce, you can use a jar of sauce. I like the Classico brand and the Barilla brand of sauces.

Top the sauce with grated Mozzarella cheese. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Si mangia e si gode!

Photo/Mr. Joro on Flickr

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New Year's Resolution to Cook at Home

It's that time of year again. The time of year when we make lists and resolutions.

Let's face it. Most people don't keep their resolutions beyond the month of January. This year, why not try a resolution to change gradually over the course of the year? Specifically, with a resolution to cook more at home, you can work into it with baby steps. It won't feel overwhelming, and in six months, you'll be in full control of your New Year's resolution.

Start small with your New Year's resolution

Begin in January by cooking one more meal at home each week than you do now.

In February, cook one more meal each week. Now you've increased your home cooked meals each week by two.

In March, do the same thing. Continue increasing the number of home cooked meals each week by one every month until you reach your goal.

Tips to help you cook at home

If this all seems a bit overwhelming, there are ways to lighten the load. Having a cooking buddy can help you share the effort. Also, it helps you stay on track with your resolution to cook at home, because someone else will be waiting for your meal.

Use Dinner Magic menus, recipes, and shopping lists to make cooking easier. Before starting you might want to read How to Make Dinner Magic Work for You. After that, you can start with January Week 1 or any week of the year you desire. The theme for January is "Light." All of January's recipes and meals are light on calories, light on fat, light on your budget, and light on time to prepare them. 

Enlist the help of others in your house. Don't try to do all the cooking and cleanup yourself. You don't do all the eating by yourself, right? In my home, we have a rule that if you don't help cook, you must help clean.

Five reasons to cook at home

There are far more reasons to cook at home than just five. These are the top five that I've included in this cooking at home article for Examiner.com.

Here's to wishing you a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year with plenty of delicious food in your future.

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

Dinner Magic Menus January Week 1

Hoppin’ John Black Eyed Peas with Corny Corn Bread

Luau Chicken with Rice Pilaf

Lemon Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli

Lean Steak Pinwheels Baked Yam or Potato Green Salad

Garden Vegetable Pizza with a Bread Machine Crust

Chicken Dinner in Foil

All Day Italian Spaghetti Sauce in the Slow Cooker

Shopping list for the Dinner Magic January Week 1 Menus.

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Get more recipes and menus from my articles as the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Dinner Magic Shopping List January Week 1

Shopping list for the Dinner Magic Menus January Week 1


Meats:
½ pound of turkey bacon or regular bacon
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound breakfast steak or flank steak
1 pound Italian sausage links

Dairy:
Eggs
1 large tub of cottage cheese
¼ pound grated parmesan cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese
8 ounces mozzarella cheese

Frozen Food:
1 pound package frozen cheese ravioli
1 package frozen broccoli

Fresh Produce:
4 yellow onions
1 head of garlic
1 celery heart
6 cups of mustard or turnip greens
3 green bell peppers and 1 red bell pepper
3 carrots
8 ounces of mushrooms
2 navel oranges
1 lemon
1 bunch or bag baby leaf spinach
4 russet potatoes or small yams
8 new potatoes or small red potatoes
Iceberg lettuce
1 bunch parsley
2 tomatoes

Canned Food:
1 small can corn
1 can pineapple chunks
1 can evaporated skim milk
1 can or jar pizza sauce
1 small jar of artichoke hearts
1 bottle of barbeque sauce, any style or flavor
1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can(15 ounces) garbanzo beans
1 small can black olives

Dry Food and Staples:
8 ounces black eyed peas
White rice
Brown rice
Cornmeal
Flour, whole wheat and white
Sugar
Cornstarch
Rice wine vinegar
Olive oil
Sunflower seeds, shelled
Yeast for bread baking

Spices and Condiments:
Salt and pepper
Chili powder, dry ginger, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaf
Soy sauce
Red table wine for spaghetti sauce (lambrusco, sangria, cabernet, chianti, all work well)

Other items for your own personal shopping list:

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All Day Italian Spaghetti Sauce in the Slow Cooker

This is as close to the traditional, cook all day marinara sauce as you’ll find. I add crushed garbanzo beans (chickpeas) to my sauce to up the protein content. Serve it up with Barilla spaghetti, angel hair, or any other type of pasta you desire. After trying many different boxed pastas, my family seems to prefer Barilla. You may have another favorite brand.

Just an FYI...this recipe makes a full crock pot of sauce. We had it this week, and we had our spaghetti, then I made a Spaghetti Pie with it, I reserved some of the sauce for my Garden Veggie Pizza, and I still had sauce left over to freeze for another meal. Make sure you have plenty of dishes to store the sauce in before you make it!

Ingredients for all day Italian spaghetti sauce

• 1 onion chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon of basil
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ cup of red wine
• 1 can (28 ounces) of tomato sauce
• 1 can (6 ounces) of tomato paste
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can of garbanzo beans, drained and crushed with a potato masher
• 1 small can chopped black olives
• 1 pound of Italian sausage links

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker.
Cook on low all day. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
In the afternoon, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Fry the sausage. Cut on the diagonal into slices and add to the sauce.
Serve the spaghetti with parmesan cheese and sliced black or green olives for topping.

Photo/Foodista

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Chicken Dinner in Foil

This dinner can be prepped in the morning and placed in the refrigerator. Just pop it in the oven when you get home from work.

Ingredients for chicken in foil:

• Bottled barbeque sauce
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 onion, sliced
• 8 new potatoes, cut into quarters
• Salt and pepper

How to make the chicken in foil:
Tear off a 8 large pieces of foil, (about 9x13.)
Spray the foil with cooking spray.
Place the chicken in the center of the foil.
Place the vegetables around the chicken.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour 2 tablespoons of barbeque sauce on top.
Place a second piece of foil on top. Fold the foil and seal it with double folds. Do not fold it too tightly, you don’t want to squish the chicken.
Place the chicken in foil in a baking dish, (just to protect your oven against spills.)
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Check the chicken for doneness. When pierced with a fork, the liquid should be clear.
If needed, cook for another few minutes until the chicken is well done.
Serve with a side salad.

Photo/JSPatchwork on Flickr

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Garden Vegetable Pizza with a Bread Machine Whole Wheat Herb Crust

The ingredients for this pizza crust can be placed in the bread machine in the morning before you leave for work. Set a delay setting to have it kneaded and ready to use when you get home. Just put it in a pizza pan, top it with the vegetables of your choice.

The whole wheat crust makes it healthier than pizza you buy. Do you know you can get whole wheat flour now that is as smooth and light as white flour? Look for it on the baking aisle of your store. It costs a bit more, but the flavor and texture is wonderful.

My recipe has you put a teaspoon of cornmeal on the pizza pan. This helps to prevent the pizza dough from sticking to the pan, and adds a crunchy texture to the crust.

Ingredients for the pizza dough:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups of whole wheat flour (this recipe will work with white flour as well)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons Italian herbs (basil, oregano, and thyme)
• 1 package or 2 ½ teaspoons yeast

Preparation of the pizza dough in the bread machine:

• Place all ingredients for the dough in the machine in the order listed.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients to place the yeast into.
• Do not allow the yeast to touch the wet ingredients.
• Set the bread machine to the dough cycle.
• When the dough is done kneading, take it out of the machine and split into two pieces.
• Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then roll out into a 12 inch circle.
• (If you are only making one pizza, you can freeze the ball of dough for up to 2 months.)
• Sprinkle a teaspoon of cornmeal on a pizza pan and place the crust on it.

Topping for one garden vegetable pizza:

• 1 small bottle or can of pizza sauce
• 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of chopped red and green bell peppers and onions
• 1 cup of sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 small jar of artichoke hearts
• 1 cup of baby leaf spinach or broccoli
• ½ cup of tomatoes, chopped

Spread the sauce on the pizza dough.
Top with the vegetables and finish with the cheese.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.


Photo/Aramand Agasi on Flickr

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Lean Steak Pinwheels

Baked Yam or Potato

Green Salad with Ranch Style Dressing

Ingredients:

• ½ to 1 pound of breakfast steak or flank steak sliced very thin
• 1 cup of fresh baby leaf spinach
• Sliced provolone cheese
• Salt and pepper
• 1 potato or small yam per person
• Iceberg lettuce mixed with 1 cup of spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1 grated carrot
• ½ cup of parsley
• Sunflower seeds

Preparation of the lean steak pinwheels:
Cover a baking sheet with foil.
Lay the breakfast steak on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Spread a layer of spinach on the meat and top with a slice of provolone.
Roll the steak up and secure with wooden picks.
Cut into serving side pieces between the picks. There should be about 8 pieces.
Wash the potatoes or yams.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of oil on a small square of foil for each potato.
Wrap the potato in the foil.
Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Bake the steak pinwheels for 15 minutes.
Mix the salad ingredients together. Serve with ranch dressing.

Photo/Fever Blue on Flickr

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Lemon Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli

This quick dinner satisfies your cravings for rich food, but still is light.

Ingredients:
1 package of frozen cheese ravioli (1 pound package) or make your own ravioli
1 cup of fat free cottage cheese
½ cup of evaporated skim milk
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 small package of frozen broccoli

Preparation:
Cook the ravioli according to package directions in boiling water.
Cook the broccoli in the microwave.
Put the cottage cheese, evaporated skim milk, and parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
Drain the ravioli and keep it in the pot. Add the broccoli to the pot.
Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the juice over the ravioli and broccoli.
Stir the creamy sauce into the ravioli and broccoli.
Sprinkle some of the zest of the lemon over the top of the ravioli.
Serve immediately.

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Photo/Wikimedia Commons

Luau Chicken with Rice Pilaf

This little chicken recipe will feed your craving for sweet and sour chicken, but with a fraction of the fat and calories.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
• ¼ cup of flour
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 can of pineapple chunks (save the juice)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup rice wine vinegar (white vinegar can substitute)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon dry ginger
• 1 large bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks
• 2 carrots julienned (shredded)
• 6 mushrooms, quartered
• Rice (leftover from last night, or cook new rice)
• 2 navel oranges

Preparation:
Spray a pan with cooking spray.
Dip the chicken tenderloins in the egg white, then coat in flour and fry until browned. Set aside.
Drain the juice from the pineapple and add enough water to make 1 ¼ cups.
Steam the bell pepper and carrot in the microwave until just crisp tender, about 2 minutes.
Stir the cornstarch, vinegar, sugar, ginger, and soy sauce into the pineapple juice.
Pour the sauce into a pan. Add the bell pepper and 1 carrot.
Simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
Add the chicken to the sauce.
Cook the second carrot in the microwave.
Warm leftover rice from last night in the microwave, or prepare new rice if needed.
Stir one julienned, cooked carrot into the rice.
Serve the Luau Chicken over the rice and carrots.
Slice the oranges and serve them on the side.

Photo/Roboppy on Flickr

A Fascinating Look at the History of Gourmet Artisan Coffee

By Lili Rousso


All coffee drinkers have their favorite brand of coffee. Have you ever wondered where your favorite coffee comes from? The actual origins of coffee are quite the topic of controversy. Several interesting stories lead up to the introduction of coffee to humans. One such story dates back to ninth century Ethiopia.

As the story goes, Ethiopian highlanders noticed goats were friskier when they ate the berries from a specific plant, so they decided to try it. They received the same boost of energy, so they shared the berries with others. Obviously it was a huge success, as there are billions of coffee drinkers world-wide today.

As trade between Ethiopia and other areas became popular, coffee became a great bargaining tool. Coffee was first introduced to Italy via trade between the Venetians and Muslims from North Africa and Egypt. Pope Clement VIII blessed coffee in 1600, which made it more widely accepted throughout Italy and the Mediterranean. The beverage quickly spread to other ports around the world and became one of the most common trade currencies.

Today, no two coffees taste the same. The flavor of great coffee can be attributed to a variety of preparation techniques. The Sicilians borrowed a little flavor from Greek, Roman, Arab, and Norman, French, and Spanish cultures, to create the unique flavor of gourmet coffee. Where one coffee is smooth and light; another may be thick and creamy. The type of coffee a person enjoys is simply a matter of personal taste. Each gourmet coffee has its own unique taste and draws an entirely new crowd of coffee drinker.

Early Coffee Shops

The world's very first coffee shop opened in Constantinople in 1475. England's first coffee house opened in 1652. Early English coffee houses were commonly called &quotpenny universities" as you were charged one penny for a cup of coffee and admission. During the eighteenth century, coffee became a status symbol of sorts. Poets, writers and artists used to gather in coffee houses to truly enjoy the aroma and freshly brewed coffee as much as the coffee house atmosphere.

The nineteenth century saw yet another change in the way we make and enjoy coffee. The very first espresso machine was created in France by Dr. Ernest Illy. The espresso machine we use today is based on the design created in Italy in 1946 by Achilles Gaggia.

The machine created by Gaigga was operated by a spring powered lever. Like all other inventions, this one has undergone several changes over the years and will continue to evolve over time. Today, espresso is available in gourmet coffee shops or even in the privacy of your own home.

The beloved coffee house atmosphere that attracted writers, poets and artists of centuries past still draws people of all ages today. Coffee houses are considered a great place to socialize with people who share similar interests. One of the most popular television shows in the United States featured a group of friends who frequently visited a coffee shop to share ideas and enjoy being together. The wildly popular television show sparked even more interest in coffee shops and artisan coffee.




About the author

Lili Rousso is a coffee aficionada who reviews Gourmet coffees from all around the world. This month she features the Lavazza Gourmet Coffee brand and the new Lavazza Espresso Point machine from http://www.aromacafeculture.com from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com

A note from Suzanne, owner of Dinner Magic:
Learn how to choose the best coffee grinder in my article at Foodie Mama. If you're in a hurry, you might want to read this product review of the Brew'n'Go. I own it, I use it, I love it. (I actually own two of them, one for work and one for home.)