Tortillas

I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, and I think these taste way better than the stuff I buy at the grocery store. Hope you enjoy.

YOU WILL NEED:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt (yes, a whole teaspoon)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

Mix everything except the water. Okay, now you can add the water. Half-a-cup probably won't be enough, so gradually add more until the mixture reaches a sticky consistency, but not too sticky. Just trust your gut.

When all the ingredients are incorporated cover with a clean cloth and do something else for 15 minutes. I think it's nice to do dishes, but you could read a book or lift weights; whatever you want, really. After 15 minutes, divide the dough into 12 semi-equal pieces. Roll each piece on a floured surface until flat. Fry in an un-greased frying pan over medium heat for about a minute on each side. It will become golden and feel somewhat hard.

These are good to eat right away, or you can cover and store for a few days. Serve with butter and jam, honey, peanut butter, beans, salsa... anything. Feliz Navidad!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup

I decided that it is about time that I contributed something to this site. Actually, I just remembered that it existed about 5 minutes ago... Last night Brandon and I had Dan and Nicole over for dinner and games. It was such a nice evening! We were so excited to plan a meal together. We decided we would have one of my old time favorite soups as a starter. Then we made Panini's on Sourdough bread with turkey, avocado, tomatoes and smoked gouda as the main dish. I think that was mostly because we were dying to try out our new Panini maker. :) And to top it all off, Brandon made peach cobbler with vanilla ice-cream for dessert. Like I said, a very nice evening. Instead of putting up the recipes for everything now, I decided to focus on the Mediterranean Lentil Soup. After all, that was the one that I made. :) This soup is also very similar to my mother's Barley-lentil Soup that we all adore, so I will put the substitutions at the end if you would ever like to try that variation. They are both wonderful fall/winter soups!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup

Red lentils, also known as Egyptian lentils, are a great source of calcium, vitamin A, and iron. If you have trouble finding read lentils, you may substitute brown (European) lentils. Serve with whole wheat crackers, if desired.


1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried dill
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 (16-ounce) package dried small red lentils (about 2 1/4 cups)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, cook 6 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring frequently. Add dill and garlic, and cook 1 minute or until tender, stirring constantly. Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are tender.

2. Add chickpeas to pan. cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cup).


Barley-lentil soup variation:

Substitute the 1 tablespoon dried dill for 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed.

Substiture the package of lentils for 3/4 cup lentils and 3/4 cup barley.

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup!

OK, I know I already posted something today but I just finished making this soup
and it is really GOOD!

6 large Sweet yellow peppers (I only used 4 and it was still good)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped leeks (white portion only)
1/4 cup butter
3 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Halve peppers; remove and discard tops and seeds. Broil peppers 4 in. from the heat until skins blister, about 4 minutes. Immediately place peppers in a bowl; cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute onion and leeks in butter until tender. Add the potatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Peel off and discard charred skin from peppers. Finely chop peppers; add o potato mixture. Cool slightly.

In a blender, cover and process soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pan; heat through (do not boil). Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired. Yield: 8 cups (2 quarts)

Apple Bee’s Oriental Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorites to order at Apple Bee's!
I hope you all can enjoy this.

SALAD:
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges
1/2 can Chinese noodles
1 small pkg. slivered almonds
1 pkg. breaded chicken tenders

Chop lettuce, drain oranges, bake and chop chicken. Toss together with
noodles and almonds in large salad bowl. Serve with dressing.

DRESSING:
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

Mix ingredients in medium bowl till creamy and smooth. For milder
flavor add less vinegar and more mayonnaise. Serves about 7.

Chilean Two-Potato Soup

I guess I'll post first since I started this thing. This recipe comes from a book called "Students Go Vegan" by Carole Raymond. I think it's really tasty; AND it has received several compliments from my non-vegan friends, so don't be doggin'.

It would be (super) helpful to have the following:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 cup diced sweet potato

1 medium yellow potato, diced

One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn kernels

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon salt

Fresh lemon or lime juice

Fresh parsley, minced

Warm oil in a 3-4 quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, except lemon/lime juice and parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and serve with citrus juice. Garnish with parsley.