I cook with wine…

Oh, lentils, how I love thee! Tasty, quick-cooking, versatile and supremely healthy, lentils are the perfect food for a cold January evening. They are a great source of fiber, which can lower cholesterol, and are high in protein. Lentils are rich in essential vitamins, stabilize blood sugar and are good for your heart. And there are only 230 calories per cup! This flavorful soup helps them shine, while bitter arugula balances the smokiness.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup lentils

3 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin

2+ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 red onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 pound baby arugula leaves

3 cups vegetable broth or water

2 dried ancho chiles

Directions:

Put lentils and water in a large soup pot. Bring to boiling, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes (depending on lentils), or until soft. Once cooked, add arugula, whole dried ancho chile peppers, and broth/water to lentils. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan, then toss in the cumin and paprika. Sauté spices at medium heat until fragrant but not burned, approximately 30 seconds. Add onions and garlic; stir until coated with spices. Sauté aromatics until translucent. Afterward, mix in the tomatoes and sauté until heated through and bubbling.

Remove ancho chiles from soup pot. Remove tops from chiles and chop the rest into small bits. Add back to soup. Stir in the tomato mixture and add salt and pepper to taste, plus more smoked paprika if you deem it necessary (I had to up it a bit last night, although it would have been fine as is). Enjoy!

This recipe was really delicious, really healthy, and really turned into a big mess. I’ve been fairly lucky in my history as a home chef and have had few significant mishaps. This one, however, was a doozy. Basically, I learned that if you take a very hot substance which is mostly liquid with a few solids, like in this tomato soup, and overfill the blender even a little, it will explode everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I’ve included a picture but even it doesn’t do justice to the hilarious bit of kitchen chaos I experienced that night. Ah well, live and learn. I hope you enjoy the recipe, at least.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, diced

9-10 small to medium-sized tomatoes (I used Roma, but any flavorful variety will do), peeled, seeded and diced (reserve as much juice as possible)

2 cups water

Salt and pepper

1 bunch cilantro

½ cup pine nuts

Zest and juice of one lime

½+ cup olive oil

Directions:

Heat tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in cumin and heat until fragrant, about one minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and water, bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the cilantro, pine nuts, lime zest, lime juice and olive oil in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Let tomato mixture cool, and then, working in very small batches, puree in a blender. Pour soup into bowls and add swirls of pesto, plus cilantro sprigs for garnish, if desired. A dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche would also go well, if you’re feeling fancy.

Also, if you have extra pesto, which you most likely will, I would mix it with some brown rice, fresh corn, diced tomatoes, avocado chunks and cooked chicken for a salad you can bring to work – delish!

This hearty vegetable soup is definitely suited to “main dish” status. Using summer vegetables and lots of spice, it won’t leave your body or your tastebuds wanting. There are too many veggies with too many health benefits to go into it at this point, so I’ll leave that for another time. However, it incorporates one of my “new ingredients” – harissa. Harissa is a North African spice, often available in a tube, comprised of chili peppers, garlic, tomatoes and a number of other spices. I used Le Cabanon brand and it was delicious! Start with the amount advised and add more to increase the spiciness. One more thing, this recipe makes a LOT of soup, so either invite your favorite five or so friends over or plan to freeze a good amount.

Ingredients:

3 bell peppers (I used one green and two red), chopped

2 large carrots or 4 small ones, sliced to 1/4 inch

1 large red onion, chopped

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in half widthwise

2 cans diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz each (I also added a fresh tomato because I had it lying around, but it’s not necessary)

3-4 teaspoons harissa from a tube

1 heaping tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup water

3-4 cups high-quality, low-sodium vegetable broth

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and uncooked

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Saute the bell peppers and carrots in a large pot with a tablespoon of olive oil about 8 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the garbanzo beans, tasting and adjusting spices when finished, and bring the mixture to a boil. After you’ve reached the boiling point, bring the heat back down to low-medium and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the beans right before serving and enjoy!

I’m just going to put it out there – I love tomatoes. I know I’ve already touched on them in the Caprese Insalata and lasagna recipes, but as we are in the midst of the heirloom tomato season and the farmers market is awash in them. Plus I just can’t resist. I particularly enjoy heirlooms, with all their diversity – some are fat, sweet and yielding; others are petite with tougher skins and a note of bitterness; some are bright and firm with imperfect exteriors but the most vibrant taste. Yes, it’s romantic, but so are heirloom tomatoes. Even the names conjure up distinct personalities: Cherokee Purple, Aunt Ruby, Marvel Stripe, Red Brandywine, Russian Black, Olympic Flame, Early Girl, Green Zebras. That’s just a sample too – there are reportedly more than 600 varieties of heirloom tomato.
 
Health-wise, tomatoes pack a serious punch. They are filled with health-inducing lycopene, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K. Studies have shown that eating tomatoes can prevent diseases ranging from prostate cancer to heart disease, plus tomatoes also help lower cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation. Fortunately, they are also delicious and adaptable to a number of different dishes. I hope to tackle tomato soup next.
 
And for one more little piece of trivia before I delve into this recipe, the tomato is, indeed, a fruit (as I’m sure you all know). The reason is that, botanically, the tomato with its seeds forms the ovary of a flowering plant thus making it a fruit (see Merriam-Webster’s definition: b (1) : the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially : one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed <the fruit of the tree>). The term “vegetable” has no botanical meaning and is used purely in a culinary sense to denote an edible plant with a more savory flavor (see Merriam-Webster’s definition: 2 : a usually herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal; also : such an edible part). The tomato is not the only plant with qualities of both – eggplants, cucumbers and all squashes are technically fruits with the taste of a vegetable.

Well, I hoped you learned something new there – now on to the tomato sauce, which I really enjoyed. I paired it with this homemade gnocchi, but I suspect it would go equally well with some spaghetti and sauteed zucchini (or courgettes, as my friend Paul insists I call them), on top of goat cheese ravioli, or in eggplant parmesan, to name a few.

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized ripe heirloom tomatoes (I used several different types, but you might want to stick to one for a purer flavor)

1 red onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon raw sugar (I used turbinado, but if you only have granulated or brown sugar on hand, I believe that would work as well)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

First, bring a medium-sized pot of water to boiling and drop tomatoes in, rotating in batches if need be. Boil until the skin loosens or cracks, then plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. After tomotoes are cool, peel the skin off, slice them in half horizontally, and coax the seeds out into a small bowl (then is done by gently squeezing the tomato from top to bottom). Once tomatoes are seeded, dice and place into a bowl. After tomatoes are diced, put the seeds into a strainer over the bowl, in order to keep the juice but keep out the seeds.

After the tomatoes are ready, heat the olive oil in a large pot and toss in the onions. Sauté for approximately 3 minutes, then toss in the garlic and sugar to carmelize. Stir constantly and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt to taste. Stir to combine, cover pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes. If you want a thicker sauce, add some tomato paste. If you want a smooth sauce, run through a blender or food processor. Voila!  

This heart-healthy lasagna is delicious and packed with lots of goodness from the garden. I used organic whole wheat pasta, which I felt held up better with the vegetables, plus brought a nutty flavor and lots of fiber to the dish. Adding potatoes also increases the carbohydrate content of this lasagna, plus it is oozing with cheese (as any good lasagna should!), so this is not the best dish for weight loss. However, if you are looking for a meatless, filling, and flavorful midweek supper, this should satisfy your craving. Also, the recipe freezes well, which will allow you to enjoy summertime treats, like the heirloom tomato topping and in-season zucchini, anytime of year. I was able to construct this whole dish with 3 medium-sized stainless steel bowls, one small glass bowl, one large pot, a cutting board and a baking dish, so your dishwasher shouldn’t be overflowing afterwards either.

Ingredients:

12 strips whole wheat lasagna (I used Westbrae Natural Vegetarian, which has thinner strips, about 2.5 inches wide – this recipe uses about half of the box)

9 oz. bag spinach

2 small zucchini, sliced into ½ inch pieces, then quartered

1 large red onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dried red pepper

2 eggs

15 oz. container of part skim ricotta cheese

12 oz. package of low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup skim milk

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 very large heirloom tomato, cut into pencil-thick slices

5 medium-sized potatoes (I used purple ones for their color, but any will do), sliced very thin, approximately 1/16 of an inch

2 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

First, use olive oil to grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Boil 4 quarts of water with a few dashes of salt, then cook lasagna noodles to al dente – for me, this was approximately 6 minutes. Set out three stainless steel bowls – you will be using them to hold the three of the layers: the cheese mixture, the potatoes, and the tomatoes. Once pasta is done cooking (I usually use this time to shred/chop the other items), drain but don’t rinse, then lay out lasagna noodles in a single layer on waxed paper, somewhere out of the way.

Using that same pot (rinsed and dried), pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom, bring the burner to medium-high heat and dump the bag of spinach in. Allow to wilt slightly, then add the zucchini, chopped onion, garlic and red pepper, plus salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for approximately 10 minutes, or until spinach is wilted and zucchini is soft. Let cool in the pot.

Meanwhile, in a stainless steel bowl, make the cheese mixture. Start with two eggs, lightly whisked, and then add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and nutmeg. Stir to blend.

Next comes the herb mixture – using the small glass bowl, combine the sage, oregano, basil and salt. Toss the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and approximately 2/3 of the herb mixture in a stainless steel bowl. Save the rest of the herbs for later.

So, to recap, at this point you should have a greased baking dish, several strips of cooked lasagna sitting on waxed paper, spinach mixture in a pot, a small glass bowl with some dried herb mixture, a cutting board with shredded parmesan on top, one stainless steel bowl filled with the cheese mixture, one filled with herbed potatoes, and one filled with slices of heirloom tomato. Now it’s time to assemble them all into one scrumptious lasagna.

Start by placing half of the potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Follow by laying strips of lasagna on top, also in a single layer (I lay three lengthwise, then shorten one strip by a couple of inches, and lay that widthwise at the end). Spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the strips, as evenly as possible. Follow with half of the cheese mixture. Top that with the other half of the potatoes, then another layer of lasagna noodles, then the remaining spinach mixture, then the remaining cheese mixture, then the remaining lasagna noodles. At this point, I spread the slices of heirloom tomatoes evenly on the very top, sprinkle with the remainder of the herb mixture, and top with generous sprinkles of parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, covered, in the 375-degree oven. Then remove cover and bake for an additional 15. Let stand for at least 5 minutes, and serve!

This is not my own recipe, but a well-known summer treat that’s been around forever and constitutes one of my all-time favorite appetizers. Make sure to get high-quality buffalo mozzarella and ripe heirloom tomatoes. Italians prefer their Caprese tomatoes a bit green, so if you are not sure about a tomato’s ripeness, I’d err on the firmer side.

Ingredients:

2 3-inch balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella, stored in liquid

4 heirloom tomatoes of varying size and color

4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil

4 tablespoons high-quality extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste

Serves 4

Directions:

Cut the mozzarella and tomatoes into circles approximately ½ inch thick. Arrange slices on four separate plates on top of each other, with the largest forming the base and smaller slices at the top. Sprinkle each plate with one tablespoon of basil, and then drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over each stack. Sprinkle with sea salt. Serve and enjoy!