Ridiculously Easy Lentil Soup
(printer-friendly version)

Instead of the frozen mirepoix vegetables, feel free to use 1 onion, 2 carrots, and 2 ribs celery, diced.

2 cups (400 g) green lentils, rinsed
7 cups (1600 ml) water
14 ounces (400g) mirepoix blend vegetables
8 ounces (220 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
2 servings vegetable bouillon cubes (I used one large Not-Beef Broth Cube, which is gluten-free)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped

14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes (use fire-roasted for best flavor)
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/8 teaspoon hickory salt (or other smoked salt), optional
salt, to taste
additional seasonings, to taste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Place lentils, water, and next 7 ingredients into pressure cooker or large pot.

For pressure cooking, seal the cooker and bring to high pressure. Cook under pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to come down for 5 minutes. Then, release any remaining pressure and return to very low heat. Add tomatoes, pepper, and both salts, and taste to check seasonings. If necessary, add more to taste (I added more oregano and garlic). Cook uncovered for at least 15 minutes, adding more water if it seems too thick, and stirring from the bottom often. Stir in vinegar just before serving.

For regular cooking, bring to a boil, stir well, cover pot, and cook over low heat until lentils are tender, about an hour. (Add additional water if it begins to dry out.) Add tomatoes, pepper, and both salts, and taste to check seasonings. If necessary, add more to taste (I added more oregano and garlic). Cook uncovered for at least 15 minutes, adding more water if it seems too thick, and stirring from the bottom often. Stir in vinegar just before serving.

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/8 of a recipe (13.8 ounces).

Percent daily values are based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.

1. Bring your friends home and introduce them to your parents. They have a right to know whom you spend your time with.

2. Call or text your parents if you’re going to be late coming home. It keeps your parents from climbing the walls and imagining all sorts of disasters when midnight strikes, you haven’t called, and you’re still not home.

3. Hug your parents every chance you get. Kiss them whenever they’re within kissing range.

4. Give your mom flowers even if there’s no especial occasion.

5. Mail a card to your dad and address it to his office. It’ll be a pleasant change from bank statements and bills.

6. Offer to take care of your younger sibs one Saturday night so your parents can go out for a date.

7. Talk to your parents. Tell them about your day at school. Ask them about their day. And really listen when they do tell you about it.

8. Make Sunday strictly a family day. Watch movies, eat out, swim, and veg out in front of TV- whatever, as long as you do it with your family.

9. Do well in school and show your parents your fantastic grades when report cards come.

10. Tell your parents you love them. And mean it.

Celebration Pot Pie with Pumpkin Biscuit Crust

Use any combination of baking dishes–several smaller or two larger–but be sure they’re deep enough to hold about 1 1/2-inches worth of stew plus another inch for the topping.

You can easily turn this into a shepherd’s pie by substituting mashed potatoes for the biscuit topping.2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 large carrots, diced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper — or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon mellow white miso
6 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water

Seitan

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup Imagine No-Chicken Broth, cold (or other veg. broth)
1 tablespoon tahini or other nut butter

Biscuit Topping

2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin (canned or cooked and water pressed out)
1 cup unsweetened soymilk –mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
additional soymilk or water as needed

Put 12 cups of water on to boil in a large (at least 6-quart) soup pot. Add each vegetable (potatoes, onion, celery, mushrooms, carrots) to the pot as you chop it. Add the bay leaves, thyme, sage, garlic, poultry seasoning, onion powder, celery salt, soy sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the seitan: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the broth and nut butter. Stir the broth mixture into the dry ingredients until well blended. Knead gently 10 times. Turn out onto a cutting board and press it as flat as possible. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then using a sharp knife, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the seitan cubes to the simmering vegetables, taking care to separate them before they go into the pot. Stir well and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 45 minutes, remove the bay leaves and add the peas. Mix the miso in a small bowl with a little of the hot broth, and then add it to the stew, along with the nutritional yeast. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring often. When mixture thickens, reduce heat and allow to simmer while you make the biscuits. (If stew does not seem thick enough, add a little more cornstarch/water.)

(You can make the recipe up until this point the day before serving and refrigerate the filling. When ready to assemble, reheat the stew as you make the biscuit topping. Stew should be hot when the biscuits are placed on top.)

Preheat oven to 400 and oil two or more deep casserole dishes (any combination of casserole dishes or pie pans to hold about 6 liters). Mix the dry ingredients for the biscuits in a medium bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and the soymilk/lemon juice. Add additional soymilk or water a teaspoon at a time as you stir until all flour is moistened and dough forms a ball. Turn out onto floured board and knead two or three times. Roll out to 1/2- inch thick, and cut into circles using a 1 1/2-inch wide floured glass or biscuit cutter. Gather remaining dough and use it to cut additional biscuits. You should have between 24 and 30. (Alternately, cut the biscuit dough to fit the pans, leaving about an inch all around to allow for dough to expand.)

Pour the stew into the prepared pans, making sure there is at least 1/2-inch free at the top. Place the biscuits on top, spacing them evenly. Bake until biscuits are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Servings: 12

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 344 calories, 21 calories from fat, 2.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 986.1mg sodium, 785.4mg potassium, 63.5g carbohydrates, 7.7g fiber, 4.4g sugar, 20.3g protein, 6.3 points.