Lebanese Lentil Soup

Last winter, my husband an I stayed for a few days in Trieste, Italy. We enjoyed the local cuisine, which was like mountain Italian food (beefy goulash soup with gnocchi, for example), but I was so excited to find a Lebanese restaurant there. That's hard to find where we live. We went there for a meal and enjoyed some lentil soup when it was very cold outside. After we came home, I found this recipe and re-created the soup, but I liked it even better made at home. I was able to make it a little thicker. I made it about 5 times last winter and my 14-year old son loved it too. It's still warm here right now, but the weather is getting a little cooler, so maybe I can make this one again soon. 

When this is freshly made, it is thinner than shown in the photos. The photo is some of the soup that I had frozen, then warmed up. It thickens a lot in the fridge, and especially in the freezer. But I can report that it freezes really well!

Lebanese Lentil Soup

adapted from Plant Based Folk

1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 large Brown onion diced
2 medium Carrots diced
2 small Celery stalks diced
2 cloves Garlic crushed
1½ cups dry red lentils 

¼-½ cup Short grain white rice or medium grain
8 Cups Vegetable stock or 10 cups (you can adjust the thickness of this lentil soup)
1 medium Fresh lemon juiced
1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
1 ½ teaspoon Ground cumin
1 handful Fresh parsley chopped, divided into two portions (use 2 TBS dry if you don't have fresh)
1 pinch Salt or to taste
½ teaspoon Cracked black pepper or to taste
 Lemon wedges, for serving

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, crushed cloves of garlic, and spices. Cook until the onions have softened. Add the red lentils and stir until they are coated in the olive oil. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the rice. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Add the diced celery and carrot. Simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and stir in half of the chopped fresh parsley and the lemon juice.

2. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until the soup is partially smooth but still has some chunky bits. Do a taste test and adjust with salt if needed. Garnish with additional parsley and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze into the soup to your liking.

-Leftovers are great in the fridge! Also, this soup freezes well. I thawed overnight in the fridge and then warmed it up gently on the stove.-

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Brazilian Vinaigrette

This salad is SO good!! The name makes it sound like a salad dressing, but it's actually a salad. We actually first had this in Puglia- southern Italy- at an authentic Brazilian restaurant. I loved how fresh it was and how it went with grilled meat so well. I brought this to a BBQ and people mistook it for salsa- lol- it's actually really good with tortilla chips too! But it's meant to go with grilled meats. (There is parsley- not cilantro- in this.) Note: The original recipe called for a green bell pepper. I prefer red, orange, or yellow, so I with an orange one instead.

Brazilian Vinaigrette 
adapted from Our Best Bites

4 large tomatoes diced small (about 2 cups)
1 medium white onion or 1/2 large diced small (about 1 cup)
1 green (or any color) bell pepper diced small (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup avocado or olive oil
4 tablespoons white vinegar or white wine vinegar, or half and half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and toss to combine. Chill for at least an hour (and up to a few) before using. Keep in mind that flavors, including salt, intensifies after sitting so taste when ready to serve and you can always add additional salt, if needed. You may also add more vinegar if you prefer.

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Cloverleaf Rolls (NYT)

These rolls were really good- I made them months ago and still remember. Although I had a bad cold and could only taste a little bit, lol, they still were great. I should make them again so I can get the full experience. They were fun to make too, and have such a cute shape. 

Cloverleaf Rolls (NYT)  

adapted from NYT and here

2 1/4 t active dry yeast
2 T sugar, divided
1/2 c warm whole milk
6 T butter & more for the pan, divided
2 c flour
1 t kosher salt
1 large egg

sea salt or kosher salt, for sprinkling

1. Stir yeast and 1 t sugar into milk. Set aside until foamy, about 5 min. Melt 4 T butter. In bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached, combine remaining sugar, flour and salt. With mixer on low, add yeast mix and egg; knead until dry ingredients have been incorporated and dough is smooth, about 5 – 10 min. Carefully add melted butter (the dough will slosh around in the butter for a few min but will eventually absorb it all) and continue to knead dough until smooth, increasing speed to medium, another 5 – 10 min. Dough will be shiny and elastic; if it’s at all sticky, scrape down sides of bowl and gather dough into a neat ball (no need to add extra flour). 

2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a bowl cover and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 – 2 hours. Butter a standard 12 cup muffin tin. Gently tip dough out onto a work surface (I use a large cutting board). You shouldn’t need flour at this point. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the other pieces covered. Divide each piece into 3 equal pieces, roll each piece into a tight ball and place into 1 cup. Do the same with the rest of the dough, until all the muffin cups are filled. Cover tray lightly with plastic wrap and set aside to double again, about 45 min – 1 hour. The dough should look puffy and spring back slowly when pressed gently. 

3. Heat oven to 375 F. Melt remaining 2 T butter. Remove plastic wrap and without deflating dough, gently brush rolls with butter. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 – 12 min. Remove, brush with more butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm.

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Peanut Butter Mousse Pie (No-Bake)

We all LOVED this pie. I was looking for a recipe for this pie ever since tasting a similar one at Mo's Seafood Restaurant in Seaside, OR last summer. Four of us shared one slice of Mo's giant pie after our meal and it was SO GOOD!! It took me awhile to find and make this recipe, but I'm so glad I finally did. It was really similar to Mo's and pretty easy to make. This recipe is no-bake. You do have to use the stove to melt butter and later, chocolate. 

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie (No-Bake) 

adapted from Crowded Kitchen

Crust:

22 oreos
5 tbsp melted butter

Mousse:
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups heavy cream, cold

Ganache:
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream
Peanut butter cups, for topping (optional)

1. To the mixing bowl of a food processor, add the chocolate sandwich cookies and the melted butter. Pulse repeatedly, until a fine crumb forms. Using your fingers first, and then the bottom of a measuring cup, smooth and compress the cookie and butter mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a pie tin. Move the prepared tin to the refrigerator while you make the mousse filling.

2. To a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat on medium speed for another minute. Add in the heavy cream and beat until the mixture is super light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Pour the mousse mixture into the prepared pie tin and use an offset spatula or another long, flat tool to smooth it out. Move to the refrigerator and chill until the mousse firms up, about 2 to 3 hours.

4. On the stove, heat the ½ cup of heavy cream until it's steaming hot, but not boiling. To a small mixing bowl, add the chocolate. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate, and let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes, then whisk the mixture until the chocolate is fully melted and evenly incorporated into the heavy cream.

5. Pour the ganache over the top of the pie and use an offset spatula or another long, flat tool to smooth out the ganache. Optionally, top with halved or quartered peanut butter cups along the edges of the pie. Move to the fridge and chill until set, about 30 to 60 minutes.

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Spanish Magdalena Muffins

I had these lemon-scented muffins sometimes growing up in Spain, and as an adult, I was able to find them in Portugal for my kids. Now in Italy, I get them during "Spanish Week" at Lidl, lol. But they're not always available, so when they're not, here is a great, easy recipe for them. They do use a lot of olive oil. That's not a problem for me here; since good-quality olive oil is so inexpensive, and I always have a lot on hand. If you're in the US, a cheaper olive oil would probably work fine. 

Note: Batter must be chilled before baking. 

Spanish Magdalena Muffins

adapted from The Mediterranean 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210g)
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g), plus extra for sprinkling
Zest from 1 lemon
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (160ml)
1/4 cup whole or 2% milk (80ml)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the eggs. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until pale and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.

2, Add the wet ingredients: While continuing to beat the eggs on medium-high speed, pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract, and mix on low until incorporated.
Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and carefully fold with a rubber spatula until the mixture is combined and no dry lumps of flour remain, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

3. Chill the batter- cover the bowl and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. About 20 minutes before the muffin batter is done resting, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a standard muffin pan with muffin tin liners. Scoop or pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, dividing it evenly among the 12 wells. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of granulated sugar.

4. Bake the muffins: Set the muffin pan in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

5. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip is really good, easy to make and good for a crowd. I made this the first time for my son's class party where he needed to bring food. Then I liked it so much I made it again for just our fam. This recipe uses canned chicken, and I think this is the first time I've ever used it. It's a good use for it, I think, but one could use previously cooked "fresh" chicken, as well. I even thought about subbing white beans in for the chicken for a meatless version, but haven't tried that yet. I used a homemade ranch dressing for this (made from the dry mix). 

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip  

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

12.5 oz can chunk chicken breast, drained, Swanson brand recommended (I use low-sodium)
8 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened to room temperature
4 oz finely shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce, or more for additional spiciness, Sweet Baby Ray's or Franks Wing Sauce recommended
1/2 cup ranch dressing

tortilla chips, celery sticks, and carrot sticks for dippers

1. Add chicken, softened cream cheese, shredded cheese, wing sauce, and ranch dressing to a 3 quart or 6 quart crock pot.

2. Stir to combine then heat on LOW until hot, 1-1/2 — 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. If using a 6 quart crock pot, the dip will be hot in about 1-1/2 hours. Serve with dippers.

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Lemon-Ginger Shots

My family and I love these Lemon-Ginger shots. We were buying store-bought ones but they are a little expensive. I found the recipe on the Hungry Healthy Happy Blog via Facebook and I was so glad to find it! I bought the ingredients right away and my husband whipped it up using our Vitamix blender. My 14-year-old son loves these the most, I think. 

Note: I bought an 8-pack of 2-oz, wide-mouthed "juice shot bottles" on Amazon and they work well. This recipe makes a bit too much for the 8 jars, so we just store the leftover in another small jar in the fridge. 

Lemon-Ginger Shots 

adapted from Hungry Healthy Happy

100 g (3.5 oz) Fresh ginger - peeled and finely chopped

5 Lemons - juice only

250 ml (1 cups) Water
2 tablespoon Honey

1. Pour the juice of 5 Lemons into a blender jug. Add 250 ml Water, 2 tablespoon Honey and 100 g Fresh ginger. Blend until the ginger is as fine as possible. Place a nut milk bag (or muslin or cheesecloth) over a jug and empty the ginger mixture into it.

2. Squeeze the bag to extract as much juice as possible. Use a funnel to pour the juice into individual shot bottles. Store in the refrigerator. 

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