Two recipes

I just received from Amazon a new cookbook called Love Soup by Anna Thomas. What a terrific book! It is a vegetarian soup book filled with yummy goodness. Now don't get me wrong, I am not a vegetarian, however I do try to incorporate vegetarian meals into our family diet. Especially with lent around the corner. Soup is the perfect way to do that. I tried this weekend her french lentil stew with roasted carrots and mint. Delicious! I am not a big lentil fan, but I did like this stew. It had tons of flavor.

French Lentil Stew with Roasted Carrots and Mint (adapted by Anna Thomas)

1 1/2 pounds carrots

1 1/2 pounds yellow onions

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 generous cup French green lentils

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup of water

1 generous tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon harissa or other hot sauce

feta cheese and olive oil for garnish

Preheat over to 375 degrees F.

Cut the carrots and onions into fairly large pieces, about 1 inch long for the carrots and 1/2 inch wedges for the onions. Toss the carrots in a bowl with a tablespoon of oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper, and spread them on a baking sheet. Do the same with the onions. Roast the vegetables for about an hour, or until they are soft and browned, stirring and turning them a few times during the roasting. The onions will need more stirring and will be done sooner than the carrots. When the vegetables are ready, let them cool a little, then turn them out on a board and chop them very coarsely.

Meanwhile, combine the washed green lentils in a large pot with 4 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer, covered for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender but firm. Add the chopped roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, 1 cup of water, mint, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and harissa or hot sauce to taste.

Simmer the stew for about 10 minutes to marry the flavors, then taste to correct the seasoning with more salt and pepper or a little more lemon juice as needed. Remove from heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of fruity green olive oil, and serve. Garnish each bowl with a few more drops of olive oil and a few crumbles of feta cheese.

We had a super bowl party and my friend Marianne from Two Monketoes brought rice crispy sushi. I love it! So cute and the kiddies devoured them. She said she just made the regular rice crispy treats recipe and roll it out thin. The inside was chocolate smores on one and chocolate walnut on the other. I have to give this a try.

This little jar of delight is so good! It is sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic pesto. I first tried this recipe on Christmas Eve at my brother-in-laws house. His girlfriend made this spread and I honestly couldn't get enough of it. I am not sure where her recipe came from but it is fantastic. I begged her for the recipe.

Sun Dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pesto from Melody

2 cups of sun dried tomato, softened and minced ( I actually used jar sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and just drained the oil)

1 to 2 heads of garlic, roasted

3 to 6 dried pasilla chiles, re hydrated in boiling water for 25 minutes, stemmed, seeded and minced

4 green onions, minced

1/4 cup packed minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

rosemary leaves to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon

hot pepper sauce to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Can prepare up to 5 days in advance and refrigerate or freeze up to 6 months.