Lentil Ragu with Pasta

 
I like this recipe because I usually have all of the ingredients I need, even when I haven't been to the grocery store in quite a while.  So if I'm running out of food in the house, or if I've forgotten to take the meat out of the freezer, this recipe comes in handy.  This is also a nice recipe for those nights when I don't want to cook, but I still have to feed my family something for dinner.  Even though the recipe requires chopping vegetables and getting several pots dirty, making this dinner feels easier to me because I get to use jarred marinara sauce.  Feel free to use whatever brand of marinara sauce you prefer.  I use Bertolli Vineyard marinara sauce because it's the only one I've found so far that doesn't contain corn or soy and doesn't have large tomato chucks, which aren't preferred by all members of my family.  I especially like the sauce with Burgundy wine because the Burgundy flavor pairs well with the lentils.  In fact, I like the flavor combination so much that I even add some extra Burgundy.  Isn't it great being the cook and getting to do things like that?

Lentil Ragu with Pasta
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried brown lentils
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 medium-size carrots
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup Burgundy wine
• 24-ounce jar of Bertolli Vineyard marinara sauce with Burgundy wine
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 can of Lindsay Naturals sliced black olives (optional)
• 8 to 12 oz. brown rice spiral pasta

Instructions:

Place the lentils in a small bowl and fill with water until the lentils are covered with water by at least one inch.  Place a small pot with 2 cups of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil over high heat.  When the water has come to a boil, rinse the lentils in a sieve and add them to the pot.  Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a 4-quart pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Dice the onion, celery, and carrots.  Add the vegetables to the pan and saute until softened.  Add the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute.  When the lentils are tender, add them to the pan as well.  Then pour in the wine, marinara sauce, and salt.  Simmer, covered, for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.

While the ragu is simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Add about 1 tsp. of sea salt and the rice pasta.  Boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pasta is the desired texture.  Pour the pasta into a colander and then rinse thoroughly with water to wash off the excess rice starch.  (This prevents the pasta from sticking together in one big glob.)

Before serving, stir the olives into the ragu.  Serve the ragu on top of the pasta, or stir the pasta into the sauce and then serve.

Channa Saag (Indian Spinach with Chickpeas)

For the past few Easters we've been participating in an Indian food pot-luck dinner with friends from church. This year I decided to make channa saag, a dish with spinach and chickpeas. I used to make saag paneer, which is the same spinach sauce but with cheese cubes instead of chickpeas. But since soft cheeses don't work so well for us anymore, I thought I would try out the dish with chickpeas instead. Fortunately, the girls, Michael, and I all like it just as well. In addition, it's a whole lot easier to make since I just have to open up a can of chickpeas instead of making the paneer from scratch. And trust me, even though the ingredient list is long, this recipe is easy and really doesn't take all that long to make. If you like your food spicier, increase the amount of black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Channa Saag (Indian Spinach with Chickpeas)
serves about 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach
  
• 3 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
  
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric (optional -- this isn't critical if you don't have it)
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 14 or 15-ounce can of organic chickpeas. The can should contain just chickpeas, water, and salt.
• 13 ounces (1 1/2 liquid cups) pureed or crushed tomatoes. This is half of a box of Pomi strained tomatoes. If you don't use Pomi, try to find a brand that does not contain citric acid.
  
• 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup of water (to add with the tomato puree)
• 1 cup of water (to add into the blender)
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• serve with basmati rice (Make 1/4 cup of dry rice per person. I usually cook 3/4 cup of dry rice for Michael, the girls, and me.)
  

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat and add the oil. Finely chop the onion and add to the pan. Saute the onion, stirring occasionally, until it has softened. While the onion is sauteing, place the spinach, one package at a time, on a plate in the microwave and defrost using the defrost or low heat setting. In addition, while you are waiting mix together in a small bowl the coriander, cumin, ginger, sea salt, black pepper, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.

When the onion is soft, add the minced garlic and stir for a minute. Add the spices and stir for another minute. Drain and rinse the chickpeas; then add them to the pan and stir occasionally for a couple of minutes, until the chickpeas are hot and have become flavorful.

Remove the excess liquid from the defrosted spinach by pressing it in a colander or sieve, or placing it in a dish cloth and wringing the cloth to get the water out. Then add the spinach, tomato puree, 1 1/4 tsp. sea salt, and 1 cup of water to the pan. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and let cook for five minutes.

Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture and 1 more cup of water to a blender. Wearing an oven mitt, hold down the lid of the blender while you blend the mixture until it is thoroughly pureed. Pour the puree back into the pot and stir. Let the channa saag simmer on medium-low heat for at least 10 minutes. After that you can leave it, covered, on low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Right before serving, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice to taste.

To Make the Basmati Rice:

About 30 minutes before dinner will be ready, measure 1 cup of rice and place it in a bowl. Fill the bowl with tap water to cover the rice. Pour five cups of water into a pot and place over high heat. When the water starts to simmer, take the bowl of rice and swish the rice around with you hand. Pour the water out into the sink and add more water to the bowl with the rice. Swish the water around and pour it out again. Do this several times until the water stays mostly clear after swishing around the rice. Then drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the pot of boiling water. Stir the rice briefly so that it won't stick to the bottom of the pot. Let the water return to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high, and cook for 12 minutes. Then pour off the extra water, return the rice to the pot, and cover and let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake from a Mix

Over the past few months I have been trying out various gluten-free chocolate cake mixes. Normally I like to make things from scratch, but I wanted to have an option for myself and others when we want something a little easier and less time-consuming. In addition, I wanted to find a way to make a gluten-free dessert without having to buy a lot of specialty ingredients. Of the ones I tried, these three cake mixes fit the bill: Betty Crocker Gluten Free devil's food cake mix, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free chocolate cake mix, and Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams chocolate cake mix. All three taste great and come together with just a few ingredients. I found them at local supermarkets, so you should be able to find at least one of these brands wherever you shop.

If you're not making the cake or cupcakes for Michael, you can use store-bought frosting if it is gluten-free and does not contain milk or egg. Many of the Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker frostings have a gluten-free label on them. It's okay if the label says that the frosting "may contain milk ingredients" as a warning. It's also okay if the frosting contains soybean oil. If making the cake for Michael, use my chocolate frosting recipe.

I am including ingredients and instructions below because I had to modify them a bit to make the cakes egg-free and dairy-free. For two of the mixes I substitute banana for the egg, but don't worry that it makes the cupcakes taste like banana. Sabrina doesn't prefer a strong banana flavor and she thinks the cupcakes are great. When making a cake, grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan with canola oil. When making cupcakes, use cupcake liners or grease the muffin tin with canola oil. I find that even the non-stick pans need to be greased so that the cake and cupcakes don't stick.


Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix
makes one 8" or 9" cake or 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cake mix
• 1 "flax egg" (3 Tbsp. hot water and 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. canola oil (or you could try with just 1/4 cup canola oil)
• 1/2 cup pureed banana (about 1 large ripe banana)
• optional: 1 tsp. vanilla extract. (If making the cake for Michael, use a vanilla extract that does not contain any corn syrup or alcohol. However, the cake tastes great even without the vanilla.)
  

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the box. For the flax egg, heat the water, stir in the flax seed meal, let sit for several minutes, and then stir again before combining with the other ingredients. For the banana, I recommend pureeing it in a food chopper to make it a smooth consistency and to aerate it a bit. I used about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake. I used a nonstick muffin tin and baked the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free chocolate cake mix
makes two 8" round cakes or 15-18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cake mix
• 2 "flax eggs" (6 Tbsp. hot water and 2 Tbsp. flax seed meal) OR 1/2 cup pureed banana (about 1 large ripe banana)
  
• 1 cup vanilla rice milk or almond milk (either plain or vanilla)
  
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. canola oil (or you could try with just 1/4 cup canola oil)
• 1/3 cup hot water (110 degrees)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract. If you are making the cake for Michael, use a vanilla extract that does not contain any corn syrup or alcohol. If you use a vanilla-flavored rice milk or almond milk, you can omit the vanilla extract.
  

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the package, except use canola oil instead of butter. Instead of egg, I have used either 2 "flax eggs" or 1/2 cup pureed banana. Both ingredients work fine. We prefer using the banana, though, because this cake isn't as sweet as most chocolate cakes and the banana helps make it a little sweeter. For the flax egg, heat the water, stir in the flax seed meal, let sit for several minutes, and then stir again before combining with the other ingredients. For the banana, I recommend pureeing it in a food chopper to make it a smooth consistency and to aerate it a bit.

To make 18 cupcakes, use a scant 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake. To make 15 cupcakes, use 1/4 cup of batter. If you make just 15 cupcakes, they will take about 20-22 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. A toothpick poked into the middle of one of the cupcakes will come out with a few crumbs on it even when the cupcakes are done. They will firm up inside as they cool.

Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams chocolate cake mix
makes a 9" round cake or 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cake mix
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract. If making the cake for Michael, use a vanilla extract that does not have any corn syrup or alcohol.

Instructions:

Follow the instructions on the package. Use 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake to make 12 cupcakes.