Tag Archives: coconut milk

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Curried Lentil, Tomato, and Coconut Soup

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If you are not familiar with the celebrity chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, now would be a good time to get acquainted.

Everything Yotam touches turns to gold. I am sure that his kitchen must have more than three dimensions. He mixes ingredients better than I mix metaphors.

If you don’t already have one of his cookbooks [Ottolenghi (2008), Plenty (2010), Jerusalem (2012)] in your home, prepare yourself. YO takes flavor to the next level. Look at this list of ingredients – I’ve used all of them, but never to such glorious effect. And it’s not just flavor. He takes texture to the next level, and color. You could make this and turn an ordinary dinner into a celebration, or share it with a deserving friend, or make a memorable contribution to a workplace potluck. This recipe falls into the category of “contributions from the heart.” You have to try it to believe it. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Coconut Curry Lentils

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Here’s what I love most about this recipe from Julia Turshen, a genius in the kitchen and author of a very fine cookbook, Small Victories. Julia says dried spices are just “sleeping in the cupboard,” and that a hit of hot oil is just what they need to get them to “wake up.” In her curried lentils, the spices (cumin seed, coriander, and turmeric) are roused from slumber for 10 minutes, which is a pretty long time in comparison to other recipes. That’s why she adds them right at the beginning, along with minced garlic, shallot, and ginger. Not to worry, though. This dish comes together in 30 minutes, which gives them enough time to blend with the aromatics (garlic, shallot and ginger) and make the lentils taste earthy and “deeply curried.” Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Hazelnut Spread (Not-tella)

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A group of us went out for breakfast this past Sunday morning at one of my favorite spots, a great local place called Cafe Avalaun, and a plate of their heavenly pancakes with “not-tella” arrived at our table in short order. Not nutella, whose first ingredient is sugar and second ingredient is modified palm oil, but not-tella, which the folks at Cafe Avalaun make with real food ingredients, all of which you can find at the grocery store.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Roasted Cauliflower Soup

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Roasted Cauliflower Soup is the perfect vehicle for adding all kinds of heat (pepper, chili), nourishing fat (olives, coconuts, sesame, sunflower seeds), bite (onion, garlic), green (cilantro), red (tomato, chili pepper). Am I missing anything?!

Oh yes, it’s guaranteed to warm you from the inside out!! That’s important to remember when this Tuesday’s temperature is forecast to be minus 8 degrees. The good news? There’s a chance you may not notice if you eat this soup! Continue reading →