Campaign for Better Nutrition

Lentil Soup
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Cost: $20 using organic ingredients (vegetarian version)

A hearty, sometimes vegetarian soup made with red lentils.  Adapted from Cooking With Carole and dedicated to Jayne Veld.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups     lentils, rinsed in strained
3 diced                medium yellow onions
1 head                 celery, chopped with leaves celery
1 + 1/2 cups        high quality unrefined olive oil
to taste                salt
1 lbs                    chicken mild italian sausage, cooked
1-28 ounce can   pureed tomatoes
1 cup                   kale chopped in approx. 1/2" squares


Instructions:

Put rinsed lentils in sauce pan with 3" of water covering.  Turn on heat to medium-low and stir every few minutes.  Wash onions and celery.  Chop into the size your family likes for soup--usually very small for younger kids and larger for older.  In a large soup pot, sautee onions and celery with 1/2 t salt until warmed but still a bit al dente (undercooked).  Add lentils to onions and celery.  Add one can of pureed tomatoes and 1 t salt.  Bring soup to a soft boil and turn down to a low simmer.  Skim off any foam.  If necessary, add chicken broth, additional tomato puree or water to get desired consistency.  Taste for salt.  You will need more than you think--start with adding 1 t and then adjust by 1/4-1/2 t to reach desired taste.  Before serving, add optional sausage, kale and olive oil and stir.  Continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring to encourage oil to mix in with soup.  Do not add sausage to simmer or the flavor will cook out.

Serve with organic corn chips.

Option:  Add 1-2 cups chopped kale during last few minutes of cooking.

 

Braised Chicken and Soup
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Cost:  under $20 using organic ingredients

Quick braised chicken thighs cooked in vegetables.  Vegetables become a delicious soup to accompany the meal.

Ingredients:

8                   boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4  stalks        roughly chopped celery
1 large          onion cut in 8 sections
4 cloves        smashed garlic
3                   carrots, sliced 1/2"
2 t                 ground cumin
1 t                 salt (or to taste)
2 T                grapeseed or coconut oil
28 ounce       pureed tomatoes
1/2                Delicata or other squash, roughly chopped


Instructions:

Salt chicken thighs when you bring them home from the market (or whenever you remember to do it).  Refridgerate.  Brown thighs in oil, preferably coconut oil, 6 minutes each side, on your largest skillet or iron skillet.  While thighs are cooking, wash and chop vegetables.  If using Delicata squash, you do not need to peel it.  Simple cut in half the long way, scape out the seeds, and chop into roughly 1" squares.  During last 2 minuts of cooking thighs (or whenever you are ready), throw all vegetables int eh pan with the chicken.  Add 1 can of pureed tomatoes, salt and spices.  Cover the pan and put in oven for 20-40 minutes, depending on how much time you have.

Talke out the chicken and serve on a plate.  Use a hand blender to puree the vegetables into soup.  You may need to tranfer them into  a sauce pan to do this.  If you do not have a hand blender, add it to your birthday gift list.  You will use it a lot.  Vegetables can be put into a regular blender to puree.  Sure to add additional liquid before putting in vegetables.  Add chicken broth or water if you need more liquid.

Save leftover soup for another night--just add cooked lentils and sausage for a quick meal!

 

Lettuce Wraps
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Cost:  $20 using organic ingredients

15 minutes.  Seasoned ground turkey or chicken wrapped in lettuce leaves and eaten like a wrap.

Ingredients:

2 lbs                        ground dark meat turkey or chicken
1 large or 2 small    diced yellow onions
4 leaves                   kale, chopped roughly to 1/2 inch squares
1-2 heads                 romaine lettuce or other favorite
2 T                           herbes de provence or thyme
2 t                            salt
2 T                           butter or oil


Instructions:

Sautee the onions in oil or butter with 1/2 t salt and 1 T herbes de provence.  Simultaneously, lightly oil another sautee pan and brown the ground turkey with remainder of salt and herbes.  Remember not to stir too soon or the meat will not turn brown.  When onions are finished, combine with the browning turkey.  You may want to cover the pan for 2 minutes toward the end to speed cooking the final few uncooked bits.  While finishing the browning, wash kale and lettuce.  Chop kale and put whole leaf lettuce on a plate or in a bowl on the table.

When meat is finished, turn off the heat and add one cup of kale.  Stir and cover.  Let sit a few minutes while you finish setting the table.  Serve in a bowl with a large spoon.  Your guests will spoon the meat into the lettuce leaves and eat like a wrap.