Romanian Lentil Soup

One thing I love about living in Los Angeles is the diversity of cultures you come across.  

One of my dear friends is a Romanian woman.  A social butterfly who has a big, big heart.  A passion of hers is cooking, not just any dishes but...Romanian dishes.  

Recently, she's been sharing quite a few of her recipes and her secrets to cooking Romanian style.  Quite different from LA cooking, using international ingredients found in local ethnic food markets.  

The other day she brought me some Romanian Lentil Soup to try.  WOW!  Such flavor.  I would say it was one of the best soups I've had.  She prefers pink lentils over the brown ones, as they are more tender when cooked.  You can easily pick up a bag a Trader Joe's.  The rest of the vegetables are standard.  The only unusual item is the Vegeta, which is a powdered bullion flavor which can only be found in ethnic stores.  So as a substitute you could use chicken bullion cubes and everything will be fine.

Simple to make, and soooo delishhh!  I hope you try this dish.  It's wonderful to experience the flavors of another country in your own home.   


Romanian Lentil Soup


3 onions
2 big carrots, peeled
6 rib of celery
1 container of cherry tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
2 parsnip
1 T olive oil
1 bag of pink lentils (Trader Joe's)
3-4 cups water
1 T Vegeta or 2 cubes of chicken bullion
1 t paprika
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 t fresh thyme

Chop with the food processor the first six ingredients until finely diced but not pureed. 

Saute all the vegetables with olive oil in a dutch oven for 15 minutes then add the lentils and add water as needed.  

Make sure to add enough water to create a nice broth. Add chicken bullion, paprika and some crushed pepper for flavor.  Let the soup come to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add thyme and stir.  Serve. 

Cinco De Mayo Roundup

It's time to get your fiesta on!

Cinco De Mayo lands on Sunday this year.  What a perfect day for a celebration!  The weather is warming up, so it's fitting to take it easy, have some delicious Latin inspired food with some beer or margaritas!  How fun is that?

And that's just what we are going to do.  I think that Tacos and beer are in order.  So for my menu I'll be making one of my most popular dishes, Chicken Verde Tacos.  YUM!  The flavor of these tacos wins over the crowds every time.  

To inspire you further I'm bringing you some of my most popular posts that are Latin inspired.  Some items for your to choose your celebratory menu from.  Ole!  Have a wonderful Cinco De Mayo, and don't forget to tell me what you are planning for your day!


Appetizers

Salsa Roja


Black Bean Salsa



Salads

Crunchy Baja Salad


Chicken Guacamole Salad



Side Dishes

Jazzed Up Refried Beans


Easy Mexican Rice


 

Main Dishes

Chili marinated Pork Tenderloin 


Chicken Milanesa






Beef Enchiladas

  
Beth's Favorite Chicken Enchiladas
 

Desserts

Mexican Chocolate Pudding



Strawberry Banana Parfait

Carrot Cake with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

It's time for the dessert in our Spring Brunch!

Nothing says spring like carrot cake in my book.  One of my favorite cakes, that I rarely get a chance to make.  But the craving comes every spring.  This year I caved in and made this slightly adapted version from Cooking Light.  It's a little healthier than the normal carrot cake which was my justification. (A girl's gotta have a justification sometimes!)

This cake has the addition of flax seed meal, giving this cake more fiber, and therefore also a more dense cake.  Almost the texture of a bran muffin.  It's not the lightest cake around but it does have great flavor, and makes a pretty presentation.  

You also don't ice this cake fully.  The icing is a lighter version as well, with a little bit of cream cheese which gives it just enough tang.  It really does look pretty with the strategically placed icing.

Great for brunch, and can anyone say Mother's Day? 

Carrot Cake with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup flax seed meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded carrot (about 6 medium)
1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

1/2 cup canola oil
1 recipe Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
Coarsely shredded carrot (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour two 8 inch round cake pans.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, flax seed meal, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, combine finely shredded carrot, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir until combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, spreading evenly.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 8-inch pans.  Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks. Cool completely.

Place one cooled cake layer on a serving platter. Top with half of the Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting. Place the second cake layer atop the frosting; spread with the remaining frosting. If desired, garnish with coarsely shredded carrot. Makes 14 to 16 servings.

Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

YIELD: 3/4 cup

2 ounces softened reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups frozen light whipped dessert topping

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Thaw 1-1/2 cups frozen light whipped dessert topping. Fold about 1/2 cup of the topping into the cream cheese mixture to lighten. Fold in the remaining whipped topping. Makes about 1-3/4 cups.

adapted from Cooking Light