Egyptian Lentil Soup
6 servings

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced or sliced
1 stalk of celery, diced or sliced
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups dried orange lentils (dal), washed in several changes of water until water runs clear. Drain.
1/3 cup brown rice, washed in several changes of water until water runs clear. Drain.
2 medium tomato, seeded and cut into chunks
1 medium potato, diced
2 teaspoons sea salt
4-5 cups vegetable stock or water
Optional Garnishes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or mint
Lemon wedges

In medium pot over moderately high heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, carrot and celery. Sauté until onions are golden, add cumin and sauté a few more minutes. Add tomato, potato, vegetable stock, sea slat, lentils and rice – bring to boil. Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, skimming any foam that forms on top.
When lentils and rice are soft and falling apart, finish seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley and a lemon wedge on the side.

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Gluten Free Blue Corn Griddle Cakes

1 cup blue cornmeal (organic from Arrowhead Mills)
1/2 cup brown rice flour (or amaranth)
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons ground flax seed mixed with 1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup whole milk yogurt
1/3 cup water
1 cup frozen cut corn (or fresh)
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 medium jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup Monterey jack or Mexican cheese blend, grated

Extra virgin olive oil for cooking griddle cakes

Combine dry ingredients (cornmeal through pepper) in bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (butter through cheese). Fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

Heat a cast iron griddle to medium high heat. Lightly coat the griddle with olive oil. When the griddle is hot, make a griddle cake with ¼ cup of batter. When they are ready to flip, little bubbles will start to appear on the top of the cakes (and the bottoms will be slightly browned) – about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side. After flipping, you can check the bottoms of the cake for doneness – this will take about an additional 3 minutes per cake.

Makes about 12 cakes. Serve hot.

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Bake 4 pounds (4 large)  orange yams (sweet potatoes) at 350F until soft and the skins are “loose” – about 90 minutes. Let cool and peel skins off. Cut into 1 1/2″ disks. Arrange tightly into a 9″ square baking dish. Brush a generous amount of the bourbon brown sugar glaze and bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes. Brush on some more glaze and bake another 20 minutes.  If you want to crisp up the top you can brush on more glaze and put under the broiler for a few minutes. Serve warm.

Bourbon Brown Sugar Glaze (approximate)

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T bourbon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. The butter and brown sugar should blend together into a nice thick glaze.

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Truffled Tofu Mushroom Burgers

1 pkg of Firm Tofu (I used organic Hinoche brand, House is also nice – use organic to avoid GMO)
1 cup of sauteed mushrooms (any combination of sliced mushrooms, probably about 1 1/2 to 2 cups raw)
1 egg
3 scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tb italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan (or romano or guryere)
2/3 cup of bread crumbs (home made is easy to make – toast slices of bread and toss into a food processor or blender…I used half a Semifreddi ciabatta roll)
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
generous pinch of ground black pepper
1 tsp or more to taste herb garlic salt or store bought
1 Tb truffle oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying burgers

Remove tofu from package and let sit on a double layer of a clean dish towel to soak up extra moisture.
Meanwhile, chop up mushrooms (I used a food processor . Prepare the parsley and scallion.
Take the tofu block and smash it up – use a fork or potato masher. Mix this with the mushrooms, then add the remaining ingredients – bread crumbs last. Taste for seasoning – I like the mix to be well seasoned to hold up against the bread.

Let sit for a half hour or so – the mix will firm up (you can make the day before and refrigerate). Form into patties and saute in a medium hot pan with EVOO until browned on both sides.
I used a 2″ biscuit cutter to form the patties (you can use a bigger or smaller ring so the patties fit your buns) – take ring and put on a flat surface. Spoon in enough mix to form a 1/4″-1/3″ thick patty. Use the back of the spoon to press the mix in firmly. Remove the ring carefully. Transfer to the saute pan using a thin metal spatula.

Use your favorite bun or bread with all the fixins (mustard, mayo, relish, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, etc…).
Yesterday we used the seeded rolls from Neldam’s Bakery in Oakland – cute 2″ egg rolls with a buttery taste. I’ve made bigger burgers and used Alvarado Baking’s Sprouted Wheat Buns (available at most grocery stores, at least in the SF Bay Area)

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