Lentil-Vegetable Soup !

                             

This Easy-To-Make Lentil Soup is definitely a recipe to keep handy during this cold winter!

Lentil soup is a very special soup for me because it reminds me of my family, especially my grandma, because she makes lentil soup quite often and has her own authentic recipe. When I make this soup, I add more vegetables to it and leave it chunky, others (like my grandma) prefer to blend it up, which you can also do if you prefer to! This soup is packed with flavor and nutrients of course. I kept it light, simple, and used tons of vegetables and spices to contribute to the flavor and health benefits. Hope you guys enjoy it as much I do!

Health Benefits: LENTILS are amazing for you, they come from the legume family like a bean or pea, and are excellent tools for weight loss! These mighty lentils are packed with protein, fiber, iron, minerals, and vitamins, with virtually no fat! So for all of my vegetarians/vegans out there that are looking to add more iron and protein in their diet, here is excellent source you should consider! 

Servings: 6 people 

Total Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

1 cup brown lentils 

1 cup red lentils 

4-6 stalks of celery 

4 carrots 

1 yellow onion

1 tomato

1/4 cup parsley

4 garlic cloves

1 lemon/zest

4 cups chicken or veggie stalk 

2-4 cups water 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

2 bay leaves 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

How To Make It: 

1. Wash the carrots, tomatoes, celery, and parsley, and peel the carrots. 

2. Chop the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and parsley, you can do a rough chop since it is a rustic soup, just make sure to keep all the ingredients a similar size. Next, remove the thyme leaves from the stem and then place all of these ingredients to the side. 

3. In a medium sized pot sauté the carrots, onions, and celery in the olive oil for about 5-10 minutes or until the veggies are a little browned. 

4. Add the garlic and tomatoes, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Add the fresh thyme, oregano, cumin, ground pepper, bay leaves. Then, add the lentils and make sure to coat them with the oils and mix together well, cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

6. Add 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. 

 

7. Add the zest of one lemon straight into the soup. 

8. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the lentils are tender. Note, the red lentils are much smaller and cook much faster and may be barely visible once cooked, the brown lentils are larger and whole and will take a while to cook until they are tender. ALSO these lentil soak up a lot of the water so you will need to add water accordingly! 

9. Serve this soup hot and top it off with fresh parsley and lemon juice. 

Enjoy :) 

Sumac Salmon

Salmon is one of my favorite proteins to eat and cook, it's super flavorful and packed with tons of nutrients. Salmon is an excellent source of vitamin B12,  Vitamin D, and selenium, niacin, omega-3-fatty acids, protein, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. This recipe also uses sumac, sumac is a spice made from dried and ground sumac berries. Sumac is a lemony flavorful spice that is very high in antioxidants, may reduce cholesterol, help glycemic control, and improve cardiovascular health.

                                       

Ingredients: 

1 pound of wild salmon (I prefer to use wild salmon)

2 tablespoons ground sumac 

1/4 cup fresh dill

1 tablespoon lemon zest 

1/2 sliced lemon 

4 slices of white onion 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste 

How To Make It: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farhenheit 

      

2. Obtain a small baking sheet, then line it with a large piece of foil (enough to wrap the salmon with), and brush the foil with some of the olive oil. 

                                            

                                             

3. Place the fresh salmon skin side down on the oiled foil and add all of the sumac spice you desire to the salmon, try to rub it in as evenly as possible. 

       

    4. Chop the fresh herb dill, zest about a full lemon, slice half a lemon, and 4 slices of onion. 

        

    

5. Add the zest, dill, salt, pepper, lemon slices, and onion slices. 

        

6. Wrap the sides of the foil around the salmon creating a tight environment for the salmon to absorb all of the flavors and cook effectively without drying out.

                                          

   7. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, keeping a keen eye while its baking, you definitely don't want to overcook it, because it will get dry, but you want to make sure the thicker pieces cook thoroughly as well. 

                                          

                                          

                                          

8. Remove the salmon when it is cooked to your liking and transfer to a serving plate, it is optional to keep or remove the onion and lemon slices as a garnish. Enjoy :) 

         

                                                                                                                                                    

Baked Cauliflower with Lemon and Cumin

Cauliflower is a great vegetable to have in your diet, like almost all vegetables, cauliflower has little to no calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Cauliflower is a good source of vitamin C, Folate, Iron, Calcium, and Vitamin B6. This recipe also includes the use of cumin, a very beneficial spice that adds tons of flavor and is packed with health benefits such as: aids with digestion (will help prevent gas/bloating effects of cauliflower), is great for your immune system (helps prevent some cancers), is great for your respiratory system (asthma, bronchitis), and may help solve insomnia problems as well! 

Needless to say, this recipe for cauliflower is a dynamic duo on both a flavor level and a nutritional level! 

         

Ingredients: 

1/2 a head (approximately 2 cups) of cauliflower, washed, dried, and chopped. 

2 garlic cloves, chopped. 

1 lemon 

1/4 cup of vegetable oil (canola)

1 Tablespoon of cumin (or more if you love the taste, like me :D) 

1/4 Cup of parsley, chopped. 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 

How To Make It: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Farhenheit. 

2. Place the washed, dried and chopped cauliflower on a baking pan. 

3. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Mix the cauliflower so each piece is fully covered with oil and spices. 

4. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook or the cauliflower will get mushy. 

5. Add the minced garlic, chopped parsley, and the juice of one lemon. 

6. Serve and enjoy as a side dish with any lean protein, or as an appetizer with some pita bread.

Optional: sprinkle some paprika on top for a nice color. 

Fasoolieh Bizeit (sautéed green beans)

Fasoolieh Bizeit is one of my favorite side dishes. The direct translation from Arabic is "sautéed green beans with olive oil". In Middle Eastern cooking there are many vegetables that are prepared in the same way, so if you don't like green beans you can substitute it with another vegetable/legume.

This dish is light, heathy, and very tasty; it is low in calories, fat, and carbs, so it makes a great accompaniment to almost anything! This recipe is a quick and easy, and is usually enjoyed with warm pita bread. Enjoy :) 

Ingredients:
1 package frozen fancy green beans 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes (fresh tomatoes are great here too) 

1 small can tomato sauce 

1/2 chopped onion 

3 chopped garlic cloves 

1 Lemon (1/2 garnish) 

How To Make It: 

1. Saute onions and garlic with 2 Tabelspoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, on medium heat. 

2. After about 5 minutes, add the frozen green beans. 

3. After about 5 minutes add one can diced tomatoes and one small can of tomato sauce and let simmer until tender. 

4. Plate and add half a lemon and use the remaineder of the lemon for garnish. 

Lemon Dijon Chicken!

   This chicken is low in fat, light, and full of flavor! 

Chicken is one of my favorite proteins to work with, it's a lean protein that absorbs any marinade and spices its made with and really absoebs all the flavors! I chose to accent the Dijon mustard in this recipe because it adds loads of flavor without the fat and a minimal amount of calories. 

                            

 Ingredients: 

5 chicken breast cutlets 

2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard 

1 lemon 

1 lime 

1 onion 

4-6 garlic cloves 

1 bunch of fresh cilantro 

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 

1 teaspoon of paprika 

Salt and pepper to taste (I used about a 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper) 

2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

    

How to make it: 

 

1. Defrost the chicken if was frozen and then take out of the package and place on a cutting board. Chop the chicken into bite-sized cubes and place it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. 

                                 

2. Chop the onion and garlic into small roughly chopped pieces and place them in the bowl with the chicken. 

3. Chop the fresh cilantro in a roughly fine chop and add to the bowl. 

                                

4. Add the Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

                                 

5. Thoroughly mix everything together.

                                

6. In a skillet heat up 1 teaspoon of olive oil. 

7. After about 2 minutes add the chicken mixture to the skillet and let the chicken cook thoroughly (about 10 minutes) 

                               

8. Make sure the chicken is cooked by slicing one of the pieces and making sure it is white the whole way through inside. 

9. Transfer the chicken to serving dish and enjoy with rice or as is! 

                              

Spinach & Feta Egg White Omelet

Spinach & Feta are always a dynamic duo, and in this low fat and high protein omelet there is no change! This omelet is super easy and fast to make and comes out delicious every time. 

Ingredients: 

1. 1/3 cup of egg whites (usually equals about 2 eggs worth) 

2. Canola cooking spray 

3. 1/4 cup of non fat feta cheese 

4. 1/2 cup of fresh spinach 

5. 1/2 tomato 

6. salt & pepper  

How To Make It: 

1. Bring a small skillet to medium heat and add non stick cooking spray on the bottom and sides. 

2. Add the egg whites and salt and pepper to taste 

3. After about 1 minute, add the fresh spinach, non fat feta cheese, and tomato chunks to the center of the egg whites. 

4. Once the eggs are fully cooked (about 3-5 minutes) fold over the edges of the egg whites to slightly cover the fillings in the middle. 

5. Carefully transfer the omelet to a plate and enjoy as is or with a side of whole grain toast. 

Light Twice Baked Potatoes

This recipe for twice baked potatoes is warm, flavorful, and still light! 

Potatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world, they are nutritious and very inexpensive. 

Potatoes are high in fiber (especially the skin), protein, vitamin C, Iron, vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Potassium. Many studies have proven that potatoes can help with blood pressure, heart disease, inflammation, skin, and digestion. 

Ingredients: 

4 Russet Potatoes 

Olive Oil (for rubbing the outsides) 

4 Green Onions 

1/2 Cup Light Sour Cream 

Paprika (for topping)

Salt and Pepper to taste 

Optional: Cheddar Cheese 

How To Make It: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Thoroughly wash all the potatoes with a scrubber and then dry them. 

3. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and then individually wrap them with foil. Take a knife and poke the potatoes wrapped in foil about 4 times to let the steam release. 

4. Bake the potatoes for about 2 hours or until cooked. 

5. Unwrap all the potatoes and cut them into halves.

6. Chop 4 green onions and set aside in a medium/large bowl. Scoop out the cooked potato leaving a somewhat thick layer above the skin.  

7. Mix together the potato (insides), green onions, and light sour cream. (if the mixture seems too dry add more sour cream). 

8. Place the mixture back inside the potato skins and top it off with a sprinkle of paprika. Optional: add shredded or cubed cheddar cheese on top. 

9. Place the potatoes back into the oven for another 20 minutes or until golden. 

10. Carefully remove the potatoes and enjoy!