Menu Plan and Jan’s Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup

We have had the loveliest fall weather. We have not had any snow yet, but even more amazing, we haven’t even had a frost. My garden is still producing the warm weather crops, but the temperatures have been moderate enough for my cool weather crops to thrive. I am enjoying the diversity of homegrown fruits and vegetables, but I think my kids are getting antsy for snow for more reasons than skiing. A couple of days ago my daughter asked, “when is gardening season going to be over, so baking season begin?” I took a break from playing with vegetable recipes long enough to bake her Pear Bread and Chai Latte Cupcakes. : )

Monday – Onion Pie and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Tuesday – Jan’s Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup (recipe below) and Garden Salad

Wednesday – Smothered Pork Chops, Herb Roasted Potatoes, and Peas with Green Onions and Basil

Thursday – Red and White Chili (recipe up Thursday night) and Garden Salad

Friday – Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce, Herb Portobello Potatoes,  and Green Beans with Garlic

Saturday – Grilled Steak, Spanakorizo, and Broiled Cherry Tomatoes

Sunday –  Use leftover steak to make Southwest Steak Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Breakfasts: Egg Puffs, Gluten-Free Pear Bread, Oatmeal, Gluten-Free Waffles, Fruit

Lunches: Eggplant Rice Bake, Pasta Alfredo with Vegetables, Cucumber Sandwiches, Fruit and Vegetables and leftovers of course.

Jan shared her recipe for Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup in the comments on my Spicy Lentil Soup post. I am in love with lentils, so I will be trying Jan’s recipe week. I am going to reprint it here, in case you missed it.

Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 fennel bulb chopped fine
1 red onion chopped fine
1 yellow onion chopped fine
¼ c. olive oil
2 -14 ounce cans chopped tomatoes with their liquid
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of crushed chilies
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
Pinch of saffron
4 cups vegetable stock
1 c. dried lentils picked through and rinsed
4 sprigs cilantro
4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp sugar
salt & pepper
1 can chick peas drained & rinsed

Directions for Charmoula:

Mix 4 tbsp. cumin, garlic, jalapeno pepper and lemon juice in food processor to make a puree. Pick cilantro Off stems and add to food processor along with lemon zest and salt and pepper. Pulse mixture a couple of times scraping it down from the side of the bowl in between pulses. The mixture should resemble a rustic pesto. Place in tightly closed container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Directions for Soup:

1. Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat
2. Add chopped fennel and gently cook for a few minutes while fennel releases its natural juices
3. Add red and yellow onion and sauté until soft and translucent
4. Add tomatoes with their liquid and turn heat up until mixture comes to a complete simmer and add the ginger turmeric, cinnamon garlic and saffron and crushed chillies
5. Let mixture cook together for about 5 minutes and then add broth, lentils cilantro and parsley sprigs and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
6. Add sugar salt and pepper and stir mixture a couple of times and then turn heat down to low and cover pot and let simmer for about 25 minutes
7. Add chick peas and let heat for about 10 minutes
8. Check seasoning and season again with salt and pepper . Remove bay leaves, cilantro and parsley sprigs and serve with 1 tbsp of Charmoula on top.

Thanks Jan, I am looking forward to trying this recipe!

Don’t forget to come back on Wednesday for Real Food Deals and share your tips for saving money on Real Food. I will be using some of the tips from last week’s roundup, like making homemade pumpkin puree and homemade cranberry sauce, to satisfy my kids’ need for home baked goodies.

For more menu ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday.