Creamy Hummus Lentil Soup

The first time I tried hummus I did not like it. Let me explain. I tried it at a Girl Scout "multicultural night" when I was eight years old. Hopefully now that first statement doesn't seem so offensive! My troop went to a regional activity to learn about the countries of the world. Moms from several different troops had set up dozens of booths in a gymnasium, each one representing a different country. They had pictures, dolls, clothing, pottery, and food at each table and a short speech prepared to give us a brief cultural background. This is something I would thoroughly enjoy now, but sadly my pea-sized eight year old attention span only made it twenty minutes. As my troop was herded from country to country, I feigned interest for the sole purpose of receiving a foreign snack at the end of my visit. Because they were adept at catering to young girls, most of these ethnic bites were cookies. Except Turkey. After sampling wedding cookies in Mexico, we touched down in the Middle East to learn about Muslims and the Black Sea. My gaze soon wandered into Germany and the enticing plate of shortbread-jam linzer cookies there. I prayed my stay in Turkey would be brief. After the presentation I was handed a baby carrot with some strange goop on the tip. Not a cookie. Definitely a vegetable. I ate it while glaring bitterly at the troop in Germany devouring their linzer cookies, greedily licking their jam-smeared lips.

I didn't try hummus again for years, but I'm happy to report that when I did, I fell in love. Today, if I'm offered hummus, veggies (yes, even baby carrots), and Stacy's Pita Chips, I'm on board. So, when I saw this recipe for lentil soup with hummus in Bon Appetit, I knew I had to make it. To make this soup, you start with a basic lentil soup, which is delicious on it's own, but then comes the brilliant twist of stirring in hummus.

The result is a creamy, thick soup that begs to be scooped into your mouth on a steaming piece of pita bread.

Pick through the lentils for small rocks or other non-lentil items and rinse well. Heat the olive oil in a stock pot on medium heat. Add the chopped carrot and onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 Tbsp curry powder and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

 

Add the rinsed lentils, 4 cups of water, and the bay leaf. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft. 

Meanwhile, make the hummus. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, ginger, garlic, pepper, and olive oil until smooth. Adjust lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and pepper to your taste.

Stir the hummus, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and remaining 1 Tbsp curry powder into lentil soup. The soup will be thick, so add water to thin if desired. I added 1/2 cup. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper according to your taste.

You can actually SEE the creaminess the hummus adds to the soup. Serve with warmed pita bread and enjoy!

Creamy Hummus Lentil Soup 

recipe adapted from Bon Appetit 

Ingredients:

Lentil Soup:

 

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped 

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

3 Tbsp curry powder, divided

1 cup French green lentils, picked through and rinsed

Bay leaf 

Hummus:

15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 tsp pepper

4 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrot and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 Tbsp curry powder and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the rinsed lentils, 4 cups of water, and the bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft.

Meanwhile, make the hummus. In a food processor, puree the chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, ginger, garlic, pepper, and olive oil until smooth.

Stir the hummus, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and remaining 1 Tbsp curry powder into lentil soup. Add water to thin the soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Southwest Loaded Baked Potato

Ahhh the potato. Is there a starch more versatile than this glorious spud? What would a hamburger be without french fries? A summer BBQ without potato salad? A late night snack run to the kitchen without potato chips? Your Thanksgiving feast without mashed potatoes? And it's not just Americans that have perfected recipes highlighting this staple crop. I adore potatoes in perogies, spicy Indian curry, or Spanish tortilla just as much as the recipes I grew up with! When I bought the "on sale" sack of potatoes this week at the grocery store, instead of exploring the variety of international cuisines and cooking techniques that a potato can adopt, I decided to take the spud back to basics. We are making a baked potato!

I am guilty of fake baking potatoes in the microwave. When I'm starving, and not in my right mind, 5 minutes cooking time ALWAYS trumps 60 minutes cooking time. However, my apartment in Spain does not have a microwave. Sure, I could invest in a new appliance, but I like that I'm forced to be a little more resourceful than I am back home in my fully stocked and completely operable kitchen. Here, I am required to do a little more menu planning.

When you give a potato the hour it deserves to bake slowly in an oven, it rewards you for your patience. Its crispy exterior crunches delicately under your fork before opening to reveal a burst of steam and soft, cloud-like, creamy potato flesh. At this point, a little salt and pepper is all you need to make a baked potato sing. I'm giving it some Southwestern flair with a roasted red bell pepper, sauteed onions, an egg, and lots of melty cheese!

This is another infinitely adaptable recipe. You can fill your baked potato with just about anything you have in your fridge, including diced chicken, turkey, or ham. After you've tried my Southwest inspired recipe, tweak your potato filling to make this recipe your own!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a fork, prick the potato a few times on all sides. Rub a teaspoon of olive oil on the outside of your potato and salt and pepper liberally. Bake for 1 hour until a knife inserts easily into the potato. Set potato aside to cool briefly.

  

While your potato cools, start working on your onion and bell pepper. Heat the remaining olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the diced onion until soft and translucent, 10 minutes. Set aside. Turn your broiler on to high and place the pepper in the oven skin side up. Check its progress often and rotate if needed to achieve an even char on the surface. If you have a gas stove, char the pepper on your burner directly over the flame.

 

Place pepper in a ziploc bag until cool enough to touch. This will allow steam to accumulate around the bell pepper, making it easier to peel when cool. Peel the skin from the pepper and dice the flesh.

Now, back to the star of the show! Remove a layer from the top of the potato and scrape out the insides. You can either save the inside of the potato or eat them. I almost always eat them! Leave a thin potato layer on the sides when you're hollowing it out.

Now we are to the fun part. Fill your potato with the diced onion and pepper leaving enough space at the top for.....

 

The egg. Just crack that baby directly into your potato.

Sprinkle some cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the egg white is set and the yolk is soft.

Here is the finished product. Fresh out of the oven, it looks quaint and semi-interesting....

but after you attack the potato with your fork and the soft egg yolk cascades over the melted cheese and roasted vegetables, you know it's time to dive in! I made a little side salad out of my leftover vegetables. Waste not, want not! 

Southwest Loaded Baked Potato

Recipe by Sweet & Savory

Ingredients:

1 medium potato
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper
cheese (the amount you use is up to you!) 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. With a fork, prick the surface of the potato a few times on all sides. Rub 1 tsp. olive oil on the outside of the potato and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour until a knife inserts easily into the potato. Set aside until cool enough to handle with your hands.

While your potato cools, prepare the onion and bell pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and saute until the onion is translucent and soft, 10 minutes. Set aside. Heat your broiler to its highest heat setting. Place the bell pepper half under the broiler skin side up. Check the pepper's progress often, as you may need to rotate it to get an even char on all sides, and remove from oven when skin is charred black. If you have a gas stove, you can also blacken your pepper directly on your stove top over the flame. When the bell pepper skin is charred black, place in a plastic bag until cool enough to touch. Peel off the skin and dice the pepper flesh.

Slice a layer off the top of the potato and hollow the inside out with a spoon, leaving a thin layer on all sides. Fill your potato with the diced onion and bell pepper. Crack the egg on top of the vegetables and sprinkle as much cheese as desired on top. Return potato to the oven for 20 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is still soft.