Warm Lentil Salad with Arugula and Goats Cheese

 

I am not one of those people who started to love cooking at an early age.  Despite both of my grandmothers worked as chefs all their life, I had no interest in cooking or food what so ever. The only interest I had was to eat it LOL. 

Red Lentil and Chickpea Soup

For the first time since I moved to Ireland (and it will be 6 years in a bit) it's actually a real winter - very cold and very snowy. And when the weather is cold, I crave more for a comfort food – soups, stews - you name it.  So today I would like to share one of my favourite soup recipe, hearty and filling - all you need for the weather like this. Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Lentil Stew

It is cold, gray and wet today so it’s perfect day for a comfort food. And what could be better than a good hearty stew? I decided to go for a lentil stew.

Lentils are very nutritional, filling and are great in stews, soups and even salads.

There are many different types of lentils but here are the most common and widely available in stores:

Red lentils - the fastest cooking lentil. When lentils are cooked they will turn from red colour to yellow.

Brown lentils – are mild in flavour, but have to be careful to not overcook as they will turn mushy.

Green lentils – also known as French lentils. They are rich in protein, flavour and stay firm after cooking. They also are the best and most expensive lentils.

Lentils should be stored in airtight container; shelf- life for uncooked lentils are up to a year, cooked can be kept in a refrigerator for up to four days.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken tights, quartered

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium carrots, liced

1 can of tomatoes

100 grams brown lentils

100 grams red lentils

3 potatoes, quartered

1 ½ teaspoons Ras el Hanout

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon pepper

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons oil

600-700 ml of chicken stock

Method:

Preheat a saucepan over medium heat, add oil; Add chicken to the saucepan and brown from each side. Add onion, garlic, all spices and carrot – sauté for about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring it to the boil. Turn heat to medium-low and add brown lentils, simmer for 30 minutes and then add potatoes, red lentils and sliced zucchinis; simmer for approximately 20 min or until cooked. Season with salt.