For many years now, I have been cooking the beet greens with red lentils. It's a very filling dish that can be  a main dish for lunch or a side dish, even breakfast for those who like savory in the morning.  I do ! I love eating greens in the morning with beans or any other legumes. When the greens are fresh and crispy; you definitely don't want to throw them out. Use them they are full of iron!
Beets are a wonderful vegetable. I love  the types you can get, red, candy stripe, yellow....
As for the beets, cut them off boil them or roast them the way you like them!
Today I am sharing the beet green recipe.

Ingredients

1                                                Yellow onion
3                                                Garlic Cloves
1/2                                             Bunch  Cilantro
1                                                Bunch beet greens
1and 1/2 cups                            Red lentils
3 Tbs                                         Extra virgin olive oil
                                                  Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1to 1and 1/2 cups                      Water


On a cutting board, dice your onion and set in a bowl , peel the garlic and smash them in a mortar and pestle .  Heat up a large skillet, preferably 3 inches deep, put the olive oil, saute the onion and add in the garlic, keep stirring.  Next , add in the cilantro, which you finally chopped.
Stir these ingredients, together. This particular combination of garlic and cilantro being cooked together is very Middle Eastern.  We have a lot of dishes that have this flavor.  The aroma is so delicious and strong, it will fill your kitchen.  Now add the beet greens that you cut in 1/2 inch pieces and washed,  season with salt and pepper and lastly  the lentils.  If you want to presoak them , you may. However in this dish I do not.  When I cook them other wise I do.  Add the water, stir, lower the heat and cover.
Let this simmer for 10 minute, add more salt if you wish, I leave this to your discretion.  Check your liquid you might need more but you do not want it soupy! It should be dense.
Keep cooking the until the lentils are cooked. You may stir the dish a few times while it is cooking, you want the liquid to reduce and stay a little wet in your pan.  Taste it, let it sit for 15 minutes.
You can serve your dish in a bowl, drizzle a touch of olive oil if desired and eat!

Bon Appetit! until the next time....





    

Sauteed Tuscan Kale recipe

To prepare this dish you need

1                   Bunch of Tuscan Kale , I prefer the flat leaves
1/2                Yellow onion
2                   Garlic cloves
1/8 cup          Pignoli nuts
2 Tbs             Olive oil
                      Sea salt and black pepper to taste



First thing you want to do is rinse your kale and let it dry off in your dish rack.  Next, peel  the onion and garlic, cut both into thin slices. Set aside.  On a cutting board, cut the kale into 1/2 inch slices, set aside in a bowl.  Heat your pan, best if it a cast iron one. Heat your olive oil, start with the onion until glossy, next add in the garlic.  Keep stirring, the garlic will smell great!  Drop in the pignoli nuts and stir.   Add in the kale and stir quickly.   Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Use kitchen tongs to mix your kale with the onions and garlic, the color will be bright green, now you may add a touch of water like 2 Tbs, and let the pan steam it. Lower the heat so you don't burn the kale.
The sauteing process should take no longer than 5 to 8 minutes, once you have your kale in the pan.

I love my vegetables al dente!  The brighter the better.
  Remember Eat your GREENS!

cooking with Cindy

Much to my surprise a few weeks ago I met Cindy at my son's baseball practice! She is a food photographer and I being chef! a match made in heaven so to speak!
We met at my house here in Vegas in Summerlin and I cooked a few recipees and she photographed.  We styled the food and had a lot of fun. 
I made Sauteed Tuscan kale, Beet greens with red lentils and cilantro and Leek and potato soup.