in the kitchen

Here's what I've been cooking in the kitchen.

red lentil soup

This red lentil soup is easy and delicious. It's going to be a new fall favorite recipe. I've only ever cooked brown lentils so when I saw that Trader Joe's started carrying split red lentils I had to try them. I recommend doubling this recipe so you have left overs the next day.

veggies & quinoa

I also made this veggies & quinoa dish. I didn't follow a recipe, although I'm sure I've seen a similar dish somewhere amongst all the foodie blogs I peruse. Since this was just a thrown together dish I'm going to give you a thrown together recipe. My mom always says "a recipe is just a guideline" so feel free to add, subtract, or change anything about this. If you do I'd love to hear what you did and how your verison came out.

• Quinoa
• Trader Joe's Jalapeno Chicken Sausages, cut into quarters
• Sweet Potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Zucchini, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• Kale, thinly shredded
• Sweet Red Pepper, diced
• Fresh Ginger, minced
• Fresh Garlic, minced
• Cumin
• Oregano
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper

Start cooking the quinoa. While the quinoa is cooking saute the sausages in some olive oil until they are browned. Then in a separate pan saute the garlic and ginger with olive oil. Add the sweet potatoes. Cook the sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes, until they are just slightly tender but still a little crunchy. Add the zucchini. Once you add the zucchini sprinkle some cumin and oregano over the veggies and cook until soft. Add the kale, sea salt and black pepper. Toss the cooked sausages over the kale and cover for a couple minutes. The kale will cook quickly since it's thinly shredded so it doesn't need to stay covered for very long. Once the kale is cooked make sure you mix everything to incorporate all the flavors. Add the diced sweet red pepper just before serving. The crunchiness of the pepper adds a nice texture to the dish. Adjust the flavors to your liking and voila! A healthy and hearty supper.