Sloppy Lentil Sandwich

Sometimes my boyfriend gets these silly food ideas that end up being great. I call them “little boy food” or “little boy ideas.” These ideas usually come in the form of desserts, where he’ll go into the kitchen and make some sweet concoction that looks bizarre but tastes delicious. Tonight he actually semi-hijacked my meal and turned it into his little boy food.

I had made lentil soup for dinner and I probably let it cook a little too long. Because of that, a lot of the liquid had cooked off. And by “a lot,” I mean the majority of the liquid was gone and it was more just lentils with vegetables rather than lentil soup. Matt walked in, looked at what was cooking, and said, “Hey, we can make sloppy joes.” I kind of looked him confused, because clearly this is not sloppy joe filling, this is lentil soup! But the more I thought about it, the more I really loved the idea of making it into a sandwich. Since the consistency of the lentils definitely wasn’t soupy, it could easily go on a bun.

The sandwich was messy, much like a sloppy joe. The lentils weren’t entirely happy being between the bun as they slipped out occasionally. But for the most part, most of my lentils did stay on the sandwich.

Very simple and very yummy!

Sloppy Lentil Sandwich
(original lentil soup recipe)

 Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp paprika
1 1/2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups lentils, soaked, rinsed, and drained
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 ground black pepper
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp white wine
2 bay leaves
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 hamburger buns

Directions

1. In a large pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until glossy. Add the garlic, paprika, carrots, and celery. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the tomatoes, lentil, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Pour in the wine and stir. Bring to a rolling boil.

3. Lower the heat slowly on the soup. Let simmer at medium-low heat for one hour.

4. See if enough of the liquid has cooked off. If not, keep cooking until the lentils aren’t soupy.

5. Divide the lentils between the buns.

* serves 4
* 362 calories per sandwich
* shared with Tasty Tuesday Party &  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Mushroom Broccolini Risotto

This month at Food ‘n Flix we watched Sideways, hosted by Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor.

I first saw Sideways the year it had come out, back in 2005. My dad was sent to Blockbuster and told to get a comedy. He came back with Sideways. Being 18 years old and expecting something truly funny, I was not expecting the dark comedy he had brought home. We ended up turning it off.

Seeing it again these seven years later has made a mountain of a difference.

In Sideways two middle age men go on a trip through Southern California’s wine country. Honestly, until I saw this movie I had no idea that Southern California even had a wine country. I live in Sacramento, grew up in San Francisco, and went to college in Santa Cruz. I am very much a Northern California girl and always just thought of “wine country” as being Napa county. In fact, I have plans this summer to go wine tasting in Napa with several of my girl friends. I hope this happens because I’ve never gone wine tasting before. And I hope I’m not the driver.

For the recipe to share with Food ‘n Flix I decided to pick something and pair it with wine, since that was the overwhelming theme of the movie.

Here’s the problem. Well, there’s two. I don’t know much about wine and I’m cheap as hell. I originally googled what I should pair with a mushroom risotto and read that I should pair it with a Dolcetto. That sounds great and all, but the $20 bottle of wine from Bevmo really just wasn’t fitting this poor law student’s budget. Upon more searching I read that a chardonnay would be a good pair for this type of meal – and since the recipe called for dry white wine I decided I’d buy a wine, cook with it, and drink it.

This bottle of wine was about $10. I didn’t spit it out, so that’s a good sign.

It is a California wine, but not from the Santa Barbara area. This winery is actually in Sonoma County and is about an hour and a half away from where I live. This is definitely local wine. Though it was cheap, for this law student’s budget it was perfect. Websites indicate that “this Classic Sonoma County Chardonnay exhibits ripefruity flavors of pear, crisp green apple, vanilla and toasty caramel.” When it comes to wine I just taste fermented grapes, so what do I know.

I do like white wine more than red wine though – that is one thing I know. The reason though is because white wine doesn’t stain my lips and make me look drunk.

Risotto isn’t the easiest dish to make, but I think I pulled it off pretty well for this meal. Overall I was satisfied.

Find out about entering this month’s Food ‘n Flix here!

Mushroom Broccolini Rissoto
(serves 2)

Ingredients
1/2 lb arborio rice
4 oz sliced mushrooms
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup broccolini
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup white wine

Directions

1. In a pot combine the mushrooms and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 20 minutes. When it has finished boiling strain the mushrooms. Reserve the broth.

2. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the broccolini and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

3. Ina deep skillet melt the butter with olive oil. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes. Add the rice and toast for 3 more minutes.

4. Add wine and stir for 2 minutes.

5. As the liquid evaporates from the rice, add 1/2 cup of the reserved broth to the rice. Continue to cook, bringing to a low boil, stirring frequently. Continue to add more broth (or water if you run out of broth) as the liquid evaporates, stirring consistently. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.

6. Fold in the broccolini, Parmesan, and mushrooms.

* serves 2

Tomato and Sausage Pilaf

This last semester of law school had me effectively fall off the planet. As of last night though I am now 66% done with law school – only one year left!

If this blog were actually entitled Law Student Eats or something (as opposed to it being my Cookbook) these last few months of food would be filled the nastiest foods ever. I have eaten a lot of hot dogs and chili fries, hamburgers, pizza, and Chinese food. I am not saying any of those are actually nasty, because they taste really good . . . But I have hardly been healthy and unfortunately I’ve noticed a major increase in my weight in the last few months. This is very disappointing given how much I lost last year. I don’t want it all to be for nothing, so it’s time I pull myself together again and start making meals that matter and reexplore my kitchen and have fun.

My around the world challenge, like I’ve mentioned, was entirely set-back by my hectic life. But I will be making those missed out ‘trips’ up starting next meal plan hopefully. If not, I do still plan to make 52 dishes from other countries – we will just see how it pans out.

My school work has really gotten in the way of cooking. I was also disappointed that I wasn’t able to participate in Food ‘n Flix last month because I just had no time to watch the movie. I already have my dish picked out though for this month’s movie, Sideways. I plan to make it Friday this week. I just need to go to the store and get some wine first. To participate in this fun event check it out here.

Now with that being said and all my talking out of the way, this pilaf was delicious. I usually mess rice up if it’s not cooked traditionally (or in a rice cooker.) This recipe was surprisingly simple, left me with fluffy (not burnt) rice, and tasted delicious.

Tomato and Sausage Pilaf
(source)

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
9 oz smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup basmati rice
2 1/2 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Heat 1/2 tsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Add 1/2 tsp of olive oil, onion, and garlic to the frying pan. Cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the rice, and cook stirring for 1 minute. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Place sausages on top of rice.

4. Add the remaining oil and mushrooms to the frying pan. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to release liquid. Add the tomato and broth; bring to a boil. Pour over rice and stir to combine. Cover dish with tight-fitting lid.

5. Bake for 40 minutes. Add peas. Bake covered for 5 more minutes.

* serves 2

Spaghetti Meatball Pie

Topic One: I need to get back on my 52 week around the world challenge. I obviously am not going to complete the challenge in 52 weeks (because like I said in the last post, school and work has gotten the best of me,) however I do still plan on cooking dishes from 52 countries, even if it means doubling up on weeks. But I’m not even going to pretend to try yet. I need to finish the semester out.

Topic Two: This Dish! I made this spaghetti meatball pie after participating in the Crazy Cooking Challenge‘s Spaghetti and Meatballs challenge. I was so in love with the idea of ButterYum’s Spaghetti and Meatball Pie that I added it to my recipe bookmarks. I consider this “little boy food.” “Little boy food” is food I make that I know Matt will go crazy over. It’s always pretty simple flavors, but it comprises those hearty meals from childhood. Granted, Matt nor I had ever actually had Spaghetti Meatball Pie in our childhoods – but this take on the classic spaghetti and meatballs was not only fun, it was yummy.

And easy, don’t forget that.

Spaghetti Meatball Pie

Ingredients
1/2 lb spaghetti noodles
1 1/2 cup pasta sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mushroom pieces
20 frozen meatballs, thawed and cut in half

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a springform pan with Pam.

2. In a skillet with a minimal amount of oil, cook the mushrooms until soft.

3. In a large bowl combine the eggs, spaghetti noodles, pasta sauce, and cheese. In another bowl combine together the meatballs and mushrooms.

4. Pour half the noodles into the springform pan. Top with the meatballs and mushrooms. Pour the other half of the spaghetti noodles on top.

5. Top with any extra cheese.

6. Cover in aluminum foil. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet. Bake for 55 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

7. Remove and let sit for 20 minutes before cooling.

* serves 8
* 318 calories per serving
* Shared with Presto Pasta 

Spicy Meatballs and Spaghetti

This is the first month I’ve participated in the Crazy Cooking Challenge. Every month a new dish is listed to be created, using a recipe from a blog found elsewhere on this world wide web we surf. This month’s challenge was spaghetti with red sauce. I knew when I saw this that I needed meatballs, because no spaghetti is complete without them. But I didn’t want normal meatballs, I wanted something more! So I surfed the web and found normal meatball recipe after normal meatball recipe. When I stumbled upon Blissfully Delicious however, I changed paces. The Spicy Turkey Meatballs that Yudith made are anything but your traditional meatball. Using prosciutto in her meatballs, she added that spark I was looking for!

Now unfortunately when it came to meatball making night I had forgotten to buy prosciutto. But I did have pastrami, so I decided to use that instead. And also.. stupidly, the ground turkey I was going to use had been in the refrigerator too long and had to make its dissent into the trash. With only the Italian sausage thawed, I decided to just go with it and make sausage/pastrami meatballs.

So while my meatballs may not be exact replications of Yudith’s, they got their inspiration to do something different and be more than a boring ball of meat.

Spicy Meatballs and Spaghetti
(inspiration)

  Ingredients
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
2 oz pastrami, thinly chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar marinara sauce
1 lb dried spaghetti

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Pour the bread crumbs and milk together. Let sit for 5 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage, pastrami, bread mixture, Parmesan, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine with your hands. Add the olive oil and eggs and mix together well.

4. Roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

5. Pour the marinara in a large pot. Add the meatballs and bring to a simmer.

6. Cook spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain. Place spaghetti in individual bowls and top with meatballs and sauce.

* serves 3

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Around The World in 52 Weeks: Sarma

Though sarma is traditionally a Serbian dish, Montenegro, my county for the week borders Serbia. Food in Montenegro has both Italian and Serbian influences. These wraps can be made using grape leaves, chard leaves, or cabbage leaves. I opted for the cabbage as I had one in my refrigerator and it didn’t require a trip to a specialty store (as the grape leaves would have.)

The only thing I regret about this dish was not having started it earlier. It takes three hours to cook, so starting dinner at 6PM was just a dumb idea on my part. When dinner was finally read around 9PM I indulged in these delicious wraps. The sauerkraut made them the perfect amount of bitter. I would definitely make these again.

Sarma
(source)

Ingredients
1 head cabbage
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 lb ground pork
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 egg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can sauerkraut
1 cup tomato sauce
water, as needed

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the meat, rice, onion, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Form meat mixture into oblong balls, about 1/2 cup of meat each. Wrap each ball with a cabbage leaf.

2. Spread the sauerkraut on the bottom of a pan. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, on top of the sauerkraut. Pour tomato sauce on top and then add enough water so that the cabbage rolls are completely covered.

3. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, allowing to simmer. Simmer for 3 hours.

* serves 3
* Shared with KB and Whitesnakes’s Simply Delish Saturdays.

I’d like to see people travel the globe with me.
Every Saturday I will be posting my recipe, as well as pictures to ethnic cuisines you have made and want to share.

- You must mention The Law Student’s Cookbook‘s Around The World In 52 Weeks in the entry you link. You can either use a link or use the banner.
- In your post you must  at least mention what cuisine the dish is.
- Email me your recipe at elizabeth@crabtech.net. Make sure to include:

* Your name or blog name
* The direct link to your post
* A picture of the dish or permission to pull a picture from the post

- Make sure to email me by Saturday at 12noon Pacific Standard Time
- If you enter a recipe you will be automatically entered into my current giveaway.

Black-Eyed Peas and Eggplant Curry

I’ve said it over and over and over again – I love curry! I could make a resolution to only eat curries for a whole year and be happy as a clam. My boyfriend on the other hand isn’t a big curry lover, so I won’t make that resolution.

Anyway, this curry used ingredients I don’t typically use in my curries. Eggplant really just isn’t my favorite vegetable and black-eyed peas I rarely use (but I had some leftover from the black-eyed pea fritters I had made earlier.)

This dish though was fantastic. I served the curry over rice. YUM!

Black-Eyed Peas and Eggplant Curry
(source) 

Ingredients
1/2 eggplant
1/2 onion
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp curry paste
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp red wine
1/2 cup black-eyed peas, frozen or canned
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth

Directions

1. Trim the eggplant. Cut each into 1-inch pieces. Set aside. Half the onion and cut into strips. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the eggplant and cook tossing for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, curry paste, and garam masala, stirring well. Cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is tender.

3. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the wine and simmer, stirring often for about 5 minutes or until a thick stew is formed. Add the black-eyed peas, tomato, and broth and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

* serves 2
* 246 calories per serving
* This dish is being shared with Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays , Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, and  Tasty Tuesday Party

Around The World in 52 Weeks: Chicken Mechbous

This week my kitchen took me to Kuwait. Unfortunately I had to make the journey alone, because my boyfriend had a fever. I couldn’t neglect my challenge though, so I went without him. I did bring him some leftovers from my trip though. What that actually means is I made a soup for him that was made from the chicken, rice, onions, and tomato sauce from my dinner – with chicken broth, canned green beans, and frozen corn.

My journey to the Middle East was a delicious journey. I really love Indian food. While this wasn’t quite the same, there were some similarities in the flavors of the dish. The recipe I followed used a whole chicken. Since I’m only cooking for two, cooking a whole chicken just creates way too much food. I used chicken breasts instead.

Now that I’m back into school mode I have to write a 25 page paper.

Chicken Mechbous

Ingredients
2 tbsp raisins
4 trimmed boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods
3 black peppercorns
3 cups uncooked Basmati rice
1 1/2 onions, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp water
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Place raisins in a cup of water and set aside until you need them.

2. Put chicken in a pot. Cover with water and include the cloves, cardamom pods, and peppercorns. Bring water to a boil and cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Remove the chicken from the water. Reserve 6 cups of water you cooked the chicken in.

4. Cook your rice in the 6 cups of reserved water. If you don’t have enough to make 6 cups,  make up the rest with water. Cook the rice however you cook rice. (I used a rice cooker)

5. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and spray with Pam. Cook the onions until they become translucent. Add 2 tbsp of water. Stir quickly. When the onions are brown and the water is evaporated, set aside.

6. Lightly dust the chicken with flour. In the same skillet you cooked the onions, add a small amount of oil. Cook the chicken on both sides, until you get the outsides crispy. Set aside.

7. In the same skillet you’ve been using, combine the raisins, tomato, tomato paste, and 1 tbsp of water. Stir together continuously and cook over medium heat, until a sauce is formed.

8. Serve the chicken over the rice, with the tomato sauce on top. Place onions around the rice.

* serves 4
* about  605 calories per serving
* This dish is being shared with KB and Whitesnake’s Simply Delish Saturdays 

I’d like to see people travel the globe with me.
Every Saturday I will be posting my recipe, as well as pictures to ethnic cuisines you have made and want to share.

- You must mention The Law Student’s Cookbook‘s Around The World In 52 Weeks in the entry you link. You can either use a link or use the banner.
- In your post you must  at least mention what cuisine the dish is.
- Email me your recipe at elizabeth@crabtech.net. Make sure to include:

* Your name or blog name
* The direct link to your post
* A picture of the dish or permission to pull a picture from the post

- Make sure to email me by Saturday at 12noon Pacific Standard Time
- If you enter a recipe you will be automatically entered into my current giveaway.

Around The World in 52 Weeks: Barbecue Limas

This week my kitchen to the Marshall Islands. I was going to make dessert as well as dinner, but I kind of forgot I didn’t have any heavy cream and had to say goodbye to my plans to make a coconut cream macadamia cake, because I was too lazy to go to the grocery store.

While I didn’t make the coconut cream cake, I did use an ingredient I haven’t use before (which by the way is another of my resolutions for the year.) I had no idea until I made last week’s meal plan that butter beans and lima beans were actually the same thing. I had a can of butter beans in my cabinet, for whatever reason, and they have been sitting there forever because I had no idea what a butter bean was. I learned this week that it’s a lima bean! I’d never cooked with butter/lima beans before, but this Marshall Islands dish was delicious.

Of course the American is using canned lima beans.. But if we were actually on the Marshall Islands in the Caribbean we would have fresh beans that grow wild on the island. Cite.

I wasn’t too sure about this recipe. But after it was made and I was eating it, it was so good. And my boyfriend liked it too. We like the Marshall Islands.

Barbecue Limas (adapted from here)

Ingredients
1 can lima beans (or butter beans)
6 oz spicy Italian sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp mustard
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

Directions

1. Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in a skillet. Add the tomato sauce, mustard, and brown sugar and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.

2. Pour the sausage mixture into a baking dish. Mix with lima beans and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

* serves 2
* I’m sharing this dish with KB and Whitesnake’s Simply Delish Saturdays.

I’d like to see people travel the globe with me.
Every Saturday I will be posting my recipe, as well as pictures to ethnic cuisines you have made and want to share.

- You must mention The Law Student’s Cookbook‘s Around The World In 52 Weeks in the entry you link. You can either use a link or use the banner.
- In your post you must  at least mention what cuisine the dish is.
- Email me your recipe at elizabeth@crabtech.net. Make sure to include:

* Your name or blog name
* The direct link to your post
* A picture of the dish or permission to pull a picture from the post

- Make sure to email me by Saturday at 12noon Pacific Standard Time
- If you enter a recipe you will be automatically entered into my current giveaway.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I’ve been all about soups lately. Besides it just being cold outside, I have night classes three days a week and need easy things I can grab and go before 5 or 6PM. Mondays I have class from 5-8, Tuesdays from 6-8, and Wednesdays from 6-9. I hate eating late, so eating before class is definitely the best thing for me to do. But.. to do this, I need something I can make QUICK.

Crockpots work well for this quick kind of cooking I’m looking for. Though it does take all day for the meal to cook, when it’s time for me to eat, I can eat quick. I can wake up early in the morning, throw everything in the pot, turn it on, go about my day, and come home to a house smelling delicious and dinner hot and ready. It’s like having a personal cook.

Except I’m the one doing the cooking.

This chicken tortilla soup was packed with flavor. It was great the first day, but even better the second.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cans Ro-tel
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chile powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried cilantro
96 tortilla chips
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. In a crockpot combine the chicken, Ro-tel, beans, corn, onion, chicken broth, water, and spices.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

2. Serve the soup with 12 chips and 1 tbsp of sour cream.

* serves 8
* 346 calories per serving
* This recipe is being shared with Souper Sunday at Kahakai Kitchen.