Curry Red Lentil Pies

My second recipe entry into the 2015 Lentil Recipe Revelations Challenge has some of my favorite spices! Having grown up in Trinidad, I love eating and cooking many Indian dishes. Roti, dhal, curry...mmm love them all! These hand-held pies have a dhal-like mixture inside made with red lentils. The lentils are simmered with onions, pepper, curry, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Red lentils are perfect for this recipe because they "cook down" and get super soft. And they pair perfectly with Indian spices! The pie "crust" is empanada dough, which are easy to find pre-made in the frozen ethnic aisle. They are baked until golden brown and served with sweet mango chutney. 

CURRY RED LENTIL PIES WITH WARM MANGO CHUTNEY

For the Lentils:

1 1/4 cups Canadian red lentils

3 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1 green onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp curry powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp hot sauce

3/4 tbsp sugar

For the Pies:

20 empanada dough discs, thawed

1 egg, beaten

2 cups mango chutney, from a jar

In a medium pot, combine all ingredients for the lentils. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let cook until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a spoonful of curry lentils in the middle of each dough disc. Moisten edge of disc with water. Fold over in half (into a semi-circle). Fold along edge to seal (or press edge sealed with a fork). Place pies on two baking sheets (10 per sheet). Brush tops with egg wash.

Bake in oven until golden brown on top, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Put chutney in microwavable bowl and warm for 1 minute.

Serve pies with warm mango chutney. Makes 20 pies.

Crispy Green Lentil Cups!

I'm excited to try my hand at a creative lentil recipe for the 2015 Lentil Recipe Revelations Challenge! When you think of lentils, appetizers don't usually come to mind. I normally cook them as a side dish. This bite-size appetizer recipe is easy and quick to make. A crispy phyllo cup filled with garlic-infused French green lentils, creamy goat cheese and a dash of heat will have you thinking about lentils in a new way!

CRISPY GREEN LENTIL CUPS

1/2 cup Canadian French green lentils
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
30 frozen mini phyllo shells
3 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes


In a medium pot, combine lentils, broth, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
While lentils are cooling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place mini phyllo shells on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in oven for 4 minutes (to get extra crispy!).
Fill each phyllo shell with a spoonful of lentils. Top with goat cheese and garnish with red pepper flakes.

To learn more about the many health benefits of lentils, visit Canadian Lentils. 

Lentils...in tacos!

Growing up, I only knew the regular brown lentils, and ate it the same way every single time. It was seasoned blandly, mushy and just didn't taste very good to me as a kid. I must admit though, I wasn't a fan of peas and beans overall. But still, lentils were my most hated, along with those odd-looking black-eyed peas.
So when I got older, I was surprised to learn that there were other types of lentils and other ways of preparing it. I have recently begun experimenting at home with them. I found a bag of French green lentils at the store last week; they were a beautiful dark green! Cooked them up with lots of seasoning like green onions, parsley, salt, pepper, and simmered in chicken stock. Man were they good, and the boys ate them up! No lentil hate here!
I was trying to think up a taco recipe with unusual, healthy fillings, and lentils came to mind. Here are my Mediterranean Chicken and Lentil Tacos. They are topped with creamy goat cheese. Yummy and healthy all in one, and they make a fun and colorful dinner for the fam.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN AND LENTIL TACOS

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils (I used canned)

1 cup canned diced tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

1/4 tsp coarse sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups grilled and chopped chicken breast

4 corn tortillas, 6-inch size

3 mini sweet peppers, diced

2 oz goat cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add lentils, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, parsley, sea salt and pepper. Stir and let cook for 15 minutes.

2. Heat corn tortillas by placing in a pan over medium-high heat. Heat 15 seconds, then flip. Heat 10 more seconds.

3. To serve, layer lentils, chicken and sweet peppers on tortillas. Top with goat cheese, sprinkle with a little parsley. Fold and enjoy!

Za'atar Chicken and Wild Rice Pilaf

I picked up a jar of za'atar seasoning from Williams-Sonoma recently, and I have been using it a lot in my recipes. It's a Middle Eastern spice blend which combines sumac, thyme, sesame seed and sea salt. It's great on meat, so far I've used it on chicken, beef and pork. I wouldn't describe it as a stronger flavor combo, I find it mild, so I use a lot of it to season. For the recipe below, brown or white rice can be substituted for the wild rice. 

ZA'ATAR CHICKEN AND WILD RICE PILAF

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, about 2 lbs

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp za'atar seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cups cooked wild rice blend

1 can cooked lentils, 15.5 oz

1/4 cup sliced almonds

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Season chicken with 1 tbsp za'atar seasoning, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place chicken in pan and let brown on both sides, about 8 minutes per side. Add diced tomatoes. Stir and cover. Let cook until chicken is fully cooked, about 10 more minutes.

While chicken is cooking, heat butter in another large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add wild rice blend and lentils and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove chicken breasts from pan and chop. To serve, plate wild rice pilaf, top with chopped chicken and tomatoes. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and reserved 1 tsp za'atar seasoning. I would also garnish with some chopped fresh parsley. Serves 6.