Recipe Review 8/27/07

I made two really good recipes this past week in between yoga classes, errands and one work get-together. The bar recipe was actually for the work group - it’s gluten free as one fellow has a gluten allergy and I like to make sure he has something appropriate.

Lentils with Chickpeas and Couscous (Vegetarian Times ala Culinary in the Country) 8
This was really good. A lot happens all at the same time, but here’s how it all came together: a pot of French lentils cooks for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, couscous prepped with a ½ cup of golden raisins and set aside. Then onions and carrots are sauteed in a bit of olive oil and combined with chipolte salsa (yes, salsa from a jar!), tomato paste, cumin, and cilantro. These last four items were supposed to be processed together in a food processor, but I thought that was silly and just put them all in the pan. To this is added the chickpeas and the mixture simmers for about 10 minutes. The lentils are added last of all.

This was spicy flavorful, but not in an eyeball sweating kind of way. The couscous mixture adds an almost sweet counterpoint to the curry sauce. I will be making this again.

Gluten Free Seven Layer Bars (from a co-worker; source unknown) 8
Wow, oh wow. These are the farthest thing from a "light" recipe as you can get...well, almost. I did use low-fat sweetened condensed milk. Rich, gooey, sweet, and utterly decadent. Good for group gatherings. It’s pretty simple - melted butter, rice Krispies, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, Heath bar chips, sweetened condensed milk, walnuts (I’m sure it’s the nuts that make these healthy...). The directions weren’t very clear on when I was supposed to add the melted butter, so I just poured it over the top just before adding the sweetened condensed milk. I think it would have been better poured after the coconut layer, but they still turned out fantastic anyway.

What little leftovers remained when home with a very happy co-worker.


And further follow up in the pantry reduction department:

• regular couscous - went into the Lentils and Chickpea curry above
• "heart healthy" bisquick - went into my first batch of waffles! I would have prefered to make some homemade, whole grain variety, but I am sticking to my intent of reducing extra pantry stuff. I froze 4 waffles for quick breakfasts for later.