Recipe Review from 4/13/15

A busy week work and yoga wise have kept me on the go, and the fine weather we've been having has had me and the pups out for numerous walks as the Husband wraps up his first season doing tax prep.  He had a few late nights before the governments deadline.

Not so many new recipes this week.

The Meal Plan:
Sun -leftover chicken and quinoa with rice
Mon (yoga) spaghetti
Tues (yoga) - leftover spaghetti with diced tomatoes, kalmata olives and capers
Wed (AM yoga)  Slow cooked lentils and brats
Thurs (yoga) - leftovers
Fri - PIZZA
Sat - not a clue...


Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Brats and Leeks (Kalyn's Kitchen Blog)  gluten free
The Mother was kind enough to pull this recipe together.  We only had four brats to use, but I thought that was really the perfect amount.  My meat lovers would probably want that fifth brat.  This was the perfect consistency - neither too runny nor glumpy thick.  Flavors were nicely balanced with nothing predominating.  I did just remember that I forgot to add that splash of vinegar.  Oh well, we obviously didn't miss it!

This made enough to feed three of us at one meal, and four of us at a second.  Served with some fresh baked garlic quick bread.


Notes: Makes 6-8 servings; recipe adapted from Alsatian Lentil Soup with Bratwurst in The French Slow Cooker;  

photo from kalynskitchenblog.com

5-Quart Slow Cooker for this recipe.

Ingredients:
5 links (19.5 oz.) turkey bratwurst (I used venison brats)
2 tsp. olive oil (to brown the sausage)
2 cups brown lentils
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 large leek, light green and white parts chopped and then washed in salad spinner or colander
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
8 cups chicken stock (I used my homemade chicken stock)
2 T Spanish sherry vinegar (or use another mild flavored vinegar)
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the sausage well. (You could skip this step if you're using pre-cooked sausage, but browning the sausage will add flavor.) Rinse the lentils if needed (lentils that come in a package usually don't need to be rinsed, but if you buy in bulk I would rinse them.) Chop the celery and carrots. Chop light green and white parts of the leek and then wash in salad spinner or in a colander placed in the sink.

Put the whole sausages, lentils, chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped leeks, bay leaves, dried thyme and chicken stock into the slow cooker. Cook 4-5 hours on high (or 8-9 hours on low) or until the lentils are well-softened and barely starting to dissolve into the soup. Remove sausage and cut into bite-sized pieces, add back into soup and cook on high for 20-30 minutes more. Stir in the vinegar and serve hot, with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

If you prefer a soup where the sausage is more chewy, leave it out until the lentils are nearly done. Then slice the sausage and add to the soup and cook one more hour on high.

This freezes well. To prep the night before, brown the sausage and chop the vegetables and store in the fridge in a large bowl with a snap-tight lid. The next morning, put all ingredients in the slow cooker. (Starting with cold ingredients may add to the cooking time by 30-45 minutes.)