Curry and Thyme Lentil Soup by Colleen Guenther

This is the BEST soup. It's perfect for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. I love serving it with a large dollop of hummus and chapati or pita. 

What you Need:

• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• 4 cloves 

  garlic

• 1 cup 

  dried French green lentils 

• 3 tablespoons 

  olive oil 

• 1-2 tablespoon 

  curry powder (I like extra)

• 2 teaspoon 

  ground cumin 

• 2 teaspoon 

  dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon 

  kosher salt

• 1 (15-ounce) can 

  tomato sauce

• 32 oz. 

  low-sodium vegetable broth

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel and dice 2 medium carrots and 1 medium yellow onion. Mince 4 cloves garlic. 
2. Place lentils in a fine-mesh strainer. Pick through the lentils, discarding any broken or discolored ones. Rinse under cool water until the water runs clear, about 1 minute. Set aside to drain while you cook the vegetables. 
3. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder (and a tad more), 1 teaspoon ground cumin (and a tad more), 2 teaspoons dried thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
4. Add the lentils, 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce, and broth, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender, 18 to 22 minutes. 
5. Remove from the heat. Serve immediately with some hummus and pita if you so desire!

Sesame Broccoli by Colleen Guenther

This broccoli is off the chain. A perfect side dish. Serves 2.

What you Need:

• Toasted Sesame Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Dijon Mustard
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• Broccoli

Combine 3 parts toasted sesame oil to one part soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. or mustard and shake until emulsified. Trim 1 head of broccoli and sauté in a dry pan on high until /cooked crisped on all sides. Add a splash or two of water and steam a tish. Pour the broccoli into a bowl and drizzle the dressing to your liking and toss. Serve.

Salsa Macha by Justin Guenther

 Justin got this recipe idea from our fave Rick Bayless but instead of peanuts, he mixed it up a bit:

What you need for a small batch:

• small handful of pistachios finely chopped
• small handful of pine nuts finely chopped
• small handful of walnuts finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1 dried guajillo chile finely chopped 
• 2 arbor chiles finely chopped 
• 1 TBSP of apple cider vinegar
• Avocado oil
• Salt

Fill the bottom of a small saucepan with Avocado oil (enough to cover the entire bottom and then a little more). On medium heat, heat up the oil until it simmers when you add a nut to it. Add everything to the hot oil except the apple cider vinegar and salt. Simmer while stirring the mixture for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn the mixture so keep a good eye on it. Then, when done (you will know when things look like they are turning slightly brown), remove from the heat, add the mixture to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes or so. Add the apple cider vinegar and salt to taste. It gets better and better as it sits for a while.

Ecuadorian Llapingachos and Beans by Colleen Guenther

I love Llapingachos (cheese filled potato cakes) and beans at a local restaurant here in MPLS. Chimborazo to be exact. I was too lazy to drive there today so I made them at home, and it was GOOOOD.

What you need (serves 2):

Llapingachos:
2 small-medium sized Russet potatoes (diced into less than 1/2 inch cubes)

Small pieces of Swiss or any white soft chz
Salt to taste 
Dash of Paprika
Oil for sautéing

Beans:

1 can of Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)

1 small white onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 handful of cilantro finely chopped 

A good shake of Cumin

A good shake of Chili powder

1 dried Guallijo or Pasilla pepper

3 dried (and de-seeded) arbol chili peppers (use less if you can't take the heat)

Salt to taste

2-3 cups of Water

Start with your beans. Sauté the onions on medium heat in a lil EEOV until slightly translucent. Then add your garlic and sauté a lil longer. Add 2 cups of water, and the rest of the ingredients for the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a while (I cooked mine for about 45 mins). Watch them closely because you want the water to boil down enough to create more of a "gravy" consistency with the beans (which will eventually go over the potato cakes). Add more water if you need it so that you can cook the beans for a while to let those flavors develop without drying up.

While your beans are cooking, boil your diced potatoes in water for about 8 minutes (keep checking until they are soft). When done, drain, mash, and then add the salt and paprika. Set aside for 5 minutes. Then, when they are ready to handle with your hands, create a little larger than golf ball balls of the potato mixture and place the balls on a baking sheet (or a plate or something) and place (covered) in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour. This firms them up a bit. Once a tad chilled, cut them in half and add some Swiss cheese pieces in the middle, put the top and bottom of the ball back together, smush the edges together and slightly flatten the balls. Then, heat up some olive oil in a pan and sauté them on each side. 

Once both are done, remove the dried peppers from the beans. Then, serve up the potato cakes and pour the beans over them. That's it and it's DELISH.

Soy Tempeh Chimichirri Pitas with Zatar Sour Cream by Colleen Guenther

Chimichurri is a god sent sauce. I mean, don't you just want to put it on everything?

Here is what you need:

1 Package of Tempeh

2 TBS Soy Sauce

2 Cloves of Garlic

Greens for topping

Pita Bread

Chimichurri (blend all together):

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch cilantro

3 garlic cloves

1 Tsp dried Oregano

2 TBS lemon juice

3 TBS red wine vinegar

1 medium shallot

large drizzle of olive oil

dash of salt

Sour Cream (mix together):

3 TBS of Sour Cream 

1-2 Tsp Zatar

Directions:

Cut your tempeh in half and then into strips. Put it in a bowl with the soy sauce and garlic. Let marinate for at least 1/2 hour while tossing around one or two times. 

In the meantime, make your Chimichurri sauce and then sour cream. 

Then, sauté your marinated tempeh in a little olive oil on medium heat until browned. 

Heat up your Pita, smear some sour cream on top, then add the Tempeh and top with the Chimichurri and greens.

Enjoy!

Broccoli and Garlic Ramen Stir-Fry by Justin Guenther

This is just so good so. I always wonder why you can't get a dish like this at a local restaurant in MN. I mean..... I love a good stir fry but they are always to greazzzzzy and bland. 

Here is what you need (serves 2):

1 head of broccoli (cleaned and cut)

1/2 red or white onion (diced) 

Dash of Red pepper flakes

High heat Oil like Avocado or Sesame

1 head of garlic (if you like it as much as we do) minced

2 dried ramen packets

Big Splash of Rice Wine Vinegar

Big Splash Soy Sauce

Big Splash of Braggs Amino Acids (substitute soy sauce if you do not have this)

Large handful of Mung Beans

2 Scallions chopped

Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

Add Sriacha and sesame seeds if your in the mood

(add splash of Kim Chi sauce or paste if you have it)

First, get your ramen going and cook to the amount of time that's on the packet. 

While that is cooking, add your oil and red pepper flakes to the pan and heat up until hot. Then, add your broccoli and onions and cook for a few minutes or until your onions are a little browned. Then, add in your garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and Braggs and sautéed for another minute of two until the garlic is not a lil browned. Then, add you cooked ramen, mung beans and scallions. Mix all together. Give it a taste to see if you need anymore soy sauce or Braggs. Serve with a lil sricha and sesame seeds
(if you like that) and cilantro. 

Viola! Easy and sooooo good!

Mom's incredible Pumpkin Pie

This is my mom's pumpkin pie and there is not a better recipe out there for it.... Period.

Pumpkin PIE

1 box pillsbury pie crust (makes 2 pie crusts 

Top and bottom) only need 1 bottom crust.  (See bottom of recipe to see what top crust can make)

1 can Libby’s Pumpkin mix

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup of suger

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 eggs

1 can evaporated milk

Mix all ingredients.  Lay bottom crust in pie tin (I use glass) and fill with ingredients.   Heat oven 425 bake pie for 15 minutes and then 350 for 40 to 50 minutes.  (It’s done when you insert knife and it comes out clean.)