I came up with the idea for this soup when my mom asked me what uses there are for kale, aside from cooking it up and eating it as is.  She asked if it could be put in salads and, at the time, I didn’t know, but I can now assure you that yes, it is good in salads.  I sprinkle some in and mix it in with the lettuce and you can’t even tell that it’s there.

Lentil, Kale & White Bean Soup

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 kale leaves, stems removed and chopped

1 quart veg stock

1/2 cup lentils (I used brown)

1 can white beans (I actually used pinto, as I was out of cannellini)

1 T red wine vinegar

S&P to taste

In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to get tender.  Add the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and add the lentils.  Reduce the heat back to medium and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add the kale and continue cooking for about 30 minutes, until the lentils and kale are fully cooked.  Add in the can of beans (any kind will work) and let the beans heat through.  Remove from the heat and add the vinegar, S&P.  This was SO good and made just the perfect amount.  It was enough for three pretty large servings, or four smaller ones.  I love it when we don’t have tons of leftover soup to eat for days and days.

I actually make these panini sandwhiches all the time.  They are probably one of my favorite sandwiches.  I know that my photography skills could use a little work, but trust me when I say that my lame photo doesn’t do it justice.

Mediterranean Style Panini Sandwiches

(makes 4 sandwiches)

1 cup roasted red peppers, patted dry and sliced

A big handful of fresh basil leaves

6 green olives & 8 kalamata olives, finely chopped

1 large tomato, sliced

1 cup artichoke hearts, sliced

Sandwich rolls

Slice open the sandwich rolls and smear each side with a generous amount of mayo (or vegan mayo– I’m still using up my tub o’ Best Foods).  If you aren’t into mayo, a little drizzle of olive oil will do the trick too.  Pile on the sandwich fillings, but put the tomato in the middle so that your bread doesn’t get soggy.  Either use a panini press or a skillet to brown them up on both sides.  SO, so, so good.  I could eat these all day every day.

One of my favorite things to have for dinner are sandwiches and/or burgers. They’re so easy to make and are really satisfying. I have myself convinced that I can make veggie burgers just as good as the ones sold in the store, but for much less money. So far, I have tried a few recipes, none of which hit the mark, except for this one. I’ve made these “burgers” a couple of times and they come together really quick and the recipe is pretty versatile. I have changed up the nuts a few different ways and they always come out tasty. My recipe is adapted from the Three-Nut Burger recipe in Vegan Planet. Since I changed it up a little, I think it is probably safe to post here:

Nut Patties

1 cup of pecans, roughly chopped

1/2 cup each almonds and pistachios, roughly chopped

1 cup of cooked lentils (I used brown)

1 TB parsley, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 TB olive oil

1/3 to 3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

2 TB any nut butter

S&P

Start by sauteeing the onion in the olive oil until it is softened. In the meantime, chop up your nuts, if they aren’t chopped already. I did this by giving them a quick whirl in the food processor. Add everything into the food processor and let it whirl until the mixture comes together. Form into patties and cook- either pan fry in a little olive oil or bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping them once halfway through. I baked mine because I find that pan frying any burger makes it gummy in the middle. This batch was tasty, but turned out really dry and I don’t know if it’s because I baked them too long, overdid it with the breadcrumbs, or because I forgot to add in the peppers. That’s why I suggest starting with 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs and increasing it if you feel the mixture is too mushy. Part of my problem could have been the bread that made it dry since I used sandwich bread instead of a burger roll.

We served ours up with some sliced tomatoes and lettuce and, on mine and Emma’s, a generous dollop of mayo. Yes, you read that right, mayo. I know it’s not vegan, but I have an enormous tub of it in my fridge that I need to use up. What’s worse- throwing it out to buy a vegan mayo or using it up even though it isn’t vegan? I say that wasting it is way worse.

To my surprise, Emma really liked them. I think the dryness started getting to her because she would chew it up and then spit it out, as if it was too much trouble to chew and swallow. Oh well. Lucky for us, she has no food allergies, which leaves us lots of options for meat-, egg- and dairy-free foods.

On the side, we had a very simple salad consisting of the few veggies we had in the fridge- organic salad greens and radishes. I enjoy making my own vinaigrette’s (those bottles of dressing take up too much space in my fridge). To make the dressing for this salad, I put about a tablespoon of organic apricot preserves, S&P, a splash of red wine vinegar into the bottom of my salad bowl. I whisked that together and then added a little bit of olive oil. Easy to make and very tasty! This has been my favorite dressing to make lately.