Lentil Soup

After being in college for four years of my life, it is inevitable that routine starts to form. One habit that I made was that I would always get the soup and salad combo from Veggie Grill before a big exam. One of my favorite items was their lentil soup, only served on Thursdays! What made it so elusive was that it's nearly impossible to copy their recipe; you can't really tell what ingredients are in it since it's pureed into a homogeneous mixture. I also searched the internet for it to no avail. Alas, the recipe is a mystery. I still love lentil soup though so I decided to try other recipes. Funny thing is, the soup here doesn't really follow any of the recipes available online. The reason being I did not have all the ingredients needed for any particular recipe so I just tossed in what I thought might taste good. Well, it worked. What I love about this recipe most is that it's reminiscent of the Veggie Grill lentil soup from my college days. The trick to this soup is to stir, stir, stir! It has a tendency to stick. Anyways, it's been cold lately so I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Eat this with some fresh bread for a simple meal or maybe even a side of salad.

Thanks again Sachiko Studio for the amazing pictures!

Lentil Soup
2 cups red lentils
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups water
1 large brown onion, diced
2 large carrots
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 pound can of tomatoes with basil, puréed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch of marjorham
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
plain yogurt for garnish

1. Dice the brown the onion and tomatoes, set aside.
2. In a food processor, chop up the carrots. Alternatively, you can chop the carrots by hand.
3. In a large pot with some olive oil, saute the onions until they are half translucent. Add the carrots and saute until the onions are soft.
4. Add the diced tomato, tomato purée, chicken broth, water, herbs and spices, and red lentils. Cook for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are soft, stirring frequently to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. Let the soup cool. 
5. When the soup is cool, purée the soup until smooth. Reheat the soup and serve. Garnish the soup with some plain yogurt to make it extra tasty.

Cucumber and Tomato Tzatziki Salad

Are you ready? CHIBICHOMPS has again collaborated with Sachiko Studios!!! Salad is probably one of the most well known diet foods out there. Whenever someone tries to lose weight, most likely they'll opt for salad for meals. However, not all salads are created equal. Often times, salads are calorie bombs; the addition of goodies such as bacon bits, croutons, etc and/or a heavy dressing can make it more fattening than a regular meal. Conversely, the healthy olive oil and vinegar option can get pretty tiring and bland. It sure makes it difficult to stay on course with healthy eating; however, I have something I'm sure everyone will love. Here's a super easy and refreshing salad to be eaten as a side or even a meal. Here, I've paired it with a side of pan fried crispy salmon (stay tuned for the recipe!) For those tired of salad, try stuffing it into pita pockets or even making a sandwich. By the way, did you know that Greek yogurt has twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt plus other benefits? . Anyways, this one's definitely a winner so I hope you enjoy the photos and the recipe! Thank you again to Sachiko Studios for the amazing pictures!


On a side note, I prefer Persian cucumber because american cucumber sucks.

Tzatziki Salad
3 cups Greek yogurt, strained
2 pounds Persian cucumber
1 pound cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoonds extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon mint, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

1. Strain Greek yogurt over night to get rid of excess liquid. The amount of yogurt will be significantly less than you started with. To set this up, place coffee strainers or paper towels over a mesh bowl. Take the mesh bowl and place over a larger bowl. Scoop the yogurt onto the paper lined mesh bowl and cover with saran wrap. Leave over night. Voila!
2. In a bowl, combine the strained yogurt, mint, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil together and mix well.
3. Cut the cucumber into half centimeter slices and slice cherry tomatoes into halves.
4. Fold in the sliced cucumber and tomatoes into the yogurt mixture.
5. Serve cold and enjoy!