Lentils and bulghur

Tex-Mex night at our house... but I had neither black beans nor rice. Improv: lentils and bulghur! New favorite. Works as a side or wrapped in a tortilla with salsa, cilantro, sour cream... Options are endless.

1 cup uncooked bukghur

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cups lentils

2 Tbsp white vinegar

A few dashes of hor sauce -- OR -- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Salt to taste

Cook bulghur according to package instructions.

Cook lentils in 4 cups boiling water, covered, for about 25 minutes or until tender.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high. Sauté onions and red bell peppers for 3-4 minutes, until just beginning to soften, then add garlic and sauté a minute more. Add the lentils, vinegar and hor sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Stir in bulghur. Add salt to taste.

Baked cornmeal-crusted fish

Perfect for fish tacos, or just with tartar sauce. Crispy, but not greasy.

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 cup milk
4 grouper fillets (or other firm white fish, such as tilapia)

Combine cornmeal, salt, and papria in a shallow dish, stirring well with a fork. Place milk in a shallow bowl.

Dip each fillet in milk; dredge in cornmeal mixture. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven at 450° for 10 minutes or until fish is done (flakes easily), turning once.

Cucumber and pepper salad

Great for picnics and barbecues!

1 English cucmber
1 yellow bell pepper
1 small white onion
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
small handful of freshly cut mint

Peel abour 4 strips off the cucumber, leaving it 'striped', then quarter and sliced thinly. Cut the bell pepper into small strips and the onion into thin rounds.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil. Pour over the vegetables. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Snip mint leaves over the bowl. Toss well.

Chill, then serve.

Quick fresh tomato sauce for pasta

4 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt
lots of freshly cracked black pepper
rounds of goat cheese (optional)
fresh basil

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic gently for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over hot pasta with fresh basil and goat cheese.

White chocolate & bissap oatmeal cookies

I've been experimenting with bissap flowers lately and wanted to try a recipe using them in place of dried cranberries. Score.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp orange zest
3 cups oats
1 cup white chocolate, chopped into pieces
1 1/2 cups dried bissap flowers, rinsed

Dried bissap flowers

Soak the bissap flowers in hot water for 10 minutes. Carefully drain water (it stains!) then chop the flowers into small pieces (raisin-sized)

Combine, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and white chocolate chips, then the bissap at the end. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for two minutes, then remove with a spatula.

Cucumber, tomato and mackerel salad

I love canned mackerel. (The plain kind - not the ones marinated in sauces.) You can get a can for about a euro here, and it's enough for two lunch salads.

Lettuce or greens, washed
ripe tomatoes, sliced
cucumber, sliced
carrots, peeled and sliced
vinaigrette
nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but sooo good)
freshly ground pepper

Toss the lettuce with a little vinaigrette. Top with veggies, mackerel, then yeast flakes. Voilà!

More marinated vegetable salad

I know I've already posted a version of this recipe recently, but we've been eating huge bowls of it for dinner about 3 nights a week. So good.

1/4 head purple cabbage, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 cup canned corn
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
Italian dressing

Optional: feta cheese or sliced grilled chicken

Combine vegetables in large bowl, along with feta or chicken if you're including it. Pour 1/2 cup Italian dressing over top, and also the lemon and black pepper. Stir to coat vegetables lightly. Add more to taste.

Let marinate two hours in fridge before serving. Or don't :)

Tabouleh recipe, right off the box

This recipe is pulled from the box of bulghur I bought recently. (Well, pulled and translated!) It was a big hit with my family, so I've made it twice this week.

2 bunches of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp of fresh mint, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
6 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup bulghur, medium
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil

lettuce leaves (optional)
pita bread (optional)

Optional add-ins: chopped cucumber, chickpeas, chopped bell pepper, lentils, chopped green onions, cinnamon, allspice, crushed garlic


Bulghur, fine grain

Heat a large saucepan of boiling, salted water. Add 2 cups bulghur. Cook at a low boil for ten minutes. Drain off excess water. Let the bulghur cool to room temperature.

Combine all remaining ingredients, stirring into the bulghur mix. Serve immediately or, if you prefer, chill first.

Serve tabouleh on a bed of lettuce, accompanied by extra lettuce leaves, lemon wedges and warm pita bread.

Iced coffee with almond

I've been making iced coffee for a while now, but picked up some good tips over at The Kitchn. My version is pretty strong, but not bitter. I prefer to chill the ingredients (rather than using ice cubes), dilute with milk for a creamier coffee, then top with froth.

1 cup double-strength brewed coffee

1/4 cup milk

optional: sugar (Use less than you normally would. Just enough to take the edge off.)

optional: 2-3 drops almond extract

Mix all ingredients. Stir until dissolved/mixed, then refrigerate until chilled.

Tip: For faster iced coffee, dissolve 3 Tsp Nescafé instant coffee + sugar in 1/4 cup hot water. Add 1/2 cup cold water, 2 ice cubes 1/4 milk and 2-3 drops almond extract.

To serve the iced coffee, pour 1/4 cold milk in a tall glass. (Needs to hold at least 1 cup coffee + 2 inches froth.) Froth milk using an aerolatte - the world's greatest invention. Pour iced coffee mixture slowly in the center of the glass.

Drink up!

Tip: You can make several batches of the coffee ahead of time and just keep it in the fridge for when the mood strikes.

Broccoli slaw with purple cabbage and bacon

This is an adapted version of Aunt Betty Ann's broccoli salad. I think it's a close relative of broccoli slaw... but my family always talks about it referencing my great aunt.

1-2 heads broccoli, cut into florets

1 small red onion, chopped (I used a shallot)

6-8 slices bacon, well-cooked and crumbled (I used French lardons)

2-3 carrots, grated

1 small wedge purple cabbage, chopped

Dressing: Whisk until smooth.

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup light cream

freshly ground pepper

Mix vegetables. Pour dressing over top and stir until coated. Refrigerate at least two hours.

Agua de Melón (Mexican melon water)

Move over sweet tea. I've got a new (and healthier) summer drink.

Mexican Aguas Frescas are made with simple ingredients and are amazing on a hot summer days. The variations are endless.

For the fruit, you can use melon, strawberries, watermelon, peaches, mangos, papayas, tamarind, hibiscus (bissap) flowers, pineapple... You can use herbs such as mint or basil as the accent.

For my first trick, I chose melon and mint. Mmmm... Good choice.

1 melon, cut into pieces and peeled (about 4-5 cups)

1 Tbsp lemon juice (or more, to taste)

1 Tbsp sugar (I skipped this)

pinch salt

mint garnish

lemon slices

water

ice

Using a food mill, purée the melon. Discard the fruit pulp. Pour the juice into a large pitcher. Stir in salt, lemon juice, (sugar). Guess-timate how much juice oyu have. Add about half that much water into the pitcher. Chill well.

Serve over lots of ice with lemon slices and mint sprigs. (These are more than just pretty. Their flavors highlight the juice!)

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

I love lentils. My husband tolerates them. He loves Moroccan food. I tolerate it. But this recipe had both of us emptying our bowls and going back for more! (UPDATE: Also good chilled on a hot day!)

Lentils
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
3-4 dried apricots, chopped

Combine water and salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils and apricots; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until lentils are tender, which will take about 20-30 minutes.

Dressing
1/6 cup tablespoons olive oil
2 Tbsp cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 garlic clove, minced

While the lentils are cooking, whisk olive oil, vinegar, cumin, chili powder and garlic in large measuring cup.

Chicken
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large skinless boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced

Go ahead and start on the chicken while the lentils finish cooking. Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken. Sauté until chicken is cooked through.

Once the lentils are tender, drain off liquid and pour the lentils over the chicken. Stir in the dressing. Simmer five minutes. Salt if needed.

Serve hot with toppings.

Toppings
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
lemon slices

Roasted peppers, potatoes and sausage

A quick one-dish dinner with great flavor

4 bratwurst sausages
2 lg potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lg onion, cut into 1/8th
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
lemon juice

Pour 1-2 Tbsp oil into a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Place it in the oven and heat to 400°.

Once hot, add the potatoes to the pan and stir them around to coat with oil. Bake 15 minutes.

Add peppers, onions and garlic with another 1 Tbsp oil, stirring to coat. Place the sausages on top of the vegetable. Prick the sausages with a fork. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring once and flipping the sausages. The potatoes will 'puff' a bit and turn brown around the edges when they are done.

Serve hot with salt, pepper and lemon.

Romaine hearts salad

This salad doesn't really require a recipe, but I find I eat significantly more salads when I see how other people are eating them. Visually inspired, I guess. I've has this one a lot recently, so thought I'd share it. (This post by Mark Bittman always inspires me to eat more salads.)

Romaine hearts, washed and torn into pieces
Grated carrots
Ripe cherry tomatoes
Sliced fresh button mushrooms
Nutritional yeast flakes
Balsamic vinaigrette
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Vincent's spicy apéritif dip

1 loaf French baguette bread
extra virgin olive oil
piment extra fort, moulu (ground cayenne hot pepper, like this one from Bahadourian)
nutritional yeast flakes

First, don't knock the nutritional yeast until you've tried it. Not sure how popular it is in the US, but it's very popular here - and with good reason. It's a nutty, rich taste that adds a great flavor to salads, breads and apparently... dips.

Pour a couple glugs of olive oil into a saucer. Add about 2 Tbsp of hot pepper and 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast.

Serve with pieces of bread, mixing the dip as you go and adding more of each ingrdient as needed.

Pasta with pesto rosso

A quick pasta dish that I love.

1 cup of your favorite pasta (mine is fettucine), cooked
1 Tbsp pesto rosso (sun-dried tomato pesto)
1 Tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
a couple black olives, sliced (optional)
fresh basil, snipped

Toss together and voilà!

Claire's traditional Alsatian onion tart

This is my friend Claire's recipe for a traditional Alsatian Onion Tart (la tarte à l'oignon), made with fresh onions from the morning market.

1 recipe pâte brisée or other flaky pie dough (Claire makes her own and adds about 1 Tbsp whole flax seeds in with the flour)
4-5 medium onions (purple and white), peeled and very thinly sliced
3 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Grated nutmeg
Pinch of cumin

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.



Roll out the pâte brisée and place in a tart dish or pie pan. Sprinkle a pinch of cumin on the crust.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and sauté the onions slowly, stirring regularly, until they are lightly golden. Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and cream together. Add a pinch or two of salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Add this to the onions, stirring to combine.



Fill the tart dish with the onion and egg mixture. Bake tart for 25 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown and set. Bon appétit!

Marinated vegetable salad

It started off as a Greek salad... but I just kept adding more and more to it! We ate huge bowls of it with some French bread for dinner the other night. And it's been requested again for tonight.

1/4 head cabbage, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 sm onion, chopped
1 cup canned corn
1 handful black olives, pitted and cut into quarters
2-3 cloved fresh garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
Italian dressing

Optional: feta cheese or sliced grilled chicken

Combine vegetables in large bowl, along with feta or chicken if you're including it. Pour 1/2 cup Italian dressing over top, and also the lemon and black pepper. Stir to coat vegetables lightly. Add more to taste.

Let marinate two hours in fridge before serving. Or don't :)

Empy-the-fridge pasta

Okay, so maybe I could have come up with a more appetizing name for this dish. But at least you know how it came about! Really great way to use up bits of veggies, and the dressing gives a good kick. I usually eat this in a wrap sandwich, but we didn't have wraps... so over pasta it went!

1-2 sliced smoked, sausages Italian sausages, or chipolatas
1 medium carrot, cut into thin rounds
1 large zucchini, cut into thin rounds
1-2 sliced red bell peppers
1 sliced onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
¼ c Italian dressing
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
goat or feta cheese (opt)
hot pasta

Heat a non-stick skillet to med-high. Cook sausage and carrot slices in Italian dressing for 3-4 minutes. Add remaining veggies and sauté until tender crisp. Sprinkle on vinegar or lemon juice. Serve over pasta, with cheese if you want.

Kendra's Mexican lentils

Part 2! See the first part in the post below.

2 tsp taco seasoning (I didn't have cumin)
1 red pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for sautéing
2 cups lentils, rinsed
4 tablespoons tomato paste
5 1/2 cup water (or a little more)
salt to taste
cooked brown rice or quinoa (I did half and half, actually)
chopped fresh tomatoes
chopped fresh cilantro
lime juice

Heat oil in saucepan. Add red pepper and garlic, and sauté for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add lentils, and continue to stir and sauté for another five minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir until it is mixed with the lentils a little bit, then pour in the water. Add taco seasoning and salt to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, then let simmer for 30-40 minutes until lentils are soft and mixture is thick.

Spoon over rice/quinoa, and top with fresh tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice.

Kendra's lentils with plantains

My friend Kendra, a vegetarian and amazing cook, shared her awesome recipe for lentils on her recipes blog. I adapted it to what I had in the pantry and then ate them two different ways. Here's the first one...

Lentils with plantains over rice

2 tsp taco seasoning (I didn't have cumin)
1 red pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for sautéing
2 cups lentils, rinsed
4 tablespoons tomato paste
5 1/2 cup water (or a little more)
salt to taste
cooked brown rice or quinoa (I did half and half, actually)
baked sweet plantains (I had some left over)

Heat oil in saucepan. Add red pepper and garlic, and sauté for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add lentils, and continue to stir and sauté for another five minutes.

Add tomato paste and stir until it is mixed with the lentils a little bit, then pour in the water. Add taco seasoning and salt to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, then let simmer for 30-40 minutes until lentils are soft and mixture is thick.

Spoon over rice/quinoa, and top with plantains.

Daim cookies with walnuts

The Daim bar (originally known as Dajm in the original Swedish) is a crunchy butter almond bar covered in milk chocolate. You can buy them at IKEA!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 handful Daim candy bars, chopped
1 handful walnuts, broken



Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds). Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the walnuts and Daim candies.

Using a tablespoon, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges.



Tip: They are even better on the second day!

Middle Eastern chicken salad

I have no idea if this is actually Middle Eastern, but with the yogurt, mint, cumin and parsley... sure tasted like it to me!

2-3 cups rotisserie chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pot plain yogurt
1 small tart apple, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small handful chopped mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Let marinate 2-3 hours before serving.

You can serve it with crackers, as sandwich wraps in tortillas, in pita bread pockets, etc....

Food resource for Americans in France... or Europe

I recently found out that many visitors this site are (not surprisingly, I guess) American expats in Europe. Cool. Me too :)

The recipes on this blog are largely made with ingredients available in France and, when necessary, substitutions for American ingredients. If that sounds like your kitchen, you may also be interested in this blog.

I started writing Lyon Eats in 2007, specifically for Americans in Lyon. But some of the posts could be helpful to expats outside our little corner of France as well.

First: The List. An A to Z listing of ingredients used in American kitchens and where to find them - or their substitutes - here. Grits, country sausage, graham crackers... all on the list.



If you live in a French-speaking country or will be visiting one, these posts may be of interest:

Ordering Starbucks in French

Translating the spice rack

Translating the veggie drawer

Translating the fruit basket

And if by any chance you live in Senegal, West Africa... my newest blog is Dakar Eats. We're moving back to Senegal, so you can expect recipes with an African flair coming soon!

Garlicky sardine and tomato pasta

This recipe is for fish-lovers, like myelf. It is not for people who only like 'fish that doesn't taste like fish'. The sardines, tomato and lemon are beautiful together. And did I mention the sauce is ready in the time it takes pasta to cook?

1 small can sardines in olive oil
5-10 Tbsp tomato paste
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp hot sauce (opt)
green olives (opt)
lemon slices
hot pasta

In a small frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp of the sardine oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic for two minutes, turning down the heat if it starts to brown. Add5 tbsps of tomato paste and turn heat up to med-high. Dilute with 1/4 cup water. Add the sardines and stir gently. Once heated through, taste and add more tomato paste/water if desired. Add hot sauce and/or olives if you want. The squeeze of lemon just before serving is not optional. It's delicious.

Serve over hot pasta.