Spicy Red Lentil Soup and Tuna-Spaghetti
A couple of vegetarian (and pesectarian)-friendly recipies I found thanks to my new locales in Scotland and Norway. The tomato sauce on the pasta is one of THE best I have eve had. I've been to high-scale restaurants with pasta sauce that's turned out waterier than this stuff has.
If the idea of fish in tomato pasta makes you nervous - my dad despises almost everything in this dish - from tuna (his mum fed it to him practically every day for his school lunch for as long as he was in elementary school) to olives and capers. But he didn't complain about this - so that's saying something
Spicy Red Lentil Soup
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium leek (or a bundle of fresh chives or a cooking onion depending on tastes), chopped finely
1 red pepper diced
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup red lentils (soaked for 1 hour prior to cooking)
1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
1.2 L vegetable broth
1-2 tbsp basil leaves
1 tbsp bay leaves or two bay leaves to be removed later
A few dashes of tabasco (or preferred pepper sauce) or to preferred taste. I tend to go with beetween 1/2-1 tsp. when preparing for most people.
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Pour the oil and spices (minus the bay and basil) into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the diced vegetables and stir to coat. cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes
2. Add the lentils, crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth.
3. Add the basil, bay, salt and pepper with hot sauce. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Adjust seasonings and serve with bread.
**Alternatively leave out the potatoes and serve the soup with clapshot instead of bread.
Tuna-Spaghetti
Marinated Red Pepper/Olives/Capers
4 tbsp. olive oil
8 tbsp. capers
1/3 cup halved green piminto stuffed olives
3 tbsp. italian herbs and spices (if you can't find something like this: basil, oregano, parsley, thyme in equal parts should do the trick.)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 diced red pepper
1. 2-3 hours prior to preparing sauce, Combine diced olives peppers and the capers in an airtight container with oil and spices. Place in the refrigerator to marinate.
Spaghetti:
- 1 large cooking onion/leek/thick-chopped chives depending on tastes diced
- 1/2 a cup diced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- a blend of garlic-pepper spice (Like Mrs. Dash) or one you make yourself - sometimes I just grate some cracked black pepper and some garlic salt with a little bit of basil and oregano.
- 2 cans of thick tomato pasta sauce with garlic (I use Heinz or Prego)
- 3 cans of water-packed flake tuna
- the container of peppers/olives/capers
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 package of spaghetti noodles
1. Sautee onion and mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic pepper blend until the onions are just beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the red peppers, olives and capers and again boil down the excess oil, sauteeing the mixture.
3. Add the tomato sauce and stir the mushrooms, onions and red peppers/olives/capers through.
4. Add the tuna and mix thouroughly. Allow to simmer while in a separate pot, bring water to a boil for pasta.
5. When the pasta is added to the boiling water, reduce heat to low on the sauce and cover.
6. Cook pasta until al-dente
7. Drain pasta and spoon sauce over top.
If the idea of fish in tomato pasta makes you nervous - my dad despises almost everything in this dish - from tuna (his mum fed it to him practically every day for his school lunch for as long as he was in elementary school) to olives and capers. But he didn't complain about this - so that's saying something
Spicy Red Lentil Soup
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium leek (or a bundle of fresh chives or a cooking onion depending on tastes), chopped finely
1 red pepper diced
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup red lentils (soaked for 1 hour prior to cooking)
1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
1.2 L vegetable broth
1-2 tbsp basil leaves
1 tbsp bay leaves or two bay leaves to be removed later
A few dashes of tabasco (or preferred pepper sauce) or to preferred taste. I tend to go with beetween 1/2-1 tsp. when preparing for most people.
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Pour the oil and spices (minus the bay and basil) into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the diced vegetables and stir to coat. cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes
2. Add the lentils, crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth.
3. Add the basil, bay, salt and pepper with hot sauce. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Adjust seasonings and serve with bread.
**Alternatively leave out the potatoes and serve the soup with clapshot instead of bread.
Tuna-Spaghetti
Marinated Red Pepper/Olives/Capers
4 tbsp. olive oil
8 tbsp. capers
1/3 cup halved green piminto stuffed olives
3 tbsp. italian herbs and spices (if you can't find something like this: basil, oregano, parsley, thyme in equal parts should do the trick.)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 diced red pepper
1. 2-3 hours prior to preparing sauce, Combine diced olives peppers and the capers in an airtight container with oil and spices. Place in the refrigerator to marinate.
Spaghetti:
- 1 large cooking onion/leek/thick-chopped chives depending on tastes diced
- 1/2 a cup diced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- a blend of garlic-pepper spice (Like Mrs. Dash) or one you make yourself - sometimes I just grate some cracked black pepper and some garlic salt with a little bit of basil and oregano.
- 2 cans of thick tomato pasta sauce with garlic (I use Heinz or Prego)
- 3 cans of water-packed flake tuna
- the container of peppers/olives/capers
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 package of spaghetti noodles
1. Sautee onion and mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic pepper blend until the onions are just beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the red peppers, olives and capers and again boil down the excess oil, sauteeing the mixture.
3. Add the tomato sauce and stir the mushrooms, onions and red peppers/olives/capers through.
4. Add the tuna and mix thouroughly. Allow to simmer while in a separate pot, bring water to a boil for pasta.
5. When the pasta is added to the boiling water, reduce heat to low on the sauce and cover.
6. Cook pasta until al-dente
7. Drain pasta and spoon sauce over top.