3478 Days since retiring July 1, 2005!

”cooking for one”

The trouble with cooking for one, as far as I have experienced, is that the recipes for one are boring and lack richness of flavor. On the other hand recipes for a group of people result in huge amounts of left-overs for the singleton cook. I have been choosing the larger recipes for the taste and the ability to freeze for later use. Today I made a Lentil & Kale recipe my senior daughter gave me. I ate all I could in two settings but still have almost a gallon to freeze. Previously I had split leftovers into several one quart ziplock bags, I ended up with clumps of bags of leftover food melded together. Tonight I got all the lentil soup into a single bag. I did double bag for security. I had to completely rearrange the contents of my freezer to accept the new batch. I plan to take most of the soup to my daughter in Austin while I am enroute to the gathering with my siblings.

This is a beautiful dish. The dark green is Kale which I have never tasted. I was afraid it was going to taste like cooked spinach. I did not. I must be trending toward vegetarian as my last two dinners did not have any meat. Wait! I had pork sausage with breakfast and some sumptuous biscuits. I decided, based on my breakfast experience, to use the canned refrigerated buttermilk biscuits for my next batch of dumplings.

This recipe caused a lot of chopping. Only after I bought the ingredients did I discover that the big grocery stores sell the stuff already chopped and measured.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.

LENTIL & KALE SOUP
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 pound petite green French lentils
2 teaspoons sea salt
½ cup olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 garlic cloves mashed
1 bunch kale thinly sliced
1 pound tomato peeled and chopped (canned)
3 16 ounce cans vegetable broth
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

INSTRUCTIONS
Wash lentils and place in soup pot.
Cover with water and add 1 teaspoon sea salt.
Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse.
Heat olive oil in empty soup pot with bay leaf.
Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic.
Add kale and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes.
Add the vegetable broth, lentils, and remaining sea salt.
Bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add chopped parsley and ground black pepper.
Divide into bowls add freshly grated parmesan cheese, parsley and a few drops of olive oil before serving.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.