Lentils with Feta

This is an easy and yummy lentil recipe--and it also helps avoid burnt lentils, which is my tendency when I try to cook them on the stove.

Indgredients
(for two servings)

3/4 cup lentils
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons feta cheese
Optional: 1/2 cup finely shredded spinach or rainbow chard

Combine the lentils, broth, water, and garlic a rice cooker and turn it on to cook. Check on it every so often to see if the water is absorbed and stir if necessary. I like to turn my rice cooker off before it does so automatically to make sure it doesn't overcook the lentils. Taste for texture; if lentils aren't soft enough, add more water. Once the water is absorbed and the lentils are the texture you want, put the rice cooker on the 'keep warm' setting or turn it off.

For extra veggies, toss in finely sliced spinach or rainbow chard, then cover and leave the rice cooker on 'keep warm' for a few minutes.

Serve in dishes and sprinkle feta cheese on top.

Rosemary Pepper Dip

A yummy bean dip with the robust flavors of rosemary and roasted peppers. Great with tortilla chips, Arabic bread, or your favorite crackers.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
30 ounces cooked and well-drained garbanzo beans
8 ounces roasted red peppers (drained if from a jar)
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Step 1: Mix all ingredients together in a food processor.

Step 2: Enjoy.

Bean Burgers

A vegetarian alternative to both standard hamburgers and frozen veggie burger patties.

Ingredients 
(for 4 burgers)

For patties:
2 cups cooked kidney beans
2 cups cooked brown rice
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
dash of salt
bit of bread crumbs, as needed

For the rest:
swiss (or other) cheese slices
½ an avocado
dash of flax seeds
lettuce
tomato slices
hamburger buns
dressings to taste: salsa, ketchup, mustard, honey mustard, or mayonnaise

Create a thick paste with all of the patty ingredients by blending them in a food processor.  If it doesn't seem firm enough, add a little bread crumbs.  Form patties and fry them in olive oil over medium heat.

Sprinkle a little flax seeds over the cheesed patties, and lay avocado slices over them.

Then add additional condiments as you like, and enjoy!

Sweet Red Bean Soup

This sweet & yummy Chinese soup is very easy to make, if you have a few hours to hang around and watch over it.  It makes a nice last touch to a meal as a dessert soup, but you can also cut some or all of the sugar and enjoy it as a main course.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups small red beans
• 20-25 cups water (5-6 quarts)
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup dry tapioca

Boil the beans for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. (Start with about half of the water and add cups periodically as it starts to boil out.) While the beans are cooking, soak the tapioca in a small bowl of water.  

After two and a half hours, add the tapioca and sugar, stirring constantly.  When the tapioca is transparent and the beans are soft, it's ready.  Enjoy your sweet red bean soup!