Red Lentil Coconut Curry Soup

I was looking for something I could make on the weekend and take with me to work for lunch the whole week. I definitely struck gold. This coconut curry red lentil soup has been amazing and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. It is definitely being added to my list of recipes to make all the time.  It took under 30 minutes to make, I even had time to do the dishes and put away clean laundry while it was cooking. What a time saver. I also really wanted to start getting into the fall spirit. The weather is turning and I can smell fall in the air, so it's definitely soup time. 

I started it off in a dutch oven like it recommended, but then quickly realized that it wasn't going to hold all the liquid, so I switched it to my reliable soup pot.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Here's the link: red lentil coconut soup.

I followed the recipe exactly except I left out the jalapeno seeds. I was scared, but having left them out, the soup isn't spicy at all. I also miscounted how many limes I needed for this week's menu and had already used the allotted lime for my kale chips. Sooo, I left that out, it still tastes amazing though.

I have this horrible guilt from not cooking my own chickpeas this week. Is this a form of eco-guilt? I used canned chickpeas which I should feel okay about since they were a can that was given to me by a legume-intolerant friend. Maybe it's a form of possible BPA guilt? Either way, I wish that I didn't let it bother me all the time. A little guilt is good, it helps to motivate. As much as I experience, you would think I was Catholic. I will cross my fingers that this week's chickpea guilt will pass and I can go on enjoying life. There's another chickpea recipe coming up this week though, so I won't hold my breath.

Spicy Kale Chips

It is pretty amazing that I haven't made these before. For some reason, I thought they would be a lot more labor intensive then they were, although I did have G do most of the work for me. I found this recipe through pinterest but modified it a little to make it gluten free and vegan.

Spicy Kale Chips

A bunch of Kale, as much as you want really.

2 Tbs olive oil

1Tbs siracha

1 tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Juice from half a lime

Wash, dry and tear the kale into chip size pieces.  Mix all of the other ingredients together to make a marinade and coat all the kale evenly. Spread the kale on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

We got all of our kale from the garden, it's kind of going wild right now and really needs to get used up. We also tried using up some beet greens that were laying around, but that backfired and they stuck to the baking sheet. These turned out delicious and barely made it off the baking sheet before they were all eaten.

I haven't forgot about you!

It has been too long since I have posted a recipe on here. However, it will have to wait a little longer. This month has been crazy. I took a trip to see family and friends in NY, started a new full time job that doesn't get me home until 7:30pm, and have had friends from Germany/China visiting. So please forgive me. As soon as I settle into my new routine, I promise I will have some delicious recipes to post (I already have lots of pumpkin ones picked out). So sit back, relax, and enjoy the weather as summer tumbles gracefully into autumn.