Veg Time's Curried Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

This was dinner last night, and it was great. I decided to use Toor Dal (at least that what they were marked as at the ethnic market where I bought them (they are little yellow lentils) and they turned out nice. They also didn't take as long to cook (although the red lentils I buy there also don't take that long either). This ends up looking more like the color of a pea soup, even in the picture in the magazine, just to warn you. I also sauteed the veggies first, then put in the spices (I always read to "open" the curry spices in oil when using them) and then added the lentils and liquid. I had rinsed the lentils well and there was very little foam. All told it took about 30 mins of simmering before they were cooked. It will be interesting to see how it tastes today. :)

I can't wait to make this for lunch while at work for Matt and A!

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Lemon
Serves 6/Vegan/Gluten Free
This deliciously easy soup became an immediate favorite among VT staffers. It's even better the second day, after the spices have had more time to mingle.
From "Vegetarian Times" Oct 2009

2 cups red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 qt. low-sodium vegetable broth
1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
4 celery stalks, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 large carrots, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbs. lemon juice

1. Bring lentils, vegetable broth, and 4 cups water to a simmer in a large pot. Skim away foam that rises to top. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Add cilantro, curry powder, and cumin, and cook 20 minutes more, or until lentils are soft. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and stir in lemon juice.

Per 1 1/2 cup serving: 283 cal, 19g prot, 2g total fat (<1 g sat fat); 50g carb, 0mg chol; 146mg sod, 13g fiber, 7g sugar

Life keeps on going...

We are still alive here at Chez JJ. We have added a new addition here- Ralph is finally here. He's settled in, and is now glaring at me from his cage. Normally when I am home he is out, but today he wants to bite- so most of his day has been spent getting put back into the cage. Actually, he's now falling asleep on his perch, maybe he was just grumpy because he needed more sleep. *shrug* I'll just call him Kelly. (my sister who gets puts on quite the pair of crankypants when she doesn't get enough sleep). He also deserves the nickname of Q-Tip, he loves to clean our ears. Hubby and I aren't quite sure why he thinks our ears are so dirty, we wash them, we swear! He is interested in Miko, more from the "why are you paying attention to her instead of me?" and doesn't really pay any attention to my cockatiels. And he loves hubby more than me now. I'm only good enough for when hubby isn't around.

Yesterday hubby was mowing the lawn and Ralph did not like it. Everytime he went by the front window (where Ralph's cage is, although Ralph was out) he gave his warning screech. It set the cockatiels off and their cage was open so they flew out. I couldn't find Buster for 45 mins! He wouldn't answer any of my calls or anything! I was searching everywhere and behind everything! I finally found him under the kitchen table hiding under the tablecloth.

Work at Project Perry is going well. I'm still loving it, and it's been keeping me busy. I've stayed a few times overnight too, when needed (yes, it's been needed). We're planning to start a pet sitting business, as in we go to the owners homes to take care of their birds (and any other animals they may have) along with mail, plants, etc. The cost of doing such will be split between Project Perry and the person doing the pet sitting (I'll be one of the people doing such). So hopefully once we get it up and running it will be a way for me to get a little money coming in for me and some money coming in for PP also. It's hard to find a place for people who own birds to leave their birds so we're hoping that the word will spread.

I am cooking at work occasionally- my boss, Matt, is vegetarian, and about once a week or so that's what I cook. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to get used to my schedule (or lack of one) that hubby and I are doing a lot of freezer eating. I've also been using Saving Dinner Menus a lot also. I need to sit down and plan out some easy and freezer meals that are WW friendly since I'm about out of ideas and tired of what we've used/had, not to mention the season is changing.