What's Cookin' Wednesday

Occasionally it comes up in conversation that we're vegetarians. People ask questions like "don't you miss meat?" (no) and "how do you get enough protein?" (quite easily, actually) and "what exactly do you eat, then?" The answer to that question will be featured in these weekly posts.

Today we're celebrating Bethany's birthday as she will be in Venezuela for her real birthday (September 10). We have a family tradition that on your birthday you get to have whatever you want for your birthday meal. My chosen meal for about 5 years in a row was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and green beans. Since mom was a nurse, it wasn't often that we got fried chicken, and of course you had to have 2 vegetables in your meal (although she insisted that corn wasn't really a vegetable -- it was a "starch").

Bethany usually chooses Lentil Soup for her birthday meal. She surprised me today by asking for Split Pea Soup and a potato/cheese/squash casserole, which I will make for her, of course. But in the interest of time and simplicity, I'm going to share the Lentil Soup recipe.

Lentil Soup

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
8 cups water
1 small dried red chili (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon or more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a heavy stockpot or soup kettle, saute onion, garlic and carrot in olive oil until soft. Stir in cumin and fennel and add lentils and water. Add the chili if desired.

Cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove chili. Add lemon juice and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired.

Serve this over brown rice and with some whole wheat bread you have 22 grams of protein, nearly half the RDA for most women (45 grams).