Red Lentils & Red Wine Soup

I love lentils.  I could seriously eat them for every meal.  Problem is Mark is not too fond of them.  But I think I have solved the problem!  This was my first time using red lentils. These are much smaller than green lentils, and I found they weren’t as overpowering.  Because of their miniature size, they are not front-and-center.  The soup really looked more like a vegetable soup, which doesn’t really help me much since Mark does not really like soup either.  I was prepared for Mark’s picky self to refuse to eat dinner, but to my surprise he ate his entire bowl, and then asked for another!  He did note, however, that these would be even better with spicy portuguese sausage.  And I agree. Even though I don’t eat meat, I think the addition of sausage would be fantastic in this soup.

What makes this lentil soup special is the addition red wine, balsamic vinegar, and yams. The balsamic and yams give the soup a slight sweetness to it, while the red pepper flakes gives it heat (the spicy sausage would also serve this purpose). Best lentil soup I have made thus far.

Lentil Soup Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 4 celery stocks, diced
• 3-4 carrots, diced
• 1 sweet potato or yam, diced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 package spinach, thawed
• 1 1/2 c. red lentils (or 1 c. green lentils)….red lentils are smaller than the green ones
• 4 c. water
• 3 c. chicken or veg. stock
• 1 c. red wine
• 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, oregano, italian seasoning, cumin, red pepper flakes
• Topping: plain yogurt (or sour cream), parmesan cheese
• (optional) spicy italian or portuguese sausage

Directions: Saute veggies for about 10 minutes in light olive oil.  Add lentils and crushed tomatoes.  Add liquid and spices. Cover and cook on med heat for about 1 hour. Serve with plain yogurt (or sour cream) and parmesan cheese.

Spicy Red Hot Fish Street Tacos

I was inspired to make little street tacos after accidentally coming across the best Taqueria in Seattle.  Their tacos are 99 cents and they have veggie tacos, which is extremely rare in mexican restaurants.  They also have all the other legit mex tacos like lengua/tounge (my dad’s fave), tripa/intestines (my sis fave), cabeza/head, and other gross and unnecessary “delicacies”.  Best of all, they have draft beer for $1!! I had a meal and a beer for $3! Craziness! Mark and I have already been there twice this week. We are in love…with TACOS!!

Anyways, I digress.  Although those veggie tacos were good, my favorite tacos are the ones with fish.  Sometimes it’s hard finding fish tacos that you absolutely love, so I find it’s best to make them myself.  And these fish tacos, my friends, is exactly what I wanted. And if it wasn’t for fear of mercury poisoning I would eat these every day…seriously! The cod fish was marinated in a spicy chile de arbol salsa and grilled with onions and garlic.  The little corn tortillas were hand made and rolled out by Mark, and the salsa was…well, it was near perfect.  (Second to Chipotle’s hot salsa, which I’m still trying to recreate, but this one comes pretty darn close!) If any of you know how to make that salsa or think they know how to make it, please please let me know!

Enjoy these awesome tacos, and serve them with a Corona or Pacifico for the perfect meal.

Chile De Arbol Red Hot Salsa

Chile De Arbol Red Hot Salsa Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes, seeds and juice removed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• 20-30 dry chiles de arbol, cooked and drained (semi-seded)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• zest of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Place chiles in boiling water and cook until they are plump and soft.
2. Drain chiles and pat dry with towel
3. Depending on your spicy level, either remove some of the seeds or keep them.  I removed the seeds in about 1/3 of the chiles by squeezing out the seeds after they were cooked
4. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

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Spicy Grilled “Wild Caught Cod”

Grilled Cod Fish Ingredients:

• 1/2 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 lb cod fish, marinated in Chile de Arbol Salsa (at least 1 hour)

Directions: In lightly oiled pan, saute onions and garlic.  Add marinated fish and a bit more salt on med heat. Cook thoroughly, about 7 minutes.

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Spicy Red Hot Fish Street Tacos

Street Taco Ingredients:

• Fresh Corn Tortillas
• Grilled fish
• Cabbage
• Cilantro
• Chile de Arbol Red Hot Salsa
• Sour cream
• Cheese
• Lime wedge