Coconut Red Lentil Soup

Wow! This was so good. Everyone loved it. I served it with Naan bread and a green salad. The only place I have found that sells the red or pink lentils as they are sometime called is a store by me called Sprouts Farmers Market. They don't sell them in Walmart (curse Walmart). They usually sell them in health food store or whole food stores. But their texture is creamier then regular lentils so the texture would be slightly different if you use regular lentils. The regular lentils are found at Walmart if that is your only option.
 courtesy of tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder (or Up To 2 Tablespoons If You're A Big Curry Fan)
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 2 whole Carrots, Peeled And Diced
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• ⅓ cups Tomato Paste
• 7 cups Water
• 15 ounces, fluid Coconut Milk
• 2 cups Dry Red Lentils
• 1 can (15 Oz Can) Garbanzo Beans/chickpeas, Drained
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed
• ¼ cups Cilantro, Chopped
• Lime Wedges, Optional Garnish

Preparation Instructions

To a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the curry powder and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the spices are fragrant. This should take about 2 minutes.

Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes, followed by the carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the water, coconut milk, lentils and chickpeas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.

At the very end, stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or spices as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks via Scaling Back.

Apple Pie Bars

So These are delicious. I just make them in a pie dish and it looks just like apple pie. I love it because if you are scared of making homemade crust then, these are perfect because the crust part is really easy and you don't have to roll it out or shape it.

Courtesy of tastykitchen.com

Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING:
• 4 whole Apples, Peeled And Chopped Coarsely
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 2-½ Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Water
• FOR THE CRUST AND TOPPING:
• ¾ cups Butter, Softened
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ cups Walnuts Or Pecans, Finely Chopped, optional
• ¼ teaspoons Cinnamon

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To prepare the apple filling, in a large pan combine the chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes until apples are tender. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the apples and continue cooking, stirring constantly until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make the crust, beat butter on medium speed of an electic mixer for about a minute. Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about an additional minute. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until well blended but still crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping, and press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven.

Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust.

Stir the chopped walnuts or pecans and cinnamon into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over the apple filling.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting.