BrainChocolate

Fact: Lentils are one of the most nutritionally perfect foods on earth. Very low fat, nearly perfect carbs to protein ratio, and tons of fiber.
Problem: I hate lentils.

Naturally, as the good little problem solver that I am, I wanted to find a way to eat lentils and actually enjoy it. My general philosophy of problem solving goes something like, “If I can’t do/learn/etc something, it’s just because I haven’t figured out how yet. So…figure it out.”

So here’s my lentil soup recipe–it’s a result of a few different recipes I found and a lot of tinkering and experimentation. This has been my staple food since October 2009. Add hours to your week by cooking for 40 minutes on Sunday and eat it for the whole week.

It’s super cheap (about $10) and will probably feed you for a solid week.

Questions?

Twitter: @NPSchmitt
Email: Nathan [at] brainchocolateblog [dot] com

Ingredients

One bag of green lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 medium-large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
10 oz frozen spinach, kale, or collard greens (20 oz fresh)
16 oz ham or your favorite pre-cooked meat

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt (pref. kosher)
Habanero powder (optional)
Greek yogurt (optional–stir a dollop into the soup after serving into your bowl)
1 poached egg per bowl of soup (optional)
Your favorite full-bodied red wine (optional but it adds good complexity. I use Malbec.)
2 cups water

Lentils: Rinse, pick over (remove rocks or any other small objects), and boil in water with a couple pinches of salt until reyhdrated–the same consistency you would normally eat beans (20-30 min).

Pour yourself a glass of wine.

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…Click here to see full recipe…

This soup is a close second to my lentil soup in my “Best Healthy Fridge Food Ever Contest” and is incredibly cheap ($8-10, not including spices, or about $1 per meal) and healthy (see nutrition facts after the recipe).

My recipe is an alteration of this vegan recipe and would still be amazing with no meat. I altered the recipe enough that it’s pretty far from the original, but I gotta give props to Susan V for turning me on to the split pea/sweet potato combo!

Questions?

Twitter: @NPSchmitt
Email: Nathan [at] brainchocolateblog [dot] com

Ingredients

1 medium-large onion, diced
2 medium (or 1 large) sweet potatoes
3 cups dried split peas, picked over and rinsed
16 oz pot roast, ham, or your favorite pre-cooked meat
10 oz frozen spinach, kale, or collard greens (20 oz fresh)
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1-2 tablespoons mild curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt
8 cups water

Prep

Dice the onion: The easiest, fastest way to do this is to cut the onion in half through the root, remove the peal, and make ~1 cm cuts horizontally (toward the root) and vertically (through to the board) as shown above. The purpose of the root is to hold the onion together for ease of dicing, so be sure not to cut all the way through on the first two sets of cuts. Finish by cutting across your first two axes as seen above. [Click the picture to enlarge it and inspect the onion if this doesn't make sense--it has the cross-cuts in it already.]

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…Click here to see full recipe…

Sigumchi Namul (Korean Spinach Salad)

This is super healthy, quick to make, very tasty, and makes a great side to pretty much any meal. Add a teaspoon of flaxseed oil to a serving right before you eat for some good fat.

-18 oz. (510 g.) Spinach (Skip step 1 if you buy frozen spinach)
-1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
-1 Tbsp Sesame oil
-2 tspn sesame seeds
-1/2 clove garlic, or powder to taste
-Salt/pepper to taste

1. Wash spinach and cut off the stems if you buy in a bunch. Boil water and drop spinach in, stirring for ~20 seconds before removing to strainer (this is called blanching) and drenching with cold water to stop the cooking process.

2. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can but don’t handle it too much–5 seconds per handful of spinach.

3. Add seasoning and mix thoroughly.

[Read Time (Total): 5 minutes]
[Read Time (Bold): 2 minutes]

Spending too much on groceries every week? Well here’s a guide for the tight-budgeted on how to save money at the stores by buying healthy, scrumptious, and quick/easy to make food.

The average American adult spends $150-200 per month on groceries. If you were to look through one of these average shopping carts you would find the majority of it is frozen, packaged, preservative-laden food.

One approach, particularly common in poorer regions as well as among the college crowd, is to survive on a diet consisting mainly of Top Ramen, dirt-cheap boxed noodles, and eggs. On this diet you could easily get your grocery bill down to about $60/person/month but the money you save isn’t worth the tremendous consequences…unless you don’t mind major health problems and a shorter life…

By adapting the following short process to fit you, you can get the following results:

• Add 4 hours to every week
• Reduce stress
• Reduce the amount of effort you put into cooking/eating
• Effectively and sustainably follow your diet
• Lower risk of heart disease
• Increase your lifespan

Read Time (Total): 1 minute

2008 Don Miguel Gascón Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($11 at Trader Joe’s)

I’m going through a Mendozan Malbec phase so I picked up this bottle last Sunday and I’m definitely very pleased. The nose is quite fruity: dominated by black cherries, some blackberry, and unmistakable vanilla undertones. The palate is pretty mild: black cherry develops first and it’s moderately acidic with a pronounced but subtle tannic structure.

I’ve gotta say…it doesn’t stand up to pizza (see Altos below) but goes great with a good whole-wheat levain (or some other full bodied bread) with olive oil and balsamic. This would go well with more mild fish like Ahi or anything white, salads, and white sauce-based pastas. Also, give it a swirl following a bit of spicy chile chocolate and tell me it wasn’t amazing. …