Lentils

Elsa seems to favor lentils, which is actually a good dietary discretion on her part. I made a spinach and lentil soup over the weekend, taken from Terry Blonder Golson's cookbook, 1,000 Lowfat Recipes. I intended this to be more for me and Jarrett, but wanted to attempt giving some to Elsa as well. She liked it okay, but not as much as another one of our standby recipes, which will follow this one below. Jarrett and I, however, thought it was quite good, so it might be something to try for the entire family. I pureed this soup with an immersion blender as a final step, as Jarrett and I tend to prefer most of our soups pureed. You could also easily substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth in this recipe to make it a vegetarian (vegan, even!) dish.

Spinach and Lentil Soup

Serves 5

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

One 10-oz package fresh spinach, washed and trimmed of tough stems

1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked through

7 cups reduced-sodium, defatted chicken broth

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over low heat. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are soft and golden. Add the cumin, coriander, and paprika. Stir and cook until the aromas intensify.

2. Coarsely chop the spinach. Add it to the saute and cook until it wilts.

3. Add the Tabasco, oregano, lentils, and broth to the pot.

4. Bring the soup to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered for about 50 minutes until the lentils become very soft.

5. Stir in the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Elsa's more preferred lentil dish comes from Joachim and Christine Splichal's cookbook, Feeding Baby. Several friends and family members who have witnessed Elsa eating this concoction have commented on how disgusting it looks. Forget how it appears -- I've tasted it myself, and it's actually quite good. And if I can get Elsa to eat something with lentils, carrots, and shallots, it can look as disgusting as it gets. The recipe makes quite a lot, so I usually scoop the remainder in serving-size portions onto a sheet pan lined with wax paper. I then simply cover it with another sheet of wax paper and freeze it. Once frozen, I simply transfer the frozen clumps to a freezer bag. It reheats easily either on the stovetop or the microwave.

Green or Brown Lentils with Carrot and Shallot Puree

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups lentils, rinsed and picked over

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced shallot or onion (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, combine the broth and lentils and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and shallot. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Drain and reserve the liquid.

2. Transfer the lentil mixture to a blender (I used a handheld immersion blender) and pulse until smooth, slowly adding the reserved cooking liquid.

3. Serve immediately. Freeze leftover puree that won't be eaten the next day.