Solid Foods!

Today marked the first day since I got this cold that I have felt like eating anything other than weak brothy soups. Does that not sound appealing? Weak brothy soup equals delicious. Bleh.

So anyway I started the day off with a bowl of kashi which I think shocked my system enormously. Nothing like going from broth for 5 days to consuming 42 grams of fiber in one sitting. We are sticking with the breakfast theme for the day and having biscuits and gravy for dinner. We found a recipe in Vegetarian Times magazine and have been wanting to try it because it uses lentils as a meat substitute. We love making sloppy joes out of lentils so this idea appealed to our tastes as well. Here is the recipe.

Biscuits & Gravy
Serves 8 | 30 minutes or fewer

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced carrot (1carrot) 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp rubbed (crumbled) sage
2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup Annie’s Naturals Cowgirl Ranch Dressing
8 whole-grain biscuits or 4 English muffins

1. Bring lentils and 3 cups water to a boil in 2-qt. saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 30 minutes or until just tender. Drain, and set aside.

2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 to 8 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender but not mushy. Stir in flour, black pepper, paprika, mustard, red pepper flakes, and sage; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring after each addition. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly, until gravy comes to a gentle boil. Remove from heat, and stir in ranch dressing and drained lentils.

3. Split biscuits or English muffins. Lightly toast English muffins, if using. Place biscuits on plates, and top with gravy.



The only thing we tweaked was that we added some salt, a few good sized pinches of it and I think the next time I would up the amount of lentils to two cups. Other than that it was really quite good. The gravy is really smoky and has a nice subtle heat to it from the peppers and paprika. Oh and we threw some parsley on top at the end for freshness and color. We used whole wheat english muffins this time but on a more industrious day I would definitely just whip out some fresh biscuits. Of course that adds tremendously to the calories in the dish but what the Hell.

In closing I would like to ask for some help from the internet at large. If you are reading this before the close of business on Christmas Eve do me the favor of throwing a little focused positive energy toward the fact that my family's Christmas gifts are missing in action. I shipped them out via USPS priority mail on the 16th and the box has not arrived on my Mom's doorstep yet. To say that I am pissed off about it does not really come close to covering it. I thought shipping the stuff out with 8 days to arrive at it's destination was sufficient. I would like to pee on the face of the post office. Or at the very least I would like to openly slander them here... Post Office... YOU SUCK. I will only take it back if the box shows up on Mom's front porch tomorrow morning.