The Bread is in the Baking

First soup post! This soup is really good and simple. I'm excited to make it when I go back to college next year. I found this soup on Cookbook 101, one of my favorite recipe sites. The soup is vegetarian and you don't need to add any broth to it. I changed the recipe a little from the site, I used nonfat yogurt and canned diced tomatoes instead of crushed.

Greens and Lentil Soup

2 cups black beluga lentils (or green French lentils), picked over and rinsed (I used French)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of a chard/kale/etc. rinsed well, finely chopped (I used chard and it was very nice)

Saffron Yogurt
a pinch of saffron (30-40 threads)
1 tablespoon boiling water
two pinches of salt
1/2 cup Non-fat Greek Yogurt
(I did make the saffron yogurt, but I think plain greek yogurt would have worked fine too, since Saffron is pretty pricey)


Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, make the saffron yogurt by combining the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes. Now stir the saffron along with the liquid into the yogurt. Mix in the salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the saffron yogurt.

Total Time: 1 hour

NOTE: would go very well with a crusty bread, like the baguettes or the dark rye

Picture courtest of Eddie Barksdale

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It's the end of my sophomore year at college and I had a can of pumpkin under my bed, not something I really need to bring home, soooo what's a girl to do?
MAKE PUMPKIN BREAD, or a pumpkin loaf as I like to call it since there's no yeast in it and you don't have to let it rise, and those are the defining characteristics for bread to me.
I found this recipe online, it's pretty decent. Very light and soft. I would like a stronger pumpkin taste, but it's nice and sweet. I changed the recipe a little, I substituted some pumpkin pie spices for one of the cinnamon tsp (because I only had about a teaspoon of it left). I was unable to add pecans, because I didn't have any, but I think it would probably make it taste better and add some crunch.

Pumpkin Loaf
3 1/3 cups Flour
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons Baking soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
2 2/3 cups Sugar
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs
1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
2/3 cup Water
1/2 cup Pecans chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.
Mix dry ingredients together. Beat sugar and vegetable oil together until blended (mixture will still look dry). Add eggs, 1 at a time, until blended. Add pumpkin and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with water. Mix in pecans Pour batter into 2 9x5x3 or 5- 5 3/2x3 loaf pans. Sprinkle tops of loaves with cinnamon sugar before baking.

Bake at 325 for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans. If you use smaller pans it will take about 50 minutes instead, not a lot less time.

 Total Time: About 1 hour and 30 minutes

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