It’s no secret that I love eggs for dinner, whether a “proper” meal like my quickest curried eggs, a poached egg to complete a bowl of soup, or an egg salad sammy to save us from take out. So, the first thing I thought of to make my meal of french lentils over wilted spinach heartier was, you guessed it, an egg.

This rustic salad comes together effortlessly. The greens are dressed in the simplest vinaigrette (I used olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper; a bit of finely chopped shallot would be nice, too). The lentils quick cooked and finished with creamy dijon. And the eggs fried in a flash. Layer one over the other—spinach, lentils, eggs—break the yolks, and take a big bite. Serve with crusty bread and wine (for mama and papa), and you’ll be transported to the French countryside. Perfection. In no time flat.

French Lentils
(can be served to children 8+ mos)

3 strips all-natural bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 organic onion, chopped
2 organic carrots, chopped
1 bulb organic fennel, chopped
5 cloves organic garlic, minced
1 tsp herbs de provence or chopped fresh organic thyme
1 c organic French green lentils
1/2 c white wine (optional; substitute 1/2 c of broth)
1 1/2 c organic chicken or vegetable broth
2 c water
1-2 tbsp dijon mustard

1. Fry bacon in a large dutch oven over medium high heat until crispy. Add onion, carrots and fennel; saute until translucent. (The bacon should render enough fat to saute the veggies. If not, add a drizzle of olive oil.) Add garlic and herbs. Saute another 2 minutes, until fragrant.

2. Add lentils; stir to coat. Add white wine. When wine has almost completely cooked off, add broth and water. (If you decided to skip white wine, add all of the broth and water, at once, as soon as lentils are well coated.) Cook until all liquid evaporates and lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Take off heat and stir dijon to taste.

Photo: Tofutti Break

Last week I left you with a taste of Canada while I was tasting New Orleans. Now that I’m back, you’re probably expecting a post about beignets (our first food stop was Cafe Du Monde!), gumbo (I enjoyed a version made with duck), boudin (I had some at Green Goddess, a wonderful off-the-beaten-path cafe) or some other delicious NOLA specialty. But, instead, I’ve come back with a Mediterranean-inspired quick dinner idea!

My sister and I had big plans to go shopping and out to dinner one night, but were thwarted by uncooperative children who kept me at the hotel way longer than expected. So, instead, she took me to a favorite local spot for a late dinner, some wine and catch up conversation. She did the ordering—I was just happy to be out with her!—and then out came our appetizer, a deliciously loaded hummus platter.

I didn’t think much of it until I started digging in. Creamy hummus topped with chopped cukes, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta, roasted garlic (chunky whole cloves!) and shredded rotisserie chicken. Served with warm high-quality pita, the dish was hearty enough to be our main meal. And then it came to me—what a wonderful, healthy, QUICK family dinner (for everyone 8+ months). Why hadn’t I thought of this before?!

So there you have it. I come back to you from New Orleans not with a cajun treat, but with a Mediterranean dinner inspiration. Go figure! With beans, animal protein (optional!) and salad all rolled into one, it’s just too good an idea not to pass along to y’all. Have you made something like this before? Think you’ll try it? I’m going to this week. It’s a perfect just-back-from-vacation-there’s-nothing-in-the fridge meal!

Romain lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, feta cheese and, if you’re down, some olives and anchovies. Toss with the simplest red wine vinaigrette and you’ve got the classic Greek salad. But here’s a little secret. Try horiatiki instead (should be offered at any authentic Greek restaurant) and you’ll eat the real deal: a greek salad minus the lettuce. It may seem like a minor edit, but it makes a big difference. It’s like taking out the filler. You’re left with all the good stuff, all the stuff that matters.

In Greece, horiatiki is most often served as a slab of creamy feta over a bed of tomatoes and cukes tossed in red wine vinaigrette, garnished with a sprinkle of dried oregano and a few kalamata olives. Just describing it brings me back to lunch on the beach in Santorini or dinner in a busy tavern in Athens (or Queens, NY!). Tart from vinegar spiked with lemon, peppery from great olive oil, salty from cheese, cool and crunchy from cucumbers, it’s simply the best salad ever. (What? Me, biased?) It’s also easy to make and, served alongside simply broiled fish or with lemony grilled chicken on top, it makes a quick and satisfying meal. I sometimes even add chickpeas. Bonus! Without the ever unpopular raw leafy greens, young ChowBabies get down with this salad, too. Even eat it with their fingers!

I made last week’s horiatiki with chicken, chickpeas and a kalamata olive vinaigrette. We’re big fans of olives in this house, and this vinaigrette allows me to play with olive to salad ratio. Instead of blessing a few random bites with heavenly briny olive flavor, it’s spread throughout. It’s not a traditional approach, but I think yiayia would approve. I also crumble the feta for the same reason. Plus, spreading both olives and cheese throughout makes it easier to serve my ChowBaby who demands both in every bite.

The salad itself isn’t much of a recipe: put in as much cuke and tomato as you need depending on whether this is a side salad or main dish (I suggest 2/3 cuke to 1/3 tomato), and put in as much cheese and red onion as you like. This is totally up to your taste.

Horiatiki with Kalamata Vinaigrette
(can be served to kids 8+ mos)

for the salad
organic cucumbers (I like seedless hothouse cukes), chopped
organic tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges (you may want to pick out for kids under 10 mos)
organic red onion, diced (optional; use large dice that can easily be picked out if serving to little eaters)
chickpeas (optional)
feta cheese, crumbled or in a nice big slab (be sure to use pasteurized feta if serving to little eaters)
dried oregano, optional

for the vinaigrette*
3/4 c organic olive oil
1/2 c organic red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 an organic lemon
1/4 c chopped kalamatas
salt and pepper

1. Put cucumber, tomato, red onion, chickpeas and feta (if using crumbled) in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Whisk together oil, vinegar, lemon juice, olives, salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat. If using  a slab of feta, put salad on a plate or in a shallow bowl and lay cheese on top. Garnish with oregano.

*Note: This is as basic as vinaigrette comes. I like my Greek salad dressing this way because it’s the way my yiayia made it—no frills and delicious. I’m sure adding chopped garlic and/or shallots, a dollop of dijon mustard, and/or fresh oregano or thyme would do nice things for this dressing. Have fun with it.

I haven’t made lentil soup in a long, long time. See, many years back, upon our return from a trip through northern Greece and Turkey, I made a killer red lentil soup that I’d learned to make in a cooking class in Istanbul. It tasted divine. And then wreaked havoc, if you know what I mean. To this day, the ChowPapa and I can’t stop laughing about the red lentil soup aftermath. It was so hard on our systems that we decided we could never do red lentils again. Until…

I recently spotted a recipe on the always inspiring and gorgeous La Tartine Gourmande for white lentil soup with chorizo and a poached egg. Using a fried or poached egg to make soup or salad heartier is a favorite trick of mine, so I was instantly smitten. And white lentils—I’d never cooked them before! I was inspired. But, when I got to my local speciality food shop, all they had were red lentils. The. Dreaded. Red. Lentils. Oh well, we’d have to get over it. I grabbed a bag and never looked back.

This soup, hearty with carrots and squash and rich with egg yolk, is luscious. Even more delicious than my divine Turkish soup and without any of the, shall we say, repercussions. Lentils, a great source of iron, protein and fiber (for everyone, but especially beginner eaters), pair great with sausage, so get creative. Brown lentils with sweet (or hot!) Italian sausage. French green lentils with merguez. Or maybe try Bea’s recipe with smoky andouille or garlicky linguica instead of chorizo. All I had on hand was a  homemade pork breakfast sausage seasoned with nothing more than salt, pepper and lots of sage. How perfect, I thought, for a soup topped with a poached egg!

And it was. Just perfect: healthy, satisfying, silky and rich, with tons of flavor. My ChowBaby requested leftovers the next night. The ChowPapa, too. Red lentils are back. In style.

PS: I served this with crusty dinner rolls and a mini-cheese board. A perfect winter dinner. This is also a great make-ahead meal. The soup will last up to 3 days in the fridge or can be frozen. Poached eggs can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. Just slip them into an ice bath after you take them out of the hot water, then store in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat by putting the eggs in simmering hot water for a minute before serving.

Red Lentil Soup with Sausage + a Poached Egg
(can be served to kids 8+ mos)

1/4 c organic olive oil
1 c chopped organic shallots
3/4 c chopped organic celery
chopped organic thyme, 4 sprigs worth
3 cloves organic garlic, chopped
1 lb organic sausage meat, casing removed
1 1/2 c chopped organic squash, 1/4″ dice
1 c chopped organic carrots, 1/4″ dice (about 3 carrots)
2 c organic red lentils
2 organic bay leaves
4 c organic chicken or vegetable broth
4 c water
salt & pepper
1 tbsp vinegar (any kind)
as many organic eggs as portions you’ll be serving
paprika (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Saute shallots, celery, and thyme until translucent—do not brown. Add garlic and cook another minute or so, until fragrant. Add sausage meat and brown.

2. Add squash, carrots, lentils, bay leaves, broth and water. Bring to a heavy simmer, then cover and lower heat to medium low. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, until soup thickens and vegetables soften. Season with salt and pepper.

3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water and the vinegar to a boil. Break one egg into a small bowl. Reduce heat so that the water is just simmering. Lower the bowl to the very top of the water and slide the egg in. You can add as many eggs as will fit (making sure to give them plenty of room to float), one at a time. Once all eggs are in the hot water, cover, turn off heat and let stand a 2-3 minutes, before taking them out.

4. Ladle soup into bowl. Top each serving with one poached egg. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and serve!

With the onset of cooler weather and my (second!) ChowBaby’s arrival, I have kicked into bulk cooking mode. Big pots of warm comfort food that can last several meals (or stock my freezer with quickly re-heated dinners) are a welcome lifesaver. Lasagna, soups, beef stew and, of course, chili.

I’ve always wanted to have a go-to chili recipe, but have never found the right one. In fact, I got so tired of trying variations that I gave up on chili for a long time. But I had a hankering the other day after reading a review of The Pioneer Woman’s cookbook that specifically called out her Simple, Perfect Chili. The thing that struck me most was that her recipe did, indeed, look simple. I usually go for complicated “speciality” chili recipes.

Wait a minute!

As I scanned the Pioneer Woman’s short ingredients list, it dawned on me: I had been making chili too complicated!

But was the Pioneer Woman’s recipe too simple to really be perfect? Let’s put it this way: I finally found my go-to chili! I made the recipe as the Pioneer Woman published it. I used all of the optional ingredients, but ended up substituting polenta for masa. It felt like a risky move, but that was all that I had on hand. It ended up working fine, though I wonder if masa would have lent even more rich, corn flavor. Next time, I’m going to try making this recipe with ground turkey and chipotles. I’d also like to try the beef version with diced zucchini and corn.

Hmm… am I making things complicated again? Probably. So, you know what: scratch that. For now, stick to the Pioneer Woman’s version. It’s truly simple and perfect. Just. As. Is.

Simple, Perfect Chili, from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
(can be adapted for kids 10+ mos*)

Note: Here’s the recipe as it was shared on Serious Eats. I used polenta instead of masa, and also used all organic ingredients.

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tbsp chili powder
2 lbs ground beef
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 c masa (corn flour)

Optional Ingredients
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 can diced tomatoes
shredded cheese (for serving)
onion, chopped (for serving)

1. Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic.

2. Cook the beef until brown and drain off the excess fat.

3. Pour in the tomato sauce, followed by the garlic, spices and salt.

4. Stir together well, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add in 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.

5. After an hour, place the masa in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water and stir together with a fork. (I used the same technique for the polenta.)

6. Dump the masa mixture into the chili and stir together well. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and all more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or add more corn flavor. Add the beans, jalapeño and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve topped with cheese and onions.

*Skip the cayenne and jalapeño, and reduce the chili powder to keep this super mild if feeding to young eaters.