Aarti's Lentils Remade

Every time I go to a store with bulk bins, I have to buy something new. This goodie bag may wait for weeks (months) untouched before I finally sacrifice it to a carefully chosen recipe. One such recent bulk bin experiment was red lentils.


Admittedly, I chose red lentils mainly because they're pretty. Most people won't invite themselves over for dinner when told lentils are the entrée; it just sounds too much like a goopy bowl of split pea soup.

I was watching the Food Network one day when I came across Aarti Sequiera's new show. For those of you not in the know, she's the latest winner of The Next Food Network Star. She just happened to be cooking with red lentils. After seeing her "bloom" spices in a saucepot, I knew this was the recipe to try out! These "everyday lentils" are actually meant to be a side dish, but I've adjusted it to be a light, yet filling soup. The lentils are actually flaky, not at all mushy. Make sure you use a good sea salt like fleur de sel to accent the texture of the lentils and brighten the spices.

Aarti's Lentils (my version)

1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
2 medium tomatoes
1 tb olive oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tb garlic, minced
5 g ginger in water, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 chile (I used a jalapeño from the garden), halved

Soak lentils for at least 30 min, or before you go to work in the morning. Drain lentils and set aside.

Sauté minced onion, diced tomato (skin on is fine), jalapeño, ginger and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil or nonstick spray. Add lentils and 2 cups of fresh water. Cook, covered, for 30-40 minutes.


Prep spice ingredients.


Preheat a small saucepan with a lid to a simmer. Add mustard seed and cover with lid until popping stops (should sound like popcorn). Add cumin, turmeric and smoked paprika and allow to "bloom"; add to lentils and stir in.


Season well with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and fresh cilantro or parsley.

Nutritional data per 1/2 cup serving: 105 kcal; 2.47 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbs; 3.5 g fiber; 1.6 g sugar; 6 g protein

Day Trip to Baltimore

Last month, I miscalculated the start date of the Bloomsburg State Fair and almost had a mini meltdown. Control freaks don't take well to disappointment, eh? My husband called me from work after discovering the fair I had been waiting for all week wasn't due for yet another week. When you're clutching to anything to get you through a Friday after a stressful week, there's no good spin that can be made of bad news. That is, unless your husband comes home from work and asks if you want to go to Baltimore for the day, instead!

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Love the mosaic building. Note the jumbo, two-story (at least?) Barnes & Noble on the far left.

We had lunch nearby at Tír Na Nóg. Don only wanted a corned beef on rye - he had a fantastic corned beef sandwich at the Harford Fair. He pronounced Tír Na Nóg's as good, but paled in comparison to the one at the fair. He chose my lunch - pan roasted salmon with mushrooms, truffle essence, colcannon and greens. We celebrated our new restaurant find and the beginning of our day in Baltimore with bottles of Smithwicks.

No, we didn't have ice cream here. We hit the Marble Slab Creamery, instead. No pics this time, which means we will just have to go back.

Maryland Science Center

The initial plan was to head to the Baltimore Aquarium, but I discovered the Maryland Science Center while researching Baltimore online. Not only do I have a bizarre obsession with science museums, it's cheaper to go there than the aquarium!

We hit the Hubble 3D Imax movie first, then headed for the Planetarium to see The Sky Live, which was actually really interesting. Afterwards, we rushed up to the observatory for the last viewing of the sun.

This telescope dates back to 1924. Don saw a flare and I detected a couple sun spots.

Roarrr!!

I love dinosaurs. Yet another weird quirk.

While we were checking out local sites on my Garmin, I discovered we were within walking distance of a Whole Foods! FYI, the closest Whole Foods to our house is in New Jersey. I stocked up on chia seeds, bulk steel cut oats, pumpkin and a Lärabar for the coming Monday's brekkie. Oh, and some grapes for the trip back to our PA mountains.

I was desperate for pumpkin as it hadn't arrived in the stores here yet. My husband took pity on me and splurged on the last two in stock. It's not Libby's, but close enough.

I can't wait for another trip to Baltimore! Next time, we have to check out Charm City Cakes.

After Work Hikes

I've been trying to fit in two hikes a week as part of my fitness regimen, and as an excuse to get out in the woods and make the most of the crisp Autumn air. We've reached peak and the leaves are gorgeous, despite the dry Summer. My usual haunt for solo hikes is Francis Slocum State Park, mainly because it is only about 10 minutes from home and the terrain is on the tamer side (no hiking partner needed for safety). With the rain showers I haven't gone hiking at all this past week, but I usually head for Francis Slocum one day a week after work and again on a weekend day, however my schedule permits.

Running is another new addition to the weekly fitness schedule, something I never thought I would actually enjoy! I was always the girl that fell back on the asthma excuse to get out of the mile in gym and would get instantaneous side stitches when I was forced to jog. Keeping a steady pace and not starting out too fast have been my downfalls, but I've rectified a lot of this jogging around the house at home and now have no problems running rocky trails and down steep declines. I passed a couple on my last hike who looked at me as though I were crazy as I ran past them. They must have been a little surprised to see I beat them around the lake and was heading back uphill without any strain LOL

Here are some highlights from two recent hikes that I snapped during quick breaks...

September 9th Hike:

Lots of kayakers and fishermen on the lake as I jogged along.

During Winter, people even ice fish on the lake.

While I was jogging along this trail, I noticed a man and his child had stopped and were staring at something. Straight ahead, a bushy-tailed deer was standing in the trail and curiously watching the humans. I stopped and watched him for at least a minute before he scampered back up the hill.

Doll's Eyes

Common native plant that grows as a tall shrub in NEPA

September 26th Hike:

Shades of Autumn across the lake

Love that emerald green hue the lake takes on around the banks

Wild vine leaves climbing over fallen tree trunks

Time to start trekking uphill!

Old stone wall

The park is actually comprised of farmland. Their walls remain standing in the woods that have grown up around them.

Ducking back into the forest canopy

I saw another deer shortly after taking this photo. He stood still in the woods watching me as I carefully broke off a thorny winterberry branch to take home.

I'll be posting an outline soon of my hike/run plan and tips that I follow at Francis Slocum to keep my heart rate up (in Zones 2 and 3) without overexerting and with minimal time in Zone 1.

Entering 2010 Pumpkin Harvest

This is just the beginning...

The first healthy crop!

Second crop in cold storage in the upstairs pantry

Added a couple more to be on the safe side. It's going to be a cold Winter!

Hey, what's going on in here?!

~Ming invasion in the food stockhold~

I better get some more pumpkin.

P.S. Pure pumpkin is 87 cents for 15 oz at Aldi right now!