Lentils and Leeks Lunchtime or Soup and Sammy Sunday

Both of these titles appealed to me (for obvious reasons) but as neither was descriptive enough to capture the whole sense of the meal I just put both! Deal.

Since coming to France I have been eating a lot more lentils because they use lentils in soups and salads much more often than we do at home. It seems only fitting that I make a French Green Lentil Soup at least once while in France. So I went out and bought a little sac of Puy lentils (another name for green lentils) and whipped up something simple and delish. Lentils, aside from being yummy, are a good source of protein, fiber, folate and B1. Pair is with rice and you've got yourself a complete protein.

For this soup I paired it with my staple sammy - goat cheese and cucumber.



Leek and Lentil Soup (for 2)
1 leek, washed and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 soup spoons of olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 cups veg broth
3/4 cup French green lentils
fresh mint

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Sautee the onion, leek and garlic until the onion and leek are soft and golden (5 minutes or so). Add the lentils and veg broth and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. While the soup is simmering you can get your sandwich ready.
2. When the lentils are tender take the soup off the burner and let it cool slightly. Add the lemon juice. Place half the soup in a food processor and puree. Split the puree between two bowls then top the puree with the unpureed lentils. Top with fresh mint and serve with the sandwich.

Bell Pepper and Pesto Goat Cheese Spread

This is the second time since getting to France that I have made this spread because really, after the first time, I have just been craving more! Super simple to make and great for a snack or as part of a meal.




I'm afraid the pictures don't do it justice.

Bell Pepper and Pesto Goat Cheese Spread

1 Bell Pepper, chopped (color of your choosing though red is quite nice)
2 garlic cloves, minced
several glugs of olive oil
several teaspoons of pesto spread (home-made or store-bought)
1 pound of goat cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook until soft (3-5 min). Should the olive oil evaporate or be absorbed, add more, nothing is worse than burned garlic.
2. Place the goat cheese and pesto in a bowl and mix. Top the cheese with the pepper and garlic combo - still hot off the stove. Give the cheese a few seconds to melt and then mix all the ingredients together until everything is well-mixed and melty.
3. Serve with crackers, toasted bread, or use it as a sammy spread (which I will be doing tomorrow!)



As Bart and Homer once said "You don't win friends with salad." That may be so - but trust me - you will win friends with this spread.

Cucumber Goat Cheese Sammy and Upcoming Projects

For the past few days I have been trying to finish up the rest of the goat cheese I used in the Creamy Goat Cheese and Zucchini Pasta from the last post and this has been satisfying me to no end every time I eat it.



I was pretty unsure about cucumbers in my sammy but it turned out to be a great idea! Also I would recommend watercress or spinach and for you nut eaters, some chopped walnuts would add more crunch.



The last few days have been rainy here so I haven't been taking pictures but then yesterday it just cleared up beautifully and I was able to work on my current project: my first video! I'm pretty excited about it. Im going to shoot some more stuff this week in Paris and hopefully by the end of the week after this week I will have 2 videos for you! It was all supposed to be one video but I've decided to split them into two for several reasons which will probably be apparent when you see them. Stay tuned!

Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Zucchini

I know what you might be thinking. Do you really think Goat Cheese covered pasta is a good idea for your lactose intolerant guts to be digesting Lacey? I know, I know. BUT. I'm in the undisputed kingdom of cheese and truth be told - I lurve me some cheese. So yeah. I'm gunna eat some cheese every now and then. PLUS, Goat cheese has less lactose, as does aged cheese. The best cheese for a lactosy is aged hard goat cheese (moisture equals lactose). I ignored my giggling guts and popped some lactose pills and thoroughly enjoyed this dish.





Ingredients
12 ounces (3/4 of the box) linguine or other pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound zucchini, sliced into thin half-moons
kosher salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, chopped
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions
1.Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and set it aside, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.
2. While this is going on heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until the zucchini is tender and any liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3.Add all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese to the pasta. Add the reserved pasta water, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir until creamy. Serve the pasta topped with the zucchini, lemon zest, and the remaining cheese.


It looks pretty to serve it this way - but then...


stir that baby up so it gets all melty!



Leftovers for days to come!



And for dessert? I tucked into the apple pound cake that I bought at the Frairies des Petits Ventres. Really good. Kinda like applesauce bread but more pound cake like and buttery.