Kale and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 small to medium bunch of kale
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tsp cumin spice
• 2 tsp curry spice
• 5 large carrots
• 1- 1 1/2 cup red lentils
• 32 oz of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tbl of olive oil or vegetable oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic

Recipe

1. Coarsely chop carrots and onion.
2. Heat 1 Tblsp of olive or other vegetable oil in a large soup pot.
3. Saute chopped carrots and onions in the oil.
4. Mix in cumin and curry.
5. Once the carrots and onion are tender add in vegetable or chicken broth.
6. Bring broth to a slight boil and turn down to a simmer.
7. Add in red lentils and let simmer for approx 5-10 minutes.
8. Add coarsely (or finely, if you prefer) chopped kale to the broth.
9. Let simmer covered for another 15-20 minutes or until kale is tender and lentils have turned golden and soft.
10. Once kale is tender and lentils have turned golden then the soup is ready to enjoy.
11. Season soup with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste.
12. Serve the soup alone or with crunchy garlic croutons or garlic bread.

baked latkes

Oven Baked Latkes
1-lb. russet potatoes (or Yukon Gold)
1 small, sweet onion
1 large egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 425F.
Wash and dry potatoes and remove the dry, outer skin from the onion (there is no need to peel the potatoes). Grate, perferable using a fairly large/coarse grater, potatoes and onion. Place mixture in a collanger or sieve and press down firmly with a paper towel to remove some of the excess moisture. Stir potato mixture and repeat.

Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl and stir in the egg. In a small bowl, mix together the baking powder, salt and flour, then stir that in as well.

Drop latke mixture in 2-3 tbsp measures, forming 2-3 inch pancakes that are about 1/4 inch thick (sightly thicker is ok), on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn the pancakes over, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Latkes should be deep gold on both sides when done, so add a minute or two to the baking time, if necessary
.