Voting for my POM Wonderful Cupcake Contest entry

Hey guys!

POM Wonderful made a few changes to the voting process due to errors with the Facebook "like" button. The votes have been reset to zero for everyone, and you can now vote once per day. If you've already voted, I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your support! All you have to do now is click the icon below to vote again, and remember to vote everyday up until the 28th.

Thank you!

-Christina

Split Green Pea Crab Rangoons with Sticky Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce

My sixth and final recipe for the Recipe Rivalry is finally here! It's been quite the experience, and I hope I've given you new and unique ways to cook with lentils and split peas that will please every palate.

Today, I present you with Split Pea Crab Rangoons. You know those awesome crunchy wontons filled with a gooey cheese filling at Chinese buffets? Now you can make them yourself, and a little healthier. The filling consists of neufchatel cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, garlic, and split peas that are cooked until tender and mashed. I went with traditional Chinese flavorings here of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.

It took a bit to finally figure out the petal pattern to form the rangoons. I was sort of able to figure it out from the pictures here, though I never got the hang of the one hand forming technique. Also, I decided not to brush all the edges with egg white, but dab just the middle edges where the wrapper connects in the middle to make assembly easier.

Here's a picture tutorial of how I formed the rangoons, starting with the upper left picture. Make sure you press the center firmly so the wrapper adheres together. Don't worry if the petals droop because they'll spring back up after being dropped in the oil. It's magical! I seriously had quite a bit of fun frying these edible cuties up.

Out of all the filling, I got 38 rangoons. The amount might differ based on how much filling you use. I used a tablespoon measuring spoon, but I didn't fill it all the way, aiming for about 1/2 a tablespoon to 2 teaspoons of filling. Wonton wrappers usually come 60 to a package, so you'll be set for however much you end up making.

The tray was given a quick chill in the fridge while I made the dipping sauce and heated the oil. The sauce is a super simple sticky sauce based of the sauce my mom has been making for a long time to accompany chicken. Featuring soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and fresh ginger and garlic for flavor, the sauce is boiled until reduced and thickened. The taste is incredible and goes great with the rangoons.

Frying food can be fun! When you first drop the rangoons into the hot oil, there's a bit of sizzling and bubbling going on as the petals "bloom". After 20 seconds, the rangoons begin to rise to the surface somewhat.

I opted to use a wok for the frying so the surface area would be wider and easier to remove the rangoons. Since I couldn't really keep a thermometer in to gauge the temperature of the oil, I kept an eye on the level of browning that occurred within the 50 second cooking time and adjusted the heat accordingly.

The split peas gave the filling a nice flavor without being easy to detect. Their relative neutralness gives the different ingredients a chance to come out, but they still worked together. Biting into a the crunchy outtards to the smooth filling is a treat you simply cannot deny.

Thanks for reading along during the many recipes featuring lentils! Come back tomorrow for a giveaway, and start thinking about which recipe from the six I blogged about is your favorite.

Recipe after the jump.

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I've been blogging about recipes over the past week and a half, and now I need your help to decide which recipe I should enter into the contest! Tomorrow I'll be hosting a giveaway, courtesy of the USA Dried Pea & Lentil Council, so come back and enter. Voting begins on Thursday, June 17th. Please mark your calenders and spread the word to vote for She Runs, She Eats!

1. Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco
2. Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
3. Lentil Enchiladas with Homemade Ancho Chile Sauce
4. Lentil Sprout Spring Rolls with Shrimp
5. Roasted Garlic and Lentil Bechamel Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes

---

Print this recipe

Split Pea Crab Rangoons with Sticky Ginger-Garlic Dipping Sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

Makes 30-45 rangoons

Split pea ingredients ~

1/4 cup dried split green peas
1 1/4 cup water

Crab filling ingredients ~

6 oz neufchatel cheese, room temperature
6 oz can crab meat, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1/2-1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tsp coarse salt
pinch white pepper

For rangoon assembly ~

1 egg white
30-45 wonton wrappers

Dipping sauce ingredients ~

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, smashed

For frying ~

1 quart vegetable (4 cups)

Directions ~

1. Rinse split peas and place in a small pot. Add water, and bring to just a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a constant simmer and cover partially with a lid. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until tender. If water hasn't completely evaporated, drain. Smash into a smooth paste. Let cool.


2. Meanwhile, mix together cream cheese, drained crab meat, green onions, and garlic until blended. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Blend in cooled split pea paste; cover and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.


3. Have a baking sheet ready nearby to place formed wontons. Onto the center edges on all four sides, dab lightly with egg white (this will help the wrapper stick to itself, sealing in the filling). Dollop 1 1/2-2 teaspoons split pea and crab filling onto center of wrapper. Fold sides to create a blossom, or fold diagonally and press to adhere. Place on baking sheet and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap or a slightly damp cotton towel (this keeps the wrappers from drying out -- you don't want the towel to be wet enough to made the wrappers soggy). Repeat process until filling is used up. Place baking sheet in fridge to chill for 20 minutes.


4. In a deep pot or a wok, heat oil until it registers 350 degrees.


5. While wontons are chilling and oil is heating, place vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once sauce reaches a boil, lower to medium heat (still maintaining a rolling boil, but mixture shouldn't come close to boiling over) and continue to cook for 15 minutes to reduce sauce. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.


6. Remove baking sheet from fridge. Place a cooling wrack on a different baking sheet and line with paper towels; position near pot of oil.


7. Once oil registers 350 degrees, carefully drop in 3 rangoons at a time. Fry for 40-50 seconds, or until edges are golden brown and the rangoons lose their raw look. The overall tone will be a light-medium golden brown except for the edges. Remove using a slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheet. (I placed the rangoons on their sides, held up in a line by another rangoon, to keep the bottoms from getting soggy.) Repeat with remaining rangoons, cooking just 3 at a time. Pay attention to how the rangoons fry, and adjust heat accordingly if they're browning too fast or too slow.

Serve with dipping sauce.

roasted garlic and lentil Béchamel sauce with roasted tomatoes

My fifth recipe for the USA Dry Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry is for a Béchamel sauce with pureed lentils replacing the majority of the milk in the sauce. The sauce is flavored with roasted garlic and fresh tarragon for a nice, light flavor that can be used in a variety of ways, like pasta and poached eggs. Accompanied with the sauce is a side of roasted tomatoes. The flavor of the tomatoes becomes intensified and slightly caramelized when roasted, and compliments the flavors of the sauce extremely well.

What's great about this sauce is that it sort of looks like a cheese (Mornay) sauce. But it's not. But it also has some solid protein going on thanks to the lentils. I chose to go with yellow lentils again so it would give the sauce a nice, neutral color. The lentils are cooked with a mirepoix of carrot, celery, and onions, which are sauteed for a bit before broth (you can use either chicken or vegetable) is added. Once that's heated up, the lentils are added and cooked until tender, then pureed. Roasted garlic is added to the roux of the Bechamel for a little flavor boost. The taste remains light and not overpowering. My addition of tarragon might be a bit different than what you're used to, so start with just 1/2 a tablespoon and taste to see how you like it. Feel free to use the herb of your choice.

All that's left is a little shaving of aged parmesan and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt to finish, and what you have is a perfectly delightful twist on a traditionally heavy sauce. Still filling, but in a different, healthier way.

If you would like more of a brunch option, you can serve the sauce with soft poached eggs. The lightness in flavor and texture of the sauce compliments the eggs, leaving the flavors to blend together without one overpowering the other. And nothing is better than the taste of the runny yolk mixing with the sauce. Also, don't forgo the making of the roasted tomatoes as it compliments everything and will be the missing piece to the puzzle if you leave it out.

So here you have a great basic white sauce featuring lentils to use in a variety of ways, depending on what you happen to be craving at the time. You could also use this sauce in a lasagna, too.

Recipe after the jump.

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I'll be blogging about lentil recipes over the next two weeks.

1. Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco
2. Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
3. Lentil Enchiladas with Homemade Ancho Chile Sauce
4. Lentil Sprout Spring Rolls with Shrimp

---

Print this recipe

Roasted Garlic and Lentil Béchamel Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 5-6

For roasted tomatoes and garlic ~

8 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half (bottom edges leveled)
Olive oil
Sugar
Coarse sea salt
Pepper
1 head of garlic

For the lentil puree ~

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup pink lentils

For the suce ~

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
Roasted garlic cloves from 1 head of garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
lentil puree
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, chopped

For serving ~

1-2 poached eggs per person, or
1 pound cooked fettuccine, cooked al dente, and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
Thinly sliced spinach
Parmesan, for grating
coarse sea salt

Directions ~

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with just a bit of oil, about 1/4 teaspoon, just a pinch of sugar (to help caramelize the tops), coarse sea salt and pepper. Slice the top of the head of garlic and drizzle with oil. Place, cut side down, on a small sheet of foil and wrap up. Put on same baking sheet as tomatoes, cut side down. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are beginning to char and have shrunk in size. The garlic should feel soft when pressed (check after 30 minutes). Remove sheet from oven.


2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat until hot. Add carrot, celery, and onion; saute for 7 minutes, stirring often. Pour in chicken or vegetable broth and heat to a rapid simmer. Stir in lentils, then cover with a lid and cook until lentils are soft and falling apart, about 20-27 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.


3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. As it's heating, remove garlic cloves and smash with the side of a knife to form a paste. Stir into the butter with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and saute for 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in milk and chicken broth and whisk to combine, followed by pureed lentil mixture. Once blended, stir in fresh tarragon. Taste for seasonings.


4. If serving with poached eggs, arrange three roasted tomato halves on the plate and a bed of sliced spinach. Ladle sauce onto the spinach, then top with poached eggs. Grate parmesan cheese on top of eggs and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.


5. If serving with pasta, whisk pasta water into sauce. Arrange plate with three roasted tomato halves and a bed of sliced spinach. Place serving of pasta atop spinach and grate with parmesan cheese and sprinkle with coarse salt.

lentil sprout spring rolls with shrimp

In thinking of creative, unique applications for lentils, I thought of using lentil sprouts in some form. As I was walking through Martin's I was debating between purchasing egg roll wrappers, though finally I settled on spring roll wrappers because I've never made them before, and I figured it would showcase the lentil sprouts the best.

The lentil sprouts obviously have to be made ahead of time. I used the method here, though I used just 1 cup of lentils. The stuff really expands, so make sure your jar is large enough. To reach maximum sproutage, I let mine sit for 4 days. They tasted pretty amazing raw, somewhat nutty and sweet, but I decided to give them a quick steam for this recipe.

Martin's had a great deal for fresh, wild caught shrimp, and since shrimp is my most favorite crustacean in the world there was no way I was passing it up.

The flavoring for the majority of the springs rolls came from the jalapeno and garlic salsa. Finely chopped jalapeno, garlic, a bit of red onion, cilantro, and olive oil are mixed together for a most delicious and quick salsa. You use part of it for the shrimp marinade and as a topping for the lentil sprout and Napa cabbage salad, along with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. The rest is used for a dipping sauce along with an avocado-yogurt dip.

Working with spring roll wrappers was easier than I had thought, much like my experience making sushi, though a bit more challenging. You need to briefly wet the wrappers in water and let them stand for at least thirty seconds for it to be pliable enough to roll. What makes it a challenge is if you wet it too much, it's more difficult to roll since the wrapper is floppy. I found that brushing the wrappers lightly on either side with a pastry brush dipped briefly in water was even simpler, and less of a chance of dipping the wrappers in water for too long. I used spring roll wrappers with both tapioca and rice starches. The tapioca is supposed to keep it from tearing as much.

For a step-by-step guide, click here. I followed their "tuck and roll" method, which will take me a bit more practice time to perfect. I was told by a friend to give the rolls one roll before folding the sides over, so I'll do that next time, too. It would give the moistened wrappers something to stick to, which I think is why I had trouble getting the sides to stay folded.

I was very pleased with the flavors, which remained light and summery. The lentil sprout salad was incredible, and since there will be extra you can serve it with the spring rolls along with the salsa and avocado dip.

There are a few steps involved for this recipe, but it would make the perfect dinner party solution if you assemble all the ingredients and let your guests roll their own spring rolls. You can give awards for the most perfectly formed rolls if you wanted to make it a contest, even!

Kidding.

Recipe after the jump.

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I'll be blogging about lentil recipes over the next two weeks.

1. Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco
2. Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
3. Lentil Enchiladas with Homemade Ancho Chile Sauce

---

Print this recipe

lentil sprout spring rolls with shrimp
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves about 6

salsa ingredients ~

1 1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeno (seeded and deveined -- seeds can be added depending on level of heat preference)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
7 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup slightly packed cilantro, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup olive oil

avocado dip ingredients ~

2 avocados
3/4 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

shrimp ingredients ~

1 pound shrimp, peeled (about 3 shrimp per spring roll)
1 tsp chili powder

lentil-cabbage salad ~

9 cups lentil sprouts (sprouted from 1 cup brown lentils)
4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

Additional filling ingredients ~

1/2 English cucumber, julienned
1/2 a bell pepper, seeded and cored, julienned into 26-28 thin strips
12-15 spring roll wrappers (the ingredients should include both tapioca and rice starches, preferably)

directions ~

1. Mix salsa ingredients together; set aside.


2. Process avocados, yogurt, and garlic together in the bowl of a food processor until smooth. Scrape into bowl and stir in lime juice and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


3. Mix shrimp with chili powder. Stir in 1/4 cup salsa and marinate for 15-20 minutes. Heat skillet to medium hot. When skillet has heated, reduce heat to medium and add shrimp. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Remove to bowl to cool. (You won't need to grease the skillet since there's oil in the salsa).


4. While shrimp marinates, heat 2-3 inches of water in a large pot fitted with a steamer tray. When water reaches a rapid simmer, place lentil sprouts on top of tray and cover with a lid. Steam for five minutes. Remove to a bowl and let cool for a few minutes before tossing with the cabbage, 2/3 cup salsa, lime juice, and salt. Set aside.


5. Fill a small bowl with warm water. Assemble ingredients in an assembly line fashion on your work space -- you want everything within reach. Place a large cutting board on the counter for wrapping up spring rolls, and a platter to place them on once rolled.


6. Place a spring roll wrapper on the cutting board. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides lightly with water -- you want to just barely moisten the wrapper. Let sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow the wrapper to soak in the moisture, making it pliable enough to roll.


7. On the bottom 1/3 edge (nearest you), line wrapper with 3 shrimp, no more than 1/4 cup lentil sprout salad, about 5 strips of cucumber and 2 strips of red bell pepper. Fold the bottom up and over filling, tucking it in tightly, then fold the sides over. Continue to roll and tuck until it's completely wrapped. Place on platter and repeat process until the remaining shrimp is used.

Serve with avocado yogurt dip, and remaining salsa and lentil sprout salad.

lentil enchiladas with homemade ancho chile sauce

Next up for the lentil challenge is a really tasty recipe for lentil enchiladas. The premise of this recipe came from when my mom made chimichangas (I don't care what Summer says, I could eat them year round) filled with lentils, cooked similarly to that of refried beans. The taste was light and less heavy than with meat, and it makes a great alternate option in case you happen to be out of the refried beans.

To up the authenticity factor, I decided to go ahead and make up my own ancho chile sauce following the basic technique you will find in many cookbooks. This consists of preparing the dried ancho chiles by removing the stems and seeds, briefly cooking them over a hot, dry cast iron skillet, then soaking them in boiling water until soft.

You then puree the chiles with a portion of the soaking liquid and regular water with some spices, press the mixture through a sieve to finish with a smooth, but still thick sauce, and heat briefly in a pot with a few more ingredients. A bit more intensive than the sauce I last posted about, though the results are worth it. Also, both the sauce and the lentils can be prepared a few days in advance, if needed.

For this recipe I chose to go with the skinless yellow lentil (it almost looked pink to me, but cooked up yellowish), supplied by the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council for the contest, because they intentionally cook up softer than brown lentils (which you would have to overcook to reach the consistency needed -- you still can do that and it works perfectly, but pink lentils, if available, cook quicker). You don't want a complete mush. Rather, the lentils should be beginning to break down and the consistency overall will resemble refried beans.

I cooked the lentils simply with chopped onion and garlic, then added a packet of Goya seasoning (which you can find in the Mexican section of the "ethnic foods" aisle of the grocery store) and a bit of salt. The lentils lose their pinkness when cooked, so the Goya helps to bring out the yellow color.

To prepare the enchiladas, warmed flour tortillas are dolloped with the lentils and some Mexican blend shredded cheese, then warmed up tightly (think Cuban cigar-crepe episode of Seinfeld, but back off a bit).

The sauce is ladled on top of the enchiladas as well as cheese to bake in as the dish cooks. After a bit, I took it out and dolloped yogurt on top along with extra chopped onion and chopped cilantro. Bake for a few minutes longer, then remove from the oven to rest a bit before serving.

This was a really wonderful dish. The lentils were great and added a light, neutral flavor to the enchiladas, and the chile sauce tasted like what you'd expect at an authentic Mexican restaurant. The amount of sauce made ensures that there's some that doesn't completely soak into the tortillas, perfect for lading on top of rice. The cilantro and onions gave the dish a nice flavor contrast, and the yogurt helped cool the sauce (which was a bit spicy, but not so much once it baked) down a little. So if you're looking for a vegetarian enchilada recipe, or just a different variation, try using lentils as the filling. You might even fool tricky eaters since the filling resembles gooey cheddar cheese!

Recipe after the jump

This recipe was created as part of my involvement with the USA Dried Peas & Lentils Recipe Rivalry. I'll be blogging about lentil recipes over the next two weeks.

1. Lentils with Jalapeno, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco
2. Lentil Olive Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

---

Print this recipe

lentil enchiladas with homemade ancho chile sauce
Recipe by Christina Provo

Serves 6

For lentil filling ~

2 cups pink lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 packet Goya Sazón with Coriander and Annatto seasoning
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

For ancho chile sauce ~

6 dried ancho chiles
1 medium onion, chopped, divided
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

For enchilada assembly ~

12 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend (unseasoned) cheese
Plain yogurt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Cooked white rice, for serving

directions ~

1. Place lentils, onions, garlic, and oregano in a medium sized saucepan with 3 1/4 cup water. Bring just to a boil, then lower heat to maintain a constant simmer. Skim any foam that rises to top. Stirring occasionally, partially cover with a lid, and cook for about 20 minutes or until lentils have broken down, but not to a complete mush. There shouldn't be much water left -- you're looking for the lentils to resemble the consistency of refried beans. Remove from heat. Stir in Goya and salt; set aside.


2. Prepare ancho chiles by carefully slitting them open and removing the stems and seeds. Flatten chiles as much as you can.


3. Heat a dry 10-inch cast iron skillet to medium-high. Once heated, carefully press each chile down in the skillet, pressing to keep the chiles down against the bottom. Cook for 5 seconds, then flip over and cook for another 5 seconds; repeat with remaining chiles. Place in a bowl and cover with 4 cups boiling water. Cover bowl and let stand for 15 minutes, to soften chiles.


4. Reserve 1 1/4 cup soaking liquid. Place chiles in a blender with half of the chopped onion, all the garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, soaking liquid, and 3/4 cup water. Cover blender and puree until smooth. Working with half the sauce, strain chile sauce through a fine mesh sieve placed over a large bowl. Press and stir the liquid with the back of a large spoon, pressing to remove as much liquid as you can and push the chile sauce through the sieve. You will end up with a really thick, paste-like substance of chile residue. Ladle sauce into a large liquid measuring cup. Repeat with remaining sauce; you should end up with 2 to 2 1/4 cup sauce, and it should be somewhat thick.


5. Pour sauce into a medium saucepan and whisk in vinegar, cocoa powder, and sugar. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce heat and let cook for five minutes.


6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. wrap tortillas in foil and warm in oven for 10 minutes.


7. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Ladle 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom of the dish. Assemble tortillas by spooning about 3 tablespoons (use a 1/4 cup measuring cup, but don't fill it completely) lentils along the bottom thirds of a tortilla and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up tightly and place in casserole dish. Repeat until all tortillas are rolled. Pour sauce on top, spreading to cover the tops of the tortillas. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese and bake for 15 minutes. Remove dish from oven. Dollop enchiladas with yogurt and sprinkle with remaining onion and 1/4 cup cilantro. Bake an additional 5 minutes, then remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with rice and additional cilantro.

USA Dry Peas, Lentils, & Chickpeas Blogger Challenge

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! It's one of my favorite holidays because it gets you thinking outside of yourself, and remembering and honoring those who paused their own lives for the safety of ours.

So, it's going to be a busy couple of days (and by couple, I mean many) around here, and I'll tell you why in a bit. First off, my second race of the year is on Saturday, the Sunburst 10k. I'm looking to hit a personal record, and if I run a smart race (i.e., refrain from starting too fast) I shouldn't have a problem with this. I've also decided to attempt a running streak for June. I feel I run better when I streak because I am almost forced to pay more attention to issues like hydration, nutrition, and recovery. I also simply enjoy being able to run everyday. The first two weeks will be tricky since I'm going to be busy not only with blog stuff, but after the Sunburst I have a 5k roughly two weeks after, the Traffic Jam 5k in Chicago. I'll see what I can do, and I do promise this time to make a concerted effort to at least post a weekly running recap.

On the blog front, I was contacted a week or two back about taking part in a blogger challenge hosted by USA Dry Peas, Lentils, & Chickpeas. The challenge is to come up or uniquely adapt our favorite dried pea or lentil recipes, six in total, and post about them, starting today. After two weeks, we choose our favorite of the recipes created to enter into their contest.

To help jump start the process, I was generously given a Le Creuset Legumier pot, and a monetary compensation for ingredients to the grocery store of my choice. I chose Martin's Super Markets, a locally owned grocery store that's been around since 1947. Not only are they involved in the community, but much of their produce is locally grown when in season. Of course, they (USA Dried Peas & Lentils) also gave me... Guess what? Dried peas and lentils to use!

Since their generosity doesn't end there, you guys can also get in on some of this action, too. Later on, I'll be hosting a giveaway that I'll expand upon next week, so stay tuned.

I started off simply with a lentil dish flavored with jalapenos, cilantro, lime zest, and sprinkled with queso fresco. The method of cooking I used here is similar to that of a risotto, where the liquid is added a little bit at a time until the lentils are cooked until tender, but still retain their shape. Besides the ingredients listed above, the lentils are cooked in a fresh-tomato infused base with chardonnay and chicken or vegetable broth. The resulting dish is flavorful, but as it's a side dish the flavors won't overwhelm the rest of the meal.

Recipe after the jump.

---

Print this recipe

lentils with jalapeno, cilantro, and queso fresco
Recipe by Christina Provo

Ingredients ~

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, deveined and seeded, diced
3 garlic cloves, minces
1/2 cup chardonnay
1 2/3 cup grated fresh tomatoes (stem tomatoes, slice in half, and grate; discard skin)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
coarse salt
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco
grated zest of 1 lime

Directions ~

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion, jalapenos, and 1/4 teaspoons salt and saute for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft. Onions should not brown. Stir in garlic, then add chardonnay. When wine is bubbling, add tomatoes, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a rolling simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until sauce cooks down and thickens slightly.


2. Meanwhile, heat chicken or vegetable broth until hot in another pot.


3. When sauce is ready, stir lentils and two cups chicken broth. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat, maintaining a constant simmer. After 10-15 minute, or until much of the chicken broth has been absorbed by the lentils, stir in half a cup of chicken broth and continue to simmer, stirring often. Repeat, using up all chicken broth, for 30-35 minutes or until lentils are tender to the bite, but still holding their shape. Turn heat off; cover with a lid and let stand for 10-15 minutes.


4. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons cilantro, and lime zest. Check for seasonings, adjusting if necessary. Serve, garnished with queso fresco and additional cilantro.

losing scones

Wait! Don't out click! This may or may not be the last post about scones for a while since I"m scone'ed out, but these I entered in a local baking contest sponsored by a local restaurant that I decided on entering.

I used the same recipe as in the oatmeal scone post, except with a few changes. Those changes were toasting the oats; just blueberries; adding 1 1/2 bars diced chocolate-covered marzipan; orange extract; freezing the formed scones for 15 minutes prior to baking; brushing the tops with a beaten egg and a tablespoon of milk and sprinkling with sanding sugar. Incredibly delicious and one of the best scones I've made in a long time. You couldn't quite taste the orange extract, but it blended wonderfully with the nutmeg and almond flavors. It wasn't a case of too many flavors since there was just enough of each flavor to create a medley that wasn't overpowering itself.
As for the texture, this recipe delivers: flaky and light, with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. It crumbles somewhat, but only in a tender manner and not because it's too dry, which it wasn't in the least bit. No need for additional butter or jam unless you can't eat a scone without it.

Besides scones, the other categories were Irish soda bread, brown bread, and Scottish shortbread -- I'll get to that in a bit. In the scone category there were 9 or 10 entries. Unfortunately, I was a bit camera shy and didn't take any pictures. You'll have to take my word, or not, that many of the other scones seemed like your typical, anemically pale, standard scones studded with fruit, drizzled with icing, and cut into perfect triangles. One was interesting and it seemed to be a peanut flavor of some sort, though I don't know for sure; it just had peanuts on top. There was a scone that resembled a giant thumbprint cookie filled with jam, though it still didn't have the wow factor based on its looks. Many looked like they might have been pasty.

Anyhow, I did not win. I did not even place 3rd. I don't necessarily care, although I'd like to know out of curiosity. My type-A personality came out in full swing and I started going through the various reasons why I might not have placed (and this is about to sound extremely pretentious) I honestly couldn't come up with many. Like you all are to some extent, I'm sure, when it comes to my baking I am my harshest critic. I know by experience what I want things to taste like, based on trial, error, and eats at restaurants and cafes, and I thought these would have had a shot, as I had that "moment" when I made the first batch that I didn't get with the scones I made before (I didn't blog those). So, I have no clue, basically, and must defer to the judges on this matter.

You may now be thinking that this girl has a rather big opinion of her skillz. I don't know, maybe I do, but I can sum my skillz up in one nifty sentence if need be, and that's not big at all. It's more that in many of the activities I do, baking including, it's easy to spot your errors and figure out how it was caused, and that's what was going on up there.

For a brief moment of digression, this cute apron came from CakeSpy. I won a giveaway sponsored by Carolyn's Kitchen back in July. Cupcakes on an apron! Thanks, Jessie and Carolyn!

Back to the topic, my mom decided to enter the brown bread division at the last moment, baking up a blue cheese-onion brown bread. While the scone category had 9-10 entries, Mom was the sole entry. Whether she placed first truly because her bread tasted excellent or simply by default, she says, doesn't matter to her since in the end she's now and forever an award-winning baker. She then went on to say that it doesn't matter what the judges thought, just that her family thought it was good.

That is me with her ribbon and her bread. =D

On another note, this Augusts marks the second year I've been blogging. My first post was an introduction to this place the direction of my blog. Yeah, yeah, I don't really post much about running, and I'm going to actually do something about that, try and even talk about various topics that pertain specifically to running that will help anyone seeking advice. Also, I don't use that dish nearly enough.
My second real food post was about the cinnamon rolls and coffee at the Victorian Pantry.

Looking back through the posts since then, I feel I have grown both in blogging and experience, though I'll never stop learning. I know what makes for a good photograph even if I don't always take them correctly, and as for the "stress" of blogging, I sort of have a handle on that. My tendency is to take too many unintended lapses because I had too many epic posts containing more than five pictures that I needed to edit on my laptop that has a speed between watching paint dry and grass growing and it just became a bit overwhelming. Sometimes I get in a rut and I don't want to have a photo shoot with anything. I just want to eat, readers!

Another reason is because I don't really have a direction, and I feel I should; I simply don't know which way I want to go in the sense of how my blog might be viewed because of it. Do I blog randomly on what makes the cut? Do I have a running theme I blog about a few times a month? And of course, I should actually blog about running. It's just quite a bit to think about, and this isn't even a job! While it always will remain a hobby, both baking/cooking and running are two things I'm very passionate about and if something comes out of this I would be thrilled. Basically, I'm open to the idea of taking this in another direction that what I had originally conceived.

Readers, friends, and anyone lurking, please share your tips. Also, please share what you'd like to see on She Runs, She Eats. I blog for myself, yes, but I also want to be of use to anyone happening upon this blog, and I like to share what I know with others. I also aim to make this as informative as I possibly can, because cooking is something that I feel is about growing and that occurs through experience and help. Where running is concerned, it's pretty much the same; you can learn so much by listening to what others share, and I know that to be true thanks to the many runners who have given me advice.

And finally, this long-winded post must come to an end. Thank you guys for reading, for sharing my foodie-ing with me thus far, and for letting me into your kitchens via your blogs. =)