SAUTEED BELUGA LENTILS + BUTTERNUT SQUASH

I cooked for a dinner party earlier this week in celebration of a special birthday. When I say "I" cooked, I really mean "we." Hugh came along and was a giant help. I can be quick, but four hands are more efficient than two. It was a group of twenty new friends, all strewn down the sides of a long table, drinking wine and sharing cheese plates. Nellie came up with all sorts of amazing little of details, from the paper bag menu cards to wrapping the homemade ice cream sandwiches in individual packages of parchment and baker's twine. Remember when I told you things like this were my dream? I love feeding people, and long tables, and laughing, and stringing lights, and grateful hearts. That's got to be my favorite part, making other people happy.

At the party, hosts being vegetarian, I served a version of this alongside some creamy polenta and a crisp butter lettuce, apple and arugula salad. Since I started cooking with beluga lentils, I haven't been able to use any other variety. They are just so stunning in color, and have more tooth to them than your average brown or red lentil. It worked, and I'm pretty sure the meat eaters didn't leave hungry either. Except for the one guy who took full advantage of the "one night off" his diet by finishing his meal with an entire stick of butter. I won't take that personally.

SAUTEED BELUGA LENTILS + BUTTERNUT SQUASH // Serves 4

This is one of those recipes that is to taste on a lot of things. You could adjust the garlic if you prefer, more herbs if you want the greenery, more curry if you like it spicy. However, note that the curry should not be an overpowering flavor here, it's intended to be a compliment. Any squash would work, maybe even a pumpkin. You follow me?

4 Cups Cubed Butternut Squash

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Tbsp. Curry Powder

1/2 Tbsp. Oregano

1 Tbsp. Muscavado/Natural Brown Sugar

Salt/Pepper

2 Cups Cooked Beluga Lentils, drained

2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Chopped Basil

1/3 Cup Chopped Parsley

2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 Small Red Onion, Diced

Grated Manchego Cheese

Oven to 450'

1. On a baking tray, spread out the squash, add the olive oil, oregano, curry powder and salt and pepper. Use your hands and toss everything around until the spices are coating the squash evenly. Spread them out in a single layer, with as much space between possible. Roast in the upper third of the oven for 20-35 minutes. (The time differs based on water content of squash, size of cubes etc. Just watch them until the edges are brown and crispy).

2. While the squash are cooking, put the 2 Tbsp. olive oil and minced garlic in a pan over medium heat. Shake it around a few times, and allow the garlic pieces to crisp up a bit in the oil. Add the lentils and saute to cover them in oil. Continue to stir intermittently for about 10 minutes to warm through. Turn off the flame, but leave them in the warm pan until the squash is done.

3. Remove squash from oven and set aside, put the lentils in a bowl and add the red onion, apple cider vinegar, dijon and half of the herbs, stir. Add the squash chunks on top, the rest of the herbs, desired amount of grated manchego cheese and a grate of fresh ground pepper.

WARM ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH BASIL + MINT PISTOU

This was my first experience with a pestle and mortar. I envisioned it so earthy and rustic. I wanted to appreciate the fruit of my labor, more so than I would with an electric machine. I borrowed one from a dear friend, to see if this age old tool could stand up to it's reputation. However, the sight of me using all my arm strength to try and break through the fibrous basil leaves was maybe more rustic than I was capable. I felt so pretty, there in the kitchen with Hugh, while chards of garlic were spitting back at me and getting lodged in my curly hair. Super cute. I have read the praises of how much better pesto/pistou turns out with the smashing of the ingredients against the marble. I may loose culinary credibility, but I thought it was a mess and couldn't taste the difference. Go ahead, throw stones. Maybe if I were mega buff, coordinated and more patient, it would have been all it cracked up to be.

The means of how I got to this warm plate of crunchy green asparagus, rice and lentils is not the point (but haven't I intrigued you to want to get chards of garlic in YOUR hair?). I am partial to adding grains to my vegetables, because it keeps me full longer. This very well could suffice as a simple vegetarian entree, but is also a colorful side. I have sung my song of how I adore leftovers, so I put the chilled reminance over some salad greens the next day. The pistou dressed everything perfectly. The ingredients had marinated overnight, and was just as nice cold as it was warm. It made the garlic scented locks seem worth it.

WARM ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH BASIL + MINT PISTOU // Serves 4

I used a pestle and mortar for the pistou, but it would be less hassle in a blender or food processor. To save yourself time, you may purchase pre cooked brown rice in most freezer sections now. Any variety of lentil is fine, cooking times will vary.

2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice

1 1/4 Cup Cooked Lentils (I used Black Beluga Lentils)

1 lb. Asparagus

1/2 Cup Roughly Chopped, Fresh Chives

// BASIL, MINT + WALNUT PISTOU //

2 Cloves Garlic

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Walnut Pieces

1/3 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice (about one lemon)

1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves

1/3 Cup Fresh Mint Leaves

1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes to taste

1. In a food processor or blender, add the garlic cloves, salt and walnuts and pulse a few times. Chop or tear the herbs into smaller pieces, and add them to the processor with the lemon juice, pulse until everything is coarsely combined. Add a generous pinch of pepper and red pepper flakes and the extra virgin olive oil. Again, a few more pulses to combine. I like to leave mine a bit chunky.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut the asparagus spears on a diagonal, about one inch pieces. Add them to a steamer basket (or to the boiling water, but they will only need about 1.5 minutes here) and steam for about 2.5 minutes. Prepare another bowl of ice water. Remove and add the asparagus to the ice water bath to set their color. After a few minutes, drain completely.

3. Prepare the brown rice and lentils according to instructions. While warm, mix them together in a large bowl. Add the asparagus and a few big dollops of the pistou (amount based on personal preference), and fold gently to coat everything in the sauce. Add the chives, fold again. Garnish with fresh chives.

LENTIL SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE YOGURT

We had our inaugural rain here in southern California. That means it is now permissable to lug out your big cast iron pot and get creative. I adore how heavy my soup pot is; so sturdy and ready to take on whatever you care to throw in. There is something about soup that seems emotional to me. It reminds me of so many tender moments, whose only common thread is actually soup itself. It's a cozy and comfortable food, lending itself to good company and conversation while inside from cold weather. That is what I find so wonderful about food, that there is something so sensual about it, you can be brought back to an exact circumstance and relive it... the people, the ambiance, how you felt...all initiated by what you ate.

I introduced Hugh to the refined pairing that is grilled cheese and roasted tomato soup, years ago. We sat on his porch while he was living in San Diego, you could see neighbors walking on the boardwalk, it was dusk and just chilly enough to wear a sweatshirt (the best weather as far as I'm concerned). I picked up groceries from Whole Foods on my way down, something quick, as the college man kitchen is not the ideal working space. Fresh grainy bread and water packed mozzarella, the soup came from a box and he was still impressed. It was so simple but so perfect, years later when we make it for a quick lunch, I still find it romantic. Yes, soup from a box... but it doesn't seem to be about the soup.

I'm fairly certain you can get a few days worth of fiber from one bowl. It's healthy, I will say that much, so be generous with your 'dollop' of chipotle yogurt. I also highly suggest adding the greens when all is done, as I mention in the directions, the color is so much more a vibrant green than the overcooked alternative.

LENTIL SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE YOGURT // Serves 6

2 Cups Lentils (French or Black Beluga)

1 Yellow Onion, Diced

1 Fennel Bulb, Diced

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Cup Brown Rice, Cooked (any whole grain will work)

6 Cups Organic, Low Sodium Vegetable Stock

1 tsp. Cumin

1 Large Bunch of Kale, Chard or Combo of Leafy Greens

Salt/ Pepper

1 Lemon

CHIPOTLE YOGURT

1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Chipotle Chile in Adobo, Chopped (no more than 2 tsp.)

1. Cook your rice or desired grain and set aside. Boil about four cups water, and boil the lentils for 20 minutes until cooked. Add water as needed. Drain.

2. In a large soup pot, saute the yellow onion and the fennel in the olive oil for about 8 minutes, or until just starting to turn light brown. Add the stock and cumin. Bring the heat back up to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the lentils and the brown rice and simmer about 10 minutes. While you are waiting, stem your greens and slice them into thin strips. Taste the soup for salt and pepper, add seasoning as desired.

4. Turn off the heat and add in the greens, stir. The greens will wilt in the hot soup, and avoid overcooking this way. Stir in the juice of half the lemon, add more to taste.

5. Mix the greek yogurt with the chipotle chile and stir. Serve the soup with the dollop of the chipotle yogurt. Warning, chipotles are pretty spicy, so start with a small amount of sauce and you can add if you like it hot. If too spicy, add more yogurt.