Rhineland-Style Smoked Sausage and Lentil Stew

This recipe is brought to you by Shay, our receptionist and office manager.  She is always coming up with unique, healthy, and delicious recipes for our office to try.  This is a German dish that is a rich, hearty, one-pot meal that is perfect during the cold weather.  Lovage is an herb that is not commonly seen or used these days, but you can use fresh sage instead.

Ingredients

2 ½ c beef broth

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 ham hock (from a meat market such as Robert’s Specialty Meats on Sunset Dr in Waukesha)

1 lb dried black lentils (beluga) or green or brown lentils, rinsed

2 carrots, diced

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

2 leeks (white and light green parts only), washed well, and sliced

1 celeriac (1-2 lbs), peeled and diced

¾ lb boiling potatoes, peeled and diced

leaves from 1 small bunch parsley

2 bushy sprigs fresh lovage, chopped (or 2 sprigs fresh sage, whole)

1 ½ lb smoked polish kielbasa, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

In a large casserole dish or dutch oven, bring broth to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, covered, with the tomato paste and ham hock, whisking to dissolve paste.  Reduce heat to low, add lentils, carrots, onions, leeks, celeriac, and potatoes.  Add water to bring to desired consistency.  Cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Remove the ham hock and dice any meat that remains on the bone.  Add to pot.  Add parsley, lovage or sage, and sausages.  Cook until sausages are heated through, about 10 min.  Sprinkle with vinegar, taste, and season with salt and pepper.  Add more vinegar to taste.

Spicy Lentil Tacos

Here's a twist on the traditional ground beef tacos.  Health benefits include lowering cholesterol,  maintaining blood sugar levels, high in B vitamins, high in iron, high in protein, and maintaining a healthy heart.  The first time I made this, my fiance' Kirby fell in love with it.  We actually prefer it over ground beef tacos.  I've been known to mix in a can of organic black beans for more variety, fiber, and flavor.  You can also make a big plate of nachos with this recipe!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp butter (organic/local preferred) or extra virgin coconut oil
-1 cup diced onion
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 whole jalapeno, diced (optional)
-1 cup dried brown lentils
-1 package (2.25oz) taco seasoning, spicy if preferred (homemade taco seasoning recipe below)
-2 1/2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce or cabbage
-1 cup chopped tomatoes
-1 avocado, sliced
-3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-salsa
-8 corn taco shells (hard or soft)

Taco seasoning recipe:
-2 Tbsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp cumin
-1 1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp chipotle powder
-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
-1/4 tsp dried mexican oregano
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1 1/2 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp white pepper
-1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Heat butter or oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook onion, garlic, jalapeno, and 1/2 tsp of salt until soft and tender, about 2-4 minutes.  Add lentils and taco seasoning.  Cook until spices are fragrant and the lentils start to get dry, about 2 minutes.  Add broth; bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Let simmer for 25-35 minutes.  Uncover and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until mixture thickens and lentils are tender (taste lentils to make sure they are cooked).  Spoon about 1/4 cup of the lentils into each taco shell and top with condiments of your choice (tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, avocado, lettuce/cabbage, taco sauce, etc.) and enjoy!

Organic or Non-organic...That is the question...

Organic fruits and vegetables are extremely nutritious and beneficial to your health, but they can be expensive and put a dent in your wallet.  I want to share with you a "cheat sheet" for shopping for organic produce.  I will provide you with information about which fruits and vegetables are essential to buy organic and which ones you can get away with buying the conventional versions.

Due to the amount of pesticides that are used in commercial agriculture, the table below lists the produce that should always be purchased organically.  The reason for this is that the peeling or skins of these fruits and vegetables are usually eaten.  Regardless of how much you wash these fruits, there is a good chance that there are still pesticides within the fruit or vegetables themselves.  Based on the Environmental Working Group, the top 12 foods to buy organic include:

Grapes	Cherries	Nectarines	Strawberries
Potatoes	Spinach	Blueberries	Peaches
Kale/Collard greens	Bell peppers	Apples	Celery

The Environmental Working Group is a reliable source when trying to decide on what to buy organic. According to their latest 2010 pesticide review, the following 12 foods rank as the most pesticide-free produce, even when conventionally-grown, so you can save a few bucks by opting for the conventionally-grown version of these:

Onions	Pineapple	Asparagus	Eggplant
Avocados	Mango	Kiwi	Cantaloupe
Watermelon	Frozen sweet peas	Cabbage

For the whole list of produce, ranked from best to worst in terms of pesticide load, please go to:
http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

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