basil | What Dawn Eats

This is one of my favorite soups. It’s delicious, quick and easy to make, which is the ideal combination for my busy life. The real secret to this recipe is the sun-dried tomatoes, but you really can’t go wrong with anything based on tomatoes and basil, and as an added bonus, the lentils make it a hearty soup. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1 cup lentils (rinsed)
2 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 peeled and chopped carrot
1/2 cup reconstituted, chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 chopped medium onion
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add all other ingredients and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

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Variations

Add 1/2 cup rice and an additional 1 cup water.
Experiment with additional spices. Oregano and thyme would make good choices.
Make a spicy soup by adding some crushed red pepper or chopped chili peppers.
Add a few mushrooms, broccoli or other vegetables.
Naturally gluten-free and can be easily made low-sodium by substituting water from reconstituting the sun-dried tomatoes in place of the vegetable broth.

More information for Lentil Soup with Tomato and Basil recipe:

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min

A delicious way to use an Asian eggplant, and it’s a nice change from the various Thai curries that we usually make for dinner. Makes 4 servings.

Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar
1-2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

Other Ingredients

4 cups cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon oil
4 Kaffir lime leaves – thinly sliced into threads
3 cloves garlic
1 shallot
1 large or 2 small sliced Asian eggplants (long and thin)
1 recipe Baked Soy Marinated Tofu
1 sliced red bell pepper
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup baby corn
10 sprigs of Thai basil with stems on (tear any very large sprigs in a couple pieces)

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Sauté shallots for 2 to 4 minutes or until they turn translucent.

Increase heat to high and add veggies, garlic and kaffir lime leaves. Stir-fry veggies for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add basil, tofu and sauce. Stir-fry another 2 to 4 minutes until done.

Serve with cooked brown rice.

Variations

If you can’t find Thai Basil, use 10 sprigs of regular basil, but remove the stems and use the whole leaves.
Experiment with some other vegetables, like cauliflower and zucchini.
Can be easily made gluten-free.

More information for Pad Phet – Thai Eggplant recipe:

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min

Vegan Food That Isn't Weird