One Pot Mujadara

This recipe is totally comfort food – combining the rice and lentils in the multicooker makes for an easy peasy tasty meal!

• 1 c lentils
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 4 leeks sliced thin
• Salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 long grain rice
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 c baby spinach
• Hot sauce

Heat olive oil on sauté in your multicooker. Add leeks and cook until crispy, set 1/2 aside. Add the garlic and stir in the rice, sauté stirring for 2 minutes. Drain the lentils and add them. Pour in 4 1/4 c water and add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook for 4 hours. Just before serving stir in spinach and remove the cinnamon stick. Sprinkle with hot sauce when serving.

Serves 6.

Advertisement

Butternut Squash Soup

Low slow is the key here! The fried leeks are worth cleaning another pot.

Soup:

• 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 leek, sliced thin
• 1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped and cored
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 quart veggie or chicken stock
• 1 c lite coconut milk

Garnish:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 4 leeks, sliced thin
• Coconut milk for drizzling

Toss all the soup ingredients in a slow cooker EXCEPT the coconut milk and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

Purée with an immersion blender, stir in coconut milk and keep warm.

Add oil to a large skillet, heat over medium and cook leeks until crispy.

Serve with leeks and a drizzle of coconut milk.

Serves 6.

Leek and Asparagus Soup

   

This soup is fast is spring in a bowl. Perfect for a week night meal.

Ingredients:
2 tsp ghee or butter
4 leeks, sliced thin and rinsed
4 c chicken broth
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 lb asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 slices proscuitto
Pine nuts, toasted
Parmigiano

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until soft about 5 minutes. Add stock, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add asparagus and cook 5 minutes. Place into a blender and purée until smooth.

In a small frying pan, cook Proscuitto until crispy.

Serve asparagus topped with crispy Proscuitto, pine nuts and parmigiana.

Serves 6 – 8.

 

Salmon with Roasted Leeks, Potatoes and Salad

This is a delicious and healthy dinner that comes together pretty quickly!

Ingredients:
8 baby leeks, rinsed and split
10 – 15 tiny potatoes
2 hard boiled eggs
2 radishes sliced thin
4 c salad greens
8 oz salmon fillet
1/3 c olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil
Capers, drained

Preheat oven to 400. Toss leeks and potatoes with olive oil on a large sheet pan, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 – 40 minutes – keep an eye on the leeks – and pull them out if they cook quicker. Stir and toss a couple times during the process.

Combine 1/3 c olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and mustard in a small jar, shake to combine.

Place salmon in a small roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 – 20 minutes until cooked through.

Toss greens with a little dressing, split between two plates, top with radishes and capers. Toss leeks with a little dressing and split between plates. Split the salmon fillet between plates and scatter potatoes and eggs.

Serve 2.

Buttery Leeks

Slow cooked buttery leeks – so simple and oh so delicious.

Ingredients:
6 – 8 small leeks, white and light green parts, sliced into 1/2 thick rounds
2 TBSP butter
1/4 c water
Salt and pepper

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add leeks and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add water, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 – 40 minutes until soft, adding more water if pan starts to dry out. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 – 6.

Beef and Farro Stew

This one was inspired by F&W, I made a few minor changes. This is a stick to your ribs kind of meal, perfect for a chilly winter night.

Ingredients:
1 TBSP canola oil
1 1/2 lb stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
9 c chicken stock
1 head of garlic, peeled
6 thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves
1 c farro
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 leek, light green and white parts only, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
3 small carrots, chopped
2 white miso
2 tsp smoked paprika
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

In a large pot heat the oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper, add half to the pot and cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned, about 5 minutes; using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining meat.

Add 1 c of the stock and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Add the remaining stock along with the meat, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in the farro and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the farro is almost tender, 20 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, leek, celery, carrots, miso and paprika. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.

Serves 6 – 8.

Leek and Beef Meatballs

Another amazing dish from Jerusalem by Ottolenghi! I made a few minor changes.

Ingredients
6 leeks
1 lb ground beef
1 c bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 TBSP oil
1 ¼ c chicken stock
1/3 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
Greek yogurt
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley

Cut the leeks into 3/4 inch slices, rinse well, and steam them for about 20 minutes until completely soft. Drain and leave to cool, then squeeze out any residual water with a tea towel then roughly chop the leeks by hand.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the leeks, meat, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, and pepper. Form the mix into meatballs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy bottomed frying pan (with a lid). Sear the patties on both sides until golden brown.

Pour over enough stock to almost, but not quite cover the patties. Add the lemon juice and ½ tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

When the meatballs are done cooking, remove the lid and cook for a few more minutes, if needed, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and sit aside to cool down. Serve with a dollop of the yogurt and a sprinkle of the parsley.

Serves 6.

Roasted Leek with Yogurt and Toasted Walnuts

This dish is heavenly, let the leeks get a nice char on them.

Ingredients:
1/4 c Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp minced marjoram
1/2 sugar
salt and pepper
1/4 c walnut halves, toasted
6 very fresh leeks, white and light green parts only, trimmed and halved lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 TBSP lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375.

Roasted Leeks with Yogurt and Shaved Toasted Walnuts

In a small bowl, blend the yogurt with the lemon zest, marjoram and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Spread the leeks on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 TBSP of olive oil and the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper; rub to coat the leeks thoroughly.

TRoast for about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the leeks are tender, golden and crispy in spots.
Transfer the leeks to a platter or plates. Top with nuts and Drizzle with olive oil and serve with the yogurt sauce.

Serves 2.

Roasted Garlic and Greens soup chow

Roasted garlic, leeks, smoked paprika and kale – yum! This super healthy soup is just what I need to get me back on track after a couple weeks of heavy cheating.

Ingredients:
3 large garlic heads
3 TBSP olive oil, plus more for serving
2 medium leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 TBSP finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
salt
pepper
1 medium potato, peeled and medium dice
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 c vegetable broth
4 c kale, tough stems removed and leaves cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 c water
4 poached eggs

Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Peel any loose outer skins from the garlic heads and cut off the top quarter of each head to expose the cloves. Place the garlic heads, cut side up, on a large piece of foil, drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over all 3 heads, and wrap tightly to form a foil packet.
Place the packet on a baking sheet and bake until the garlic cloves are golden brown and very tender, about 60 to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven, open the packet, and let the garlic sit until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins and place in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the leeks, bay leaves, and rosemary, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks have begun to soften and the herbs are fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the potato, roasted garlic, and paprika, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a bit of crust begins to form on the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes.

Add the broth and, using a wooden spoon, loosen the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a tightfitting lid, and let simmer until the potatoes are knife tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and remove the pan from the heat.

Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the lid from popping off). Place the blended soup in a clean saucepan. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the original saucepan.)
Return the soup to a simmer over low heat. Add the kale and water and stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender but still brightly colored, about 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and add more paprika, salt, and pepper as needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper, and top with a poached egg if desired.

Serves 6.

Leeks & Coucous

Leeks are amazing when they are cooked low and slow in butter and olive oil. Added to couscous and you have a hit on your hand.

Ingredients:
4 leeks, thinly sliced and rinsed well
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1 c veggie broth
1 c Coucous
Salt & pepper

In medium pan over medium low heat melt butter and heat olive oil. Add leeks and cook slowly, storing often until softened and starting to brown. Add broth, bring to a boil, remove from hear and stir in couscous. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.