Mmm Mmm Good

Lately, I have been obsessed with trying new recipes... I always tear recipes out of magazines and bookmark them in cookbooks & blogs. So, I thought it was about time that I dusted off all my kitchen tools & tried some of them. This week I tried:

Parsley & Walnut Pesto (from Cooking Light Magazine)

3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

I tossed this with whole wheat angel hair pasta and YUM. It was good. Oddly enough, parsley and walnuts are something I only like when mixed with other things. Apparently, I also like them when mixed together. A couple of notes: My food processor left this too chunky for my liking, so I dumped it into the blender and made it smooth. With the leftovers, I froze individual servings (1 tbsp.) in an ice cube tray just like they suggested. Now I have 9 more servings of it in a freezer bag just ready to go. I love this little trick. Now I'm planning on making a traditional pesto & freezing the extra, too.

Next up:

Spiced Lentil Tacos (from Self Magazine)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
1 package (2.25 oz) taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (use half for less heat)
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
8 taco shells
1 1/4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat (2 percent) cheddar

Preparation: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic and salt until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Mix sour cream, chile and adobo sauce in a bowl. Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash with a rubber spatula. Spoon 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with 2 heaping tsp sour cream mixture, lettuce, tomato and cheese.

OMG. These were also super delish... I have had these for dinner 3x in 5 days. Notes on this: I cooked the lentils for a little longer (about 40 minutes) because they weren't soft enough for me. The recipe says it makes 4 servings (8 tacos) but I have had 7 tacos and have enough leftover for 3 or 4 more. And I left off the tomatoes because I'm not a tomato person.

That's it, so far. Here are a couple of recipes that I plan on trying in the next couple of weeks:

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
(scroll down to Thursday)
from CJane

Asian Tuna Sandwiches w/Soy & Sesame Mayo
Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken
(scroll down to below the Buckwheat & Banana Pancakes... unless you want to try them too. I highly recommend them)
both from Goop