I picked up a yellow and a green zucchini the other day just because they looked really good.  Unfortunately, zucchini is not Victor’s favorite vegetable.  It’s not that he dislikes it, it’s more that he just thinks there are better options out there. So I decided to turn them into something a bit more fun than zucchini coins.

I’ve made a lentil dish with fennel a few times so I thought I’d do something along those lines – sauteed diced vegetables mixed into cooked lentils. It came out pretty good – if I do say so, m’self! And bein’ that both Victor and Nonna ate everything up, I’d say they agreed!

Lentils and Squash

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 1 green zucchini, diced
  • 1 yellow zucchini, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 cup plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 cups broth
  • fresh herbs
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Cook lentils in broth until done – about 20 minutes, or so. Set aside.

Dice vegetables in a fairly uniform size. Starting with onions and carrots, saute in a bit of olive oil until they begin to soften. Add garlic and then zucchinis and tomatoes. Cook until zucchini softens and tomatoes begin to break down.

Mince fresh herbs – basil, oregano, parsley, thyme – whatever you have on hand – and stir into pot. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste.

This is one of those dishes that can take any number of variations. Any vegetables will work.

Sitting atop the lentils tonight was a stuffed chicken breast.

I had about a cup of chicken left from the beer can chicken the other night so I minced it with a bit of gorgonzola, a bit of havarti, one long hot pepper, and a bit of S&P.

I pounded some thin-sliced chicken breasts and placed them in a muffin tin. I added the stuffing, folded over the tops, and placed them in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. I topped them with a bit of mango and chipotle sauce I picked up at Cost Plus when we were in Oregon.

I really miss Cost Plus. We used to shop there regularly when we lived in San Francisco – the original store at the wharf was way cool back in the day – and a lot of our furniture came from there. They closed the store closest to us in Wilmington, DE and I’ll be damned if I’m driving 150 miles to Maryland just to spend money. I’ll get my fix when I’m on the west coast.

In the meantime, I have a few jars of the sauce in the cupboard – along with a few other goodies that found their way into the suitcase…

More meals to come.