Lentils & Sweet Potatoes: Who Knew?

In the summer, I tend to eat a lot of salads for lunch, but once the weather cools down, I branch out a lot more and try different things. Today, I found a new favorite: lentils with sweet potatoes and spinach.

I actually got the idea from a blog called Runner's Kitchen, which a former co-worker turned me on to. Though I am by no stretch a runner, I do love exercise, and it's nice to see another young woman out there who sees food as fuel for her busy life and not as an enemy that must be conquered.

The dish was really easy to make—the only hard part was waiting for the lentils and onions to finish cooking. I also added a couple teaspoons of curry paste, mostly to see what would happen. It was a nice addition, but you could also go without it.

Here's my attempt at a single-serving recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 c lentils

1/2-1 c water (start with a 1/2 c and add more if the lentils get too dry)

chopped onions

2 tsp olive oil

1 c spinach leaves

1 small sweet potato

2 tsp curry paste (optional)

Directions

Sautee the onions in oil until translucent.

Add lentils and stir until coated lightly.

Add 1/2 c water and stir in. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat.

While the lentils are cooking, you can cook the potato in the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes.

When it looks like the lentils are almost done, stir in the spinach until it wilts in.

Stir curry paste into lentils and spinach.

Peel and cube potato. Stir into lentils.

Pour into a bowl and enjoy.

"Sandwich Steak"

Question: Has anyone ever heard of "sandwich steaks" before? I'm assuming they're a similar thing to minute steaks since they cook so damn fast...

Any male readers squeamish about girly period stuff, stop reading...

Okay, so I have the good fortune to be strangely in sync with the full moon (clearly, the menstruation goddess or whomever has a sense of humor), and given that Tuesday was a full moon (and an eclipse, no less), let's just say this week has been something of a mini roller-coaster.

I had a physical today and had to get some blood taken (for an anemia test—ironic, no?), and after getting sucked dry, I was feeling kind of shaky and weepy and pissed off over phone troubles.

A lot of blood for a tiny girl to lose in a matter of hours. By the time I got home, I needed chocolate and caffeine and advil...and steak?

Now, a lot of you guys who know me know that I kind of hate red meat and only eat it a few times a year. That's why when I get a craving for it, I know it's for a reason—I need it, damnit. I reminds me of that Friends episode where pregnant (and bewildered) vegetarian Phoebe wolfs down hamburgers ("for the babies").

Only, I'm kind of the opposite of pregnant, but you get the idea.

I've probably mentioned the sketchy meat market down the street and how I go there for cheap non-meat things like oatmeal (also high in iron but just not the same). Well, this afternoon, I decided to purchase actual meat there.

This place has a refrigerated room for the all the meat (see photo). I spent a long time looking for something cheap that came in a small quantity and that I could use in a variety of preparations.

I ended up walking home with a $2.82 package (about 12 oz) of these sandwich steaks, which are very cute and tiny. I put a little pepper and rosemary on them (not sure why, I just figured I should put something on them) and grilled them. They were very tasty topped with truffle salt (another weird addition, I admit) and served with sauteed spinach (to which I added more truffle salt and garlic powder for some reason...)and a baked sweet potato.

I'm a little afraid of what I'll concoct with the leftovers tomorrow...

It's probably a good thing Chris wasn't around for this meal (aside from the whole non-meat-eater thing). Clearly, I am not at my culinary best this time of the month. Still, the over-seasoning was oddly satisfying. Or maybe that was just all the direct animal protein.

Of course, I had chocolate gelato for dessert—perfect. Covered all the bases. The only thing that would have been more perfect would have been if I'd happened to have dark chocolate peanut butter m&ms lying around the house.

Do they even make dark chocolate peanut butter m&ms? They should if they don't.

I could read up for my microbiology class tomorrow, but I'm kind of leaning towards Hemingway instead...

Poultry was Top Cause of Outbreak in '06

In general, I'm not a fan of 2006. In fact, it's probably one of my least favorite years thus far. I shouldn't complain that much, though. It could've been a lot worse, had I also gotten food poisoning.

The CDC just put out a report tracking the top causes of food borne illnesses in 2006. Of the 17 foods tracked, poultry was number one. Surprise, surprise.

But before I go all smug quasi-vegetarian on you, it's worth noting that salmonella found in peanut butter, spinach, and tomatoes ranked second on the list.

I can't tell if this is good or bad, but apparently two-thirds of all food-related illnesses that can be traced back to a single ingredient are actually caused by viruses that usually come from restaurant workers who don't wash their hands.

Lovely.

While none of this is comforting or anything, it's good to see that some thorough research is being put into food attribution. Hopefully it will help lead to better food safety.