The Challenge: Meatless Fridays

I decided to make Fridays meatless. While I still have plenty of chicken and fish in the freezer it won’t last forever so this is also an effort to make them last. For the meat lovers out there I assure you- meat free can be satisfying and delicious. Last Friday I made ravioli with cheese and pumpkin fillings. This week I am thinking lentils. Tasty, nutritious and quick cooking they are a great choice for a busy day. The recipe I have in mind tonight is the Chili Bean Spoon Bread. It’s a sort of lentil- chili with cornbread baked on the top. You can substitute other legumes if you like. Canned kidney or black beans would work well. Enjoy!

Chili Bean Spoon Bread

 1/2 lb. lentils

pinch of ground cloves

2 c. milk, you can use almond, soy or rice milk, too.

1/2 t. salt

2/3 c. cornmeal

4 T. butter or margarine

4 eggs or egg substitute

4 T. oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

1 T. chopped parsley or 1 t. parsley flakes

1 T. chili powder

1 t. ground cumin

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

salt and pepper to taste

In saucepan cover lentils with about 2 cups water and add cloves. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more water. Meanwhile in another saucepan heat milk and salt almost to boiling. Stir in cornmeal and continue cooking, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and eggs and set aside. In oil sauté onions and garlic until tender. Add seasonings, tomatoes and lentils and heat until bubbly. Adjust seasonings. Pour lentil mixture into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Spoon over the cornmeal mixture. Set casserole dish in larger pan and add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until bread is firm and golden. Serves 4-6.