Note: You could cook and keep the lentils refrigerated up to 3 days ahead of time. Reheat gently when recooking the salad.

Source: Jill Donenfeld in Food and Wine magazine

Time: Approximately 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup brown or green lentils

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced 1/4 inch thick

Salt

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 heaped teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 heaped teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 pound Swiss chard or other tender greens, large stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)

METHOD

In a small saucepan, cover the lentils with 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Make sure not to overcook the lentils and while there should be water in the pan it should not be runny like dal.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the shiitake and season with salt. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and starting to brown, 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with the garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper and turmeric and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the greens and cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 minutes.

Add the lentils and their cooking liquid to the mushrooms and simmer for 3 minutes. Add up to 1/4 cup of water if the lentils are too dry. Season with salt. Ladle the lentils into bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve.

Of course you can play around with the vegetables you use here or you could also make this with rice.

Source: NYT’s Martha Rose Shulman

Servings: 4

Time: 10 minutes (plus cooking time for quinoa)

Ingredients

1/2 pound firm tofu, drained and sliced about 1/2 inch thick

2 broccoli crowns, broken into florets

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon soy sauce (regular or low-sodium)

1 tablespoon fish sauce (may substitute soy sauce)

2 teaspoons dark Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil

1 medium red bell pepper, cut in thin strips

3/4 pound (2 medium) baby bok choy, trimmed, washed and dried, cut in 1-inch lengths

1 bunch scallions, sliced very thin

5 cups cooked quinoa (1 1/3 cups uncooked)

Method

1. Place the tofu slices on paper towels. Place another paper towel on top, and prepare the remaining ingredients.

Cut the tofu slices into 1/2-inch dice. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and add the broccoli. Boil one minute, and transfer at once to a bowl of ice water. Drain and dry on paper towels.

2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil. Combine the garlic and ginger in another small bowl. Have all the ingredients within easy reach of your pan.

3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in a tablespoon of the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and tilting the pan. Add the tofu. Reduce the heat to medium, and stir-fry one to two minutes until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add the pepper and bok choy, and stir-fry for one minute. Add the broccoli, and stir-fry for one minute.

4. Swirl in the remaining oil, and add the scallions, quinoa and the soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry, scooping the ingredients up from the bottom of the wok, for about one minute until heated through and fragrant. Serve at once.