Soupe aux Lentilles et Légumes-Burundi

• 225 g sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 225 g carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 225 g green cabbage, shredded
• 300 g brown lentils
• 225 g green French beans
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a pan and then add onions and lentils.
Make sure they are well coated in the oil and add stock. Simmer for 20 minutes until lentils are very soft.
Add the rest of the vegetables and seasoning.
Simmer for a further 15 minutes until lentils are puréed.
Serve with crusty bread.
http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Soupe_aux_Lentilles_et_L%C3%A9gume
 When I made this soup I had no lentils and no green french beans, oh, and no vegetable broth. Part of the joy I get from cooking is the uniquness you can add to each dish and the room to test new methods.
I was already missing many ingredients, so I had a prime oppurtunity to be creative with this recipe.
I cut up all the veggies except the french beans and sauted them in the full amount of oil. In a seperate pot I boiled split peas instead of lentils. They boiled until they were soft. I opened a can, ( I am embarassed about this) of french cut green beans and put them juice and all in with the other veggies. After adding enough water to cover the vegetables I brought them to a boil.
I was at a total loss as to what to do for flavor, no vegetable broth, and there is a limit to what salt and pepper can do. I looked up another African recipe and there were a couple different spices, nutmeg and cardamom, I added some of those and then a good deal of cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, curry powder, more salt and and pepper.
Have you ever started doing something that you feel should  be stoped but against all reason you plunge on with it. That's how I felt, every time I dumped a new spice in I would wonder what I was thinking.
I finally exhasuted myself and began frantically stirring praying that at least the dog would eat it.
I had been cooking by myself and nobody saw my spice binge, I felt awful as the first  usupecting sibling raised his spoon to his mouth. My surprise was intense when I realized that he was not clawing at his mouth nor hightailing it for other places. At this point everyone was eating as if my brew was edible.
After tasting it I was very pleased, it had a delicious spicey kick to it followed by a subtle sweet spice taste, enhanced by the sweet potatoes. Excellent and unexpected results. I am thankful I have the oppurtunity to cook for my family.
The spices I added:
Nutmeg 1/4 tsp
Coriander 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin 2 1/2 tsp
Curry Powder 1 tsp
Cardomom 1/2 tsp
Chilie Pepper 1 tsp
Burundi is a small African country below Rwanda.

Fried Noodles-Brunei

Fried Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 lb Uncooked soba noodles
• 3 tb Low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tb Brown sugar
• 2 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 c Finely chopped onions
• 1 tb Minced garlic
• 1 tb Peeled & grated gingerroot
• 1 c Snow peas
• 6 ea Scallions, chopped
• 1 t Grated lime peel
• 1 c Mung bean sprouts
• 8 oz Firm tofu -- cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tb Fresh lime juice
• 1/4 c Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large, nonstick saute pan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add onions, garlic and gingerroot. Cook for 2 minutes. Add snow peas, scallions and lime peel. Toss and cook until peas are tender and bright colored, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add bean sprouts and tofu. Continue cooking and toss just until bean sprouts are slightly wilted. Add noodles and toss to mix. Add lime juice to taste and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

 I found this recipe on http://asiarecipe.com/bruveg.html#fried. It was very easy and quite delicious. I think that Asian foods are normally very good. They have alot of fresh vegetables in their dishes. It does take an awful long time to cut all the veggies though. Traditionally they are all supposed to be cut into the same size. I didn't have the patience to though. Large bites of broccolli, little bites of onion, long noodles, and short mung beans. It didn't really change the taste though.
 Brunei is a small country that lies on the South China Sea. It is a little bit bigger than Delaware and borders Malaysia. I am really enjoying learning geography as I learn to cook the different meals.