Lentil salad that is actually good. I mean it.

This is yummy and it's filling enough to be a meal. I like to throw in sprouted wheat berries and sunflower seeds, or serve it with some sunflower sprouts on the side.

Cook lentils (I like to use lentilles de Puy), stir in some diced tomatoes and red onion, chopped mint and parsley, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Top with sliced roasted beets (roast whole at 400 degrees until tender, then cool, peel, and slice) and yoghurt cheese (I like to use goat's milk yoghurt for this salad). Drizzle some more olive oil on top.

Yogourt cheese is really easy to make - here's my recipe.

And I know it looks like there's a poached egg on top of my salad, but it's olive oil and yogourt cheese. 

Yogourt cheese

Really easy and shockingly good.  It's thick and creamy and tangy and you can make it with regular yogourt or with goat's milk yogourt. I really like to use Liberté yogourt, it's a company from Québec that makes really good dairy products (their cream cheese is awesome too). 

Put yogourt in a dishcloth, twist, and leave in a colander to drain for a few hours or overnight (refrigerated). Give it a squeeze every now and then. The longer you leave it the thicker it will get.

 It's a good base for dips and spreads and it's yummy spread onto bagels (or onto toast with strawberry jam). Mix in chopped roasted eggplant and lemon juice and serve with toasted pita for an easy snack or lunch.

What the fuck should I make for dinner?

Don't feel like eggplant and tomato sauce or mediocre cookies tonight? Get some ideas here: What the fuck should I make for dinner?

Roasted eggplant delicious amazingness

Really good eggplant and chèvre with tomato sauce. I made this for my lunch last Saturday to celebrate the end of the semester - I had my house to myself and spent the afternoon cooking and reading and drinking wine. It was nice :)

Slice eggplant into thick rounds (I peeled it, you don't have to). At this point, sprinkle salt on both sides, let rest for 15 minutes, then press the rounds between dish cloths to remove some of the bitterness and extra water.

Roast the eggplant rounds at 400°F, flipping over once, until they are browned and soft. It's really important to spread olive oil on your cookie sheet - eggplant will stick! like crazy!

While the eggplant is roasting, make a quick tomato sauce. Chop up the leftover eggplant - the bits from the ends -  and sautée it in olive oil. I added a glob of honey once the eggplant was golden and sautéed a bit more.  Then add a can of tomatoes and let simmer. In the summer you can use blanched fresh tomatoes and some basil if you have it.

Okay. When the eggplant is soft and golden, spread chèvre (soft goat milk cheese) on each round and cover with tomato sauce and some good parmesan cheese.