lentil soup & zucchini salad

I've decided to start making some actual recipes... cooking some actual dinners.

While I'm not all that into cooking, it is growing on me. There's something to be said for cooking someone a homemade meal and watching them enjoy it.

I love comfort food, and I love eating healthy. This lentil soup is the best of both of those worlds. I also love salads, and I love grilled vegetables. So this raw and charred zucchini salad is the perfect combination.



I just realized how many times I wrote "love"... So, yeah. In case you hadn't noticed, I also just plain love food.

Shauna Neiquist's Lentil Soup Recipe

If you aren't familiar with Shauna Neiquist, she is a Christian author who writes wonderful books. She shares stories from her life and often includes the food she and her friends and family ate on those occasions. She shares some other great recipes on her blog.

My good friend and former roommate, Karissa, reminds me a lot of Shauna. She is an amazing woman of God. She loves hosting, entertaining, and especially cooking amazing meals for others. She made this lentil soup last Monday night for our Bible study, and I fell in love. (There I go again.)

Raw & Charred Zucchini Salad Recipe

you can sprinkle pine nuts or dry roasted sunflower seeds on top if you're into that kind of thing.

My friend, Jenn, is pretty much a mini Martha Stewart. I'll never forget the first time I went to her apartment... I felt like I was walking right into a Pinterest board. I stopped by her place the other day to borrow some folding chairs to take to Cinespia (movie screenings at the Hollywood Cemetery - if you haven't gone, it's a must!). Anyway, it was a Thursday afternoon, and Jenn had just whipped up a casual lunch... and by casual, I mean super gourmet... at least in my eyes. I tasted this salad she was making, and again, yes, I fell in love.

you can use a grill pan instead of a grill to char the zucchini. It's less hassle and you also don't risk the zucchini falling into the grill.

I feel fortunate to have some pretty great friends out here in LA... who are pretty domestic if I do say so myself. Now it's just a matter of having them continue to rub off on me! Judging from the fact that my boyfriend said this meal was a 9 out of 10, I'd say I'm off to a decent start. And if I can whip this up, no doubt you can, too! 

bon apetit!