Curried Lentil Soup with Corn Muffins

Have you ever eaten something that was so satisfying you just didn't want dessert?

My husband and I now only eat chocolate once in awhile, and our "dessert" is usually thawed frozen fruit, and that only once every couple of weeks. But we have one consistent guilty pleasure, and that is our Friday night homemade popcorn and Wipeout and Up All Night on Hulu.

But this meal puts aside all those other things... We were satisfied with dinner and needed nothing else.

The end of the month always means that I empty the contents of the cupboards and fridge into one pot and let it simmer. If it doesn't seem to go together, it's usually better than I expected. My husband BEGS me to write down these recipes so that I can make them again, and I usually write them off as "just" a throw-together meal, but these are his favorite.

This meal stretched over several more, and was just as tasty and satisfying each time around.

Curried Lentil Soup:
1/2 lb. pink lentils
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
5 oz. fresh organic spinach
1 cup quinoa
2 TBPS. dried minced onion
1/2 TBSP. dried minced garlic
Curry, salt, black pepper, sage, oregano, and whole Sanaam peppers, to taste

Rinse lentils. Cook in 4 cups of water for about a half-hour. Add broth, and [rinsed] quinoa. Cook another half-hour. Add spinach. Cook only until spinach is wilty. Add spices. Cook until fragrant and lentils are done.

Corn Muffins:
1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 TBPS. orange blossom honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg + 1 yolk

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup frozen corn

Cream butter, sugar, honey, egg, and salt. Mix in everything else.
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

ENJOY!