Farewell To Winter

It's that time of year that I refuse to wear a coat because I saw the sun... that means spring is here! Right?! Obviously not, or else my windshield wouldn't have been frozen this morning. This is a nonsense time of year. Flowers are blooming and the sun is out, but it still snows occasionally and I haven't been able to get my bike out of deep freeze yet. I'm ready to dedicate something to this time span so that the clock will speed up and I can start tending to my garden! 

What better to do this time of year than to say farewell to your favorite fall and winter dishes? There are certain flavors that I crave in the fall and winter that don't do as much for me in the summer and one of those is fennel seed. It's such a warm spice that pairs well with something hardy; plus, it makes stuff taste like sausage! Throw together some onion, lentils, apple and fennel seeds and you've got yourself a nice meal for a cold night. 


Lentil and Apple Saute

Ingredients:

• 2 C cooked lentils (canned is fine)
• one apple, cubed
• 1/2 onion, diced
• small yellow squash, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• vegetable broth or red wine
• 1 T fennel seeds
• 1 t dried rosemary
• 1 t dried sage
• black pepper and salt, to taste

1.) Saute onion and garlic over medium heat until they start to brown and stick to the pan

2.) Add a splash of red wine or vegetable broth (or even water) to deglaze the pan 

3.) Add the apples and squash and cook until the apples start to soften (about 2 minutes)

4.) Push everything to the side and add the fennel seeds to the bare pan to toast; once they pop you can mix everything together again and cook for another minute

5.) Add the lentils, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Cook until lentils are warmed throughout

I take back everything I said about fennel... I love it year round! Once it gets hot, though, I'll use it in stuff that doesn't require to stove to be on!