The "Non-Recipe" Recipe

So, I love CrockPots. Never used one for meals before, just for cooking dry beans or little tiny CrockPots for fondue. I'm hooked. Food allergies mean I'm not too great with leftovers, and I need to cook 90% of my food fresh.


Today I pulled the CrockPot out of the cabinet, and got to cookin'. And this is what I threw in:


1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed& drained
3/4 cup red lentils, rinsed& drained
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
a few tablespoons of minced red onion
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
maybe about a tablespoon or two of Mrs. Dash's tomato basil blend
fresh Italian herbs [parsley, basil, etc.]
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. olive oil

I first added the olive oil, garlic, and spices to the pot. After I chopped all the vegetables, I added them, too. Then I filled the CrockPot with 3 cups of water and 1 cup of organic chicken broth, plus 2 tablespoons of tomato herb vinaigrette, by a company called "Seeds of Change." I turned the heat setting to low, since I'll be at work for about 6 hours.
When I get home, I'll add a cup of spinach, which needs to cook for 10-15 minutes.



I also have some rosemary chicken marinating, which I'm probably going to sauté when I get home, and can serve with the lentils. I know some of you guys are either vegetarians or just weird with meat sometimes [it's okay, so am I. I like meat, but sometimes it just does not sound appealing at all]. The good thing is that this recipe doesn't NEED meat, but you can always choose to add it.
If I were cooking this for my family [which I will, if they like it], I would ABSOLUTELY add meat to it. Because, for most men I know, if there's no meat, it's an appetizer, not a meal. :)


The funny thing is, I had found a recipe for quinoa red lentil soup, and started chopping carrots and celery for that. I then decided that I didn't want to make that, but wanted something Italian instead, so I put away the carrots& celery for another day. The only part I really followed from that recipe was rinsing& draining lentils and quinoa.... And that's where I stopped and started creating.... Whatever this dish is called. Haha. Improvisation.