April 2026 – Blue Cayenne

April 29, 2026

Oldies But Goodies: Crispy Oyster Mushrooms

Every month Blue Cayenne features recipes from our archive of more than four hundred recipes. These recipes are our “Oldies But Goodies.” Today’s Oldies But Goodies recipe is for Crispy Oyster Mushroom Skewers With Crushed Chickpeas. It’s a keeper. Here is the link: Crispy Oyster Mushroom…

Main Dishes, Mushrooms, Vegetables, Vegetarian

April 26, 2026

Let Them Eat Bundt Cake

Ahhh. When to eat bundt cake? Breakfast? Snack? Dinner? Middle of the night? I’ve done it all. I assume that when Marie Antoinette counseled “Let them eat cake” she meant bundt cake. (OK. OK. I know she probably didn’t say that, but it works here…

Cakes, Desserts

April 23, 2026

Indian Lentil Coconut Stew-Soup

It is spring here.

Gardens are waking up and jobs around the house beckon. It’s time for an energy boost.

Looking for more protein in your diet to power you through some of those jobs?

Lentils are a good choice. A cooked cup of red lentils contains 18 grams of protein. On top of that, there is 12 grams of protein in a cup of chickpeas. Both are featured prominently in this recipe.

There are interesting textures in this “stew,” too, with the lentils and chickpeas. You can make this dish as chunky or as smooth as you want. Serve it as a side dish or a vegetarian main.

This is a recipe from Nagi Maehashi’s Delicious Tonight cookbook. You can order this book through your local bookstore or on Amazon here..

Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen. I had some beautiful beet greens from Sunday’s farmers’ market and added them to the dish. This is another of those recipes that tastes oh-s0-much-better on the days after it is prepared.

Indian Lentil Coconut Stew-Soup

April 23, 2026

Print This

By: Blue Cayenne

Ingredients

For the stew:
1 fourteen ounce can coconut milk
2 T. ghee
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 yellow onion (finely chopped)
1 fifteen ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 fifteen ounce can tomato sauce
3 C. water
1 C. dried split red lentils
1 fifteen ounce can of chickpeas (drained)
For the spices:
1/2 t. ground cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground turmeric
1 t. curry powder
1-2 t. ground cumin
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
2 t. ground coriander
For Garnishes:
Cilantro
Beet Greens

Directions

Step 1 Divide coconut milk, reserving 1/4 C.
Step 2 Melt ghee in large Dutch oven and saute onion and garlic for several minutes. You want the onion to soften but need to be careful not to burn the garlic.
Step 3 Add the spices. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
Step 4 Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, coconut milk, water, lentils and chickpeas. Stir to mix. Simmer (uncovered) for about 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Step 5 Serve garnished with beet greens and/or cilantro. I sauteed the beef greens in some butter. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk over the stew. Alternatively, drizzle cream over the stew. Serve with rice and/or naan.

lentils, Main Dishes, Vegetables

April 18, 2026

Tahini and Miso Butter Baked Pears

This is an exceptional recipe. Exceptional. I don’t use that word very often. This is an Ottolenghi recipe from his website here. The Ottolenghi lede to the recipe suggests these pears as a topping for pancakes or French toast. Trust me. These are wonderful with…

Desserts, Pears, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

April 15, 2026

A Party For Your Taste Buds! Pasta Salad With Zucchini, Lemon and Walnuts

It appears to be spring here in SoCal. Get ready! Zucchini “abundance” is just around the corner. Here is a tasty recipe from Alison Roman’s new cookbook Something From Nothing. You can buy the cookbook through your local bookstore or online through Amazon here. To my…

salad, Salad Dressings, Salads, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Month: April 2026