Lentils and Pasta with Greens

The Classic Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals cookbook is full of recipes.  There is a recipe in here for pretty much anything you can think of, as long as it doesn't involve baking.  I go through phases of love and apathy with this book - love because of the sheer volume of inspirational ideas and apathy because it's just so much to sort through.  I was in an adventurous mood, so I flipped through the book and found "Lentils and Pasta with Greens."  It sounded nutrient dense and Rachael wouldn't make it if it weren't delicious, right?  I've never had lentils before, but it's a new year and the perfect time to expand my culinary horizons.

Pastrami & Cream Cheese Bagel

When opening this cookbook for the first time, I half expected Gordon Ramsay to start yelling at me.  "Just close the book!  You can't cook anything, you donkey!"  Thankfully, this cookbook shows Gordon's softer side and is chock full of very approachable recipes and advice.  I was excited to see a "Working Lunches" section in this book, especially since winter vacation was winding down.  With the inevitable return to work comes the daily stressful, anxiety-filled, dilemma that leaves me sneaking out the door "forgetting" my lunchbox - what to make for lunch?!  Just thinking about it leaves me in a cold sweat...

Anyone who has watched Kitchen Nightmares knows that Gordon Ramsay appreciates quality ingredients treated simply.  The lunches featured in Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food fit the bill with minimal complicated prep and maximum yummy flavor!  A recent and inexplicable yearning for bagels made Ramsay's "Pastrami & cream cheese bagel" seem simply irresistible.  Time to get toasty!