Chef Emeril, You're my new Inspiration

So, have you been taking in Planet Green? If not you need to tune your tvs to Planet green and watch. That new network has some incredible shows.

One of my new favorites is Emeril Green. He takes people with cooking issues and takes them to whole foods and teaches them how to shop and buy things that are healthy, how to prepare them, etc. I'm in love with the show, it's set on the DVR and I watch every single episode.

This recipe was from one of the first episodes I watched. And WOW- talk about WOW factor! I was drooling all over the couch and swore I needed a mop to clean up when I was done.

I wasn't too sure if the hubs would be keen on this meal, but I didn't care I wanted to make it. And since we were headed to whole foods anywho for stuff for making homemade granola it was the perfect time to get the lentils and things I needed I could only find there.

So it was not horribly time consuming, but not a quick and easy weeknight meal to say the least... it's a good 45 minutes probably from start to finish for the average cook.

But when you sit down, your eyes will perk - the colors alone are incredible. And your nose will work in overdrive with all of the delicious smells. And your mouth and stomach will tahnk you forever for making this meal.

Heck if my hubby ate it, yours will too!

Emeril's Lentil Salad with Braised Greens and Sunny Side Up Eggs
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

2 bunches Swiss chard

1 bunch beet greens (I didn't use these, didn't have any)

1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 pound French lentils, rinsed well and picked over (DO use the French lentils the normal lentils will get too mushy I think)

6 cups Emeril's All Natural Vegetable Stock, homemade vegetable stock, or low sodium chicken broth (we used chicken stock)

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

I omitted all of this - we didn't need more hard grains on our bellies on top of lentils and we don't eat peppers in our house.

3 ears sweet corn, roasted over and open flame, kernels removed

1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

1/2 cup chopped parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

Picked back up here

2 lemons, juiced

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 to 8 large eggs, at room temperature (I just made the main meal for 2 - so 4 eggs, and we ate the leftover salad for lunch during the week)

Wash the Swiss chard and beet greens well. Pat dry. Cut the ribs from the leaves, chop into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Cut the leaves into 1-inch strips and reserve separately.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. When hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, Swiss chard ribs and beet ribs, and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaf, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the black pepper. Toss to coat lentils then add 6 cups of the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes. Take care not to overcook or lentils will become mushy. Set lentils aside to cool to lukewarm in the cooking liquid, then strain in a colander.

Reserve the cooking liquid for braising the greens.

Place the warm lentils in a bowl and add the sweet corn, the red and yellow bell peppers, parsley, lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil. Toss well to combine and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set-aside until ready to serve.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil. When hot, add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the chard and beet greens, in batches, stirring between additions, until the greens wilt slightly. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1cup reserved stock and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Continue to cook until greens are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

When ready to serve, cook the eggs. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently crack 4 of the eggs in the skillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste and cook, undisturbed, until the white is set, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan and repeat with the remaining eggs.

To Serve:Serve the lentils in shallow bowls, topped with the wilted greens. Place egg on top of greens and garnish with diced red and yellow pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Drizzle with lemon juice to taste and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings