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(Egyptian Spiced Creamy Lentil Soup)

This was from a recipe of Claudia Roden in The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. Although the soup looks somewhat thick here (esp as it was the next day), it was actually fairly creamy in texture. I ground up the dry red lentils, added water to them, covered them, and let them soak for a few hours, before adding them to the soup. (Red lentils don't usually need to be soaked, except by me. )

Aside from the lentils, this also contains onions, olive oil, ground cumin and coriander, and salt. A pinch of Indian pav bhaji masala spice mix stood in for ground red chili pepper. I used frozen chopped mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) for the carrot and celery in the recipe, as that's what I had.

The soup is supposed to be served with a garnish of fried onions, but I was too tired to add that. For the toasted pita bread croutons, I toasted half a pita, and then broke it up into irregularly-shaped, crunchy pieces. Instead of adding lemon juice directly to the soup right after it was cooked, I just squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice into the bowl, before I eat it.

Masala Matzah Brei (Savory Matzah "French Toast")

This was inspired by numerous recipes and videos online for Masala French Toast. Matzah Brei is like French Toast, except with matzah rather than leavened bread. I learned how to make the savory (salty) version of Matzah Brei, myself, and thats how I always make it -- so, this isn't too much of a stretch. 

This Masala version includes, in addition to soaked and drained matzah, egg, and salt, also chopped onions, tomatoes, and green bell peppers, and some ground coriander and pav bhaji masala. All of this is mixed together well, and then fried in a frying pan in oil. I wasn't sure how it would turn out. However, once I first tasted it, I was happy to have it for breakfast. 

Egg-Potato-Green Pepper Sandwich

This sandwich is made on homemade toasted bread, with a bit of pav bhaji masala for flavor. A filling and tasty lunch! If you don't have a lot of time or energy, and therefore decide to use frozen hash browns and frozen chopped peppers that cook together very quickly, I won't tell anyone. 

Grilled Veggie Sandwich,

filled with Potato, Carrot, and Pav Bhaji Masala

This sandwich, on soft Italian bread, features mashed potato and oven-roasted carrots, and @notoutofthebox's suggestion (on Instagram Feb. 28) of pav bhaji masala. I first put a layer of potato on the bread, then some roasted carrots that I mashed, and sprinkled on a bit of masala. (I have to be a little careful how much chili heat I eat.) I cooked it in a small frying pan with a little oil, including some that I smeared on each slice of bread. Wow, was that scrumptious! I especially liked the combination of the sweetness of the carrots with the spices of the masala, all held together with potato, and encased in lightly-fried bread. I hope to try it again soon, this time with paneer mixed in, as in the original suggestion. Great idea!