Forget the Watergate Tapes — These Recipes Are the Real Scoop

In this episode, you’re invited to “listen in” on a real phone call between myself and one of my besties, Holly — two friends talking food, flavor, and mindful living like no one’s recording.

Holly drops her lentil salad recipe on me — even after my dramatic, pregnant,  pause and my lifelong underwhelm for lentils. Yet somehow she wins me over with a version so good it practically has its own alibi.

I also share my mushroom soup — my hearty, deeply flavored, soul-warming mushroom soup. And let me just say this: can we talk about the word umami for a second? When did that take over the world? What the F is “umami,” anyway? My soup is simply delicious with a gorgeous flavor profile… no trending buzzword required.
(And because my on-the-phone instructions got a little… fuzzy, the full how-to video is here: https://youtu.be/NMr_vRd8FbY?si=8ZV1aNpQk4tRU6xi 

Later, we wander into a compare-and-contrast between Mediterranean brightness and the so-called “Asian-leaning umami” thing (yes, I’m rolling my eyes), swap low-waste kitchen tricks, and even uncover ideas for that leftover buttermilk sitting in your fridge.

In this episode you’ll hear about:
• choosing small black lentils for structure
• cooking lentils al dente + dressing them warm
• building a creamy white balsamic vinaigrette
• finishing with goat cheese + fresh mint
• dry-searing mushrooms for deep, savory flavor
• using both sliced + minced mushrooms for body
• seasoning with miso, thyme, marsala + paprika
• when to add crème fraîche (or keep it dairy-free)
• simple, low-waste, sustainable kitchen swaps
• Mediterranean brightness vs. the “umami” hype

MINDFUL MEALS & SUSTAINABLE LIVING - The Art of Living an Elevated Lifestyle 

Transcript

From Hummus Mix-Up To Lentils

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Alright, so Hal, remember a while ago I called you and said, Oh, I know, I we talked out of the blue, and you told me that you were making hummus. And I was like, Oh my god, we've gotta record that that talk that we had. And then when I now I called in you and I was like, I've already done hummus, forgetting that that's what we were gonna do together.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

So then, so and then we started talking about so tell me what you because then you said So I have this great new recipe that I've invented, and it's super easy and it's delish, and it's lentil solid.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Okay, and then I said nothing, just like a pregnant pause because I don't love lentils, but everybody does.

Why This Lentil Salad Wins

SPEAKER_02 0:52

I mean Well, no, not true, because I I used to hate lentils, I never ate lentils, I just I didn't like lentil salad, lentil soup. I didn't like lentils, right? But then for some reason, one day I woke up thinking, wait, I'm gonna try this idea of making a cold lentil salad and see if it's any good. And I ended up making it, and it was so delish. I made it for my ex-husband, Dean Paris, and he hated lentils before he tasted them. I said, wait, let's just try this new recipe of me. And if you hate it, fine, but you might like it. He loved it so.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

But wait, so you've been making this lentil salad since you were with Dean, or it's later, much later.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

This is just like six months ago.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Oh, that you just happened to see him. All right, so okay, so what is so tell me, what is it?

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Okay, so basically, I I can use several kinds of lentils. The best ones are the smaller ones, so there's really good black color. Yeah, they're black like little green. Right.

Cooking Lentils Al Dente

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Right. No, the orange because the orange, the red slick is break down and that's like yeah, the black, the little black, I know. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

So anyway, you boil water with a little salt.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Yeah.

Creamy Vinaigrette Basics

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Once the water is boiling, let's say you throw in a cup of lentils, and you cook them for about 10 minutes. You want the lentil to still have a bite to it, not super soft. Right. So I would say about 10 minutes. They cook rather fast. You just taste them, and if they they're a little chewy and still have a bite, and they taste like lentils, that's great. You drain them, you don't rinse them out, you just drain them and let them sit. In the meantime, you make a vinaigrette with um mustard, salt, olive oil, and I use white balsamic vinegar.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

And you make this really nice creamy vinaigrette, and then you put the lentils inside of the vinaigrette, uh the bowl with the vinaigrette, mix them up, and then uh you let them cool off and sit in the fridge for a while. And then right before you eat them, you take fresh uh a log of goat cheese, yeah. You break up, crumble the goat cheese in there, and the secret is you cut up fresh mint leaves, raw leaves. Right. And you add the fresh mint with the goat cheese and the lentils and and the vinaigrette, and it's so good.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Okay, let's just repeat your vinaigrette. Do you use mustard in your vinaigrette?

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Yeah, so I start with m like a uh a fork, half a forkful of French mustard, a pinch of salt, right, a splash of vinegar, of uh white balsamic. You can use regular vinegar, you can use red balsamic. I like the white vinegar.

Finishing With Goat Cheese And Mint

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Yeah, even cider, apple cider vinegar, which everybody's using.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

Yeah, you can use anything. Yeah. Mix it up slightly, don't overmix it. Just mix it and then start drizzling the olive oil, the really thin drizzle, while you're whipping the mustard and and vinegar and salt until it becomes this kind of creamy, yeah, emulsified.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Emulsified.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Emulsified. Right. And taste it. And if it's too sharp, keep adding a little bit of olive oil. But you don't need that much olive oil, really. Yeah. And then you just mix it in and let the lentils kind of sit in it, even if they're still a little warm. Right. And then just let the whole salad cool off, and then add the, and then once you add the goat cheese, little crumbles of goat cheese and the mint, you you know, the next day it'll be delicious too if it sits in the fridge for the night. Right.

Zero-Waste, Make-Ahead Comfort

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Okay. I think that's great because the the other important part of recipes for survival is little food packaging waste. And I think your recipes certainly constitutes that. You know, it's like no waste. Really.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

No waste at all. And they're so good, they last it lasts about three days.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

You just serve it cold, but it's so good. It really is, because really it changed my whole impression of lentils, because I never really liked, I never cooked lentils. I never liked them.

Shifting To Mushroom Soup

SPEAKER_00 5:27

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I know, I know. People love them. And I know that I can see that would be perfect. So today, what I'm gonna make is a mushroom soup.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

No, no, I like how do you make mushroom soup?

King Mushrooms And Prep Choices

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Oh, tell me. Yeah, how do I so you know typically, you know, like when I make it for my client, I'll get a variety of mushrooms, slice them, oil them, salt, and put them in the oven to roast so that they get right? But for myself, right now, I'm just gonna, you know, try and get as much color as I can in the pot. Uh-huh. Um, and I also bought um what are they called? King mushrooms. You know those huge big king mushrooms? Are they like portobello? No, they're they've got the big white stem. They're called king mushrooms. I don't know. Anyway, I got them at the Korean market. They're killer. And I think three of them I got together. And um, I'm gonna pulver, you know, put in the food processor two of them, and then the other one I'm gonna just slice up. So really simple, just start with um. We have a question for you.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

When you put them in the um the cuisine out of the measurements or whatever, to make them pulverized, as you say.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Did you roast them before? Or do you raw? No, no, I'm gonna do that raw. Everything raw. Even yeah, even the little bit that I put in the pan just to get it some f roasty kind of flavor in it. I just don't feel like dealing with the oven. And I don't think my client, you know, the people that would listen to this, you don't have to use the oven. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:31

But that's what you're actually with the almost like chopping in.

Dry Sear, Fat, And Aromatics

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yeah, because you put it in a dry pan, the sliced ones, right? I see. You got a pot, a pot. To me, there's a difference between a pan and a pot. Of course. Anyway, um, let me see. So that's what I'll do, is I'll put the mushrooms in a dry pot, and then once they get some color in them, take them out, put them in a plate or a bowl. Yeah. And then um some butter. A little. Oh, and that's the other thing. Hal, I'm using that Mikano's. That's the best.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Isn't it fun, Miss?

SPEAKER_00 8:11

And it it is the best. That's the other thing I had to tell you. I'm using that all the time. So that's what I'm using for butter or olive oil. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Broth, Wine, Miso, And Thyme

Creme Fraiche Or Not

SPEAKER_00 8:21

For this, I'm gonna use Oh my god, the other thing is I have um butter that I got from France. Somebody, a friend brought it, with algae in it. And I might use a drop of that in this with those mushrooms, right? Yes. And then um, you put in the onions, right? Yeah, and then um I'll put in the sliced mushrooms, then the ones that were food processed, and then um what kind of broth do you put in there? Well, I use I use vegetable broth. Oh, okay. White wine, a little bit of white wine, but I'm I have marsala in the house, and I have that um Outer Bridges sherry pepper sauce. So I'll put some of that, and then I'm uh I have a little bit of leftover creme frache. I might put in and some thyme. And that's that's it. It is so I think it's oh, and you know what else I'm gonna use is um a tablespoon of miso paste in it for the salt. Okay, right? And um, maybe some soy paprika is really nice in mushroom soup. And that's about it. So I'm gonna do that later today. I don't think I'll make the mu I don't think I'll be making the lentils right now. But I appreciate the recipe very much.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

Next time I make some, I'll uh send you a photo of what they look like, what it looks like.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

Oh, I know exactly how I've made it because Mar, you know, my Marlo eats it. Yeah, she likes it. But how'd you make your lentil salad? Oh, um actually one thing I use lentils for is I make a pate for her. Oh, uh-huh. Um and she likes she likes table. So I I make that, and that's with mint and scallions. Scallions would also work in your lentil, you know, if you like that. But I think the goat cheese, do you do you put the goat cheese crumbles in when it's warm? No, you wait for it to cool. You wait for it to cool.

Mint vs Scallion And Aesthetic Plate

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Because you don't want it to melt. But you get just the white, simple log of the white cheese that is not super soft, but it's not really crumbly. Right. You just cut it in slices and break them up with your fingers and sort of scatter it around. Right. No scallion is so no, because the fresh mint is so good that you don't want to compete. You don't want to have the scallion that takes onion compete. It's like a very light, fresh, and super nutritious, nutritious salad.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

Right. It's a good dish, Hal. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

And I think And the black ones, the black lentils are so beautiful. You know, it's just a very elegant dish in its simplicity. So it's really nice with the black lentils and the fresh green mint and the white goat cheese.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

It looks really nice. Oh my god, I love it. I can't thank you enough for that.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

And um looking forward to tasting your mushroom soup one day.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Yeah, you think you will? Yeah.

unknown 11:42

Why not?

SPEAKER_00 11:43

All right, that makes me really happy.

Flavor Lanes: Asian And Mediterranean

SPEAKER_02 11:47

Of course. Well, it's funny because we have such different sensibilities. Like you definitely have a bit of an Asian touch, exactly like Rowan. He always uses soy and miso and all that in all of his dishes, and I never do, because I have more of the Mediterranean. Yeah, you have exactly olive oil, you know, lemon, much more than a lot of things.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Yeah, but that's very much yeah, but honestly, Hall, let's just remember, I always say the reason why I think I can, the reason why I thought I could cook was because you're my favorite cook. And everything and really my job is Mediterranean diet. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

It just so happens with something to add the the little bit of Asian flavor and touch. I know Rowan does it all the time with all his food, and it's I think it's great.

Seasoning, Paprika, And Body

SPEAKER_00 12:39

I think this mushroom soup's gonna be great. Um have you made it before? Is this the person? Well, you know, I I make it a lot, but it always depends. I mean, I haven't had miso in the house in a long time. Now I have it. And I just think, wow, a tablespoon or less, you know, just adds to some body, adds you don't have to have regular salt, salt. Um I love the paprika in it. And I and so let me ask you something.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Yeah. When you put in the creme fraîche or the paprika, do you put in that do you put that in while you're cooking the soup? No.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

Or do you put at the end when it's not cooking, you know, when it's not cooking.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

So when you serve a bowl of the mushroom soup, then you put a dollop of uh creme fraîche, for example. I might.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Um and the other thing is, is I have milk in the house because I made this other recipe from Marsala Hazan, you know, the famous Italian. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um it's and so I happen to have milk in the house. So I might use a little, I don't know, because often I just don't use any cream or any milk or anything in when I cook at all. So I might just not. I don't know.

Milk, No Milk, And Balance

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Um I have to I have to find a recipe that uses buttermilk because I bought a bottle of it for this cake I just made, but I have this whole bottle of it.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

What do we make buttermilk? You make scones. I'll send you the recipe.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Oh, yeah, perfect.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah, that's it. Because when I make it, you need a cup of buttermilk.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

Right, send me the recipe because that would be wonderful. I have this gorgeous apricot jam and really good butter, so scones would be perfect.

SPEAKER_00 14:26

Right, and then do you have any golden raisins at the house? No. Oh, it doesn't matter. Then maybe blueberries, or you could do walnuts in it, maybe. Yeah. Or not, or just make them. Oh my god, I'm crazy.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Oh my god, that's such a good idea. Because what is scones is flour. Yeah, that's it. It's salt and buttermilk.

Buttermilk Problem, Scone Solution

SPEAKER_00 14:47

No, but you have to have the butter haul. Um, you have to have the butter like ice cold. I mean, like either right out of the freezer or right out of the fridge. Uh-huh. And you're gonna use a stick, and what you do is you grate it into the flour. It's a pain in the ass, but yeah, you do it, and then you don't really you just pull it together. The flour. Yeah, it's very rough. Yeah, you got it.

SPEAKER_02 15:18

It's kind of crumbly. Yeah. Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:21

And then the buttermilk.

Cold Butter Technique For Scones

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Yeah, yeah, the buttermilk goes in. Yeah. I think I can't remember before or after the the butter. I can't remember, but I'm gonna send it to you because that's a great idea. Perfect. You yeah, you know, I my I go through so I look at so many recipes before I make any.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Oh, that's such a good idea, Dee. Oh, good. I don't know what to do with all this buttermilk. That's perfect.

Wrap-Up And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 15:50

I'll think of something else for you. All right, sweet pie. I so appreciate your time for this, and I'll speak to you soon. Thanks.