Best Blue Cheese Dressing

Danny's favorite salad is iceberg lettuce with blue cheese dressing.  That's it.  I like it tossed with toasted pecans, and ideally some crunchy bacon bits.  This dressing is also great as a dip.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 ounces blue cheese
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mash blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork until mixture resembles large-curd cottage cheese. Stir in sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Footnotes

• If you don't have buttermilk, you can add lemon juice to milk for an easy substitution.
• Whole milk may be used in place of buttermilk for a milder flavor.
• Dressing may be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to two weeks. 

Slow Cooker Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew

One of the yummiest dishes I've ever made... and so easy!

Slow Cooker Chickpea and Red Lentil Stew
adapted from this Whole Foods recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil*
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon curry
1/2 teaspoon coriander
dash of cinnamon (plus 1 cinnamon stick, optional)
dash of cayenne
2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)*, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup dried red lentils
1 14-ounce can tomato puree
1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pitted black olives, sliced (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Serve with:
sour cream
basmati rice

Method: 
Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions. Add garlic, garam masala and other spices, and cook until peppers begin to soften. Combine everything except the yogurt in the slow cooker and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Serve with basmati rice and sour cream on the side.