Lentils were not a food that was included in my diet as a child, so it has taken me sometime to really appreciate their versatility & utter deliciousness in many recipes. They are so easy as they don't require soaking & cook much faster than many grains & legumes. They are also very easy to sprout which adds extra nutritional value if the recipe is a Raw one.
For most households, clever ways to include healthy but cheaper foods & added protein as part of the weekly menu, can be of value, so recognise how marvellous those little lentils can be in stretching the budget when it is called for!
Lentils work wonderfully in soups & veggie casseroles; they are low in calories & fat & add bulk with good fibre & additional protein to any recipe; they are high in magnesium as well as having a list of other beneficial nutrients for heart health & combine deliciously into a yummy lentil salad or even a side dish.
Lentils are readily available to purchase in bulk, but it can be a good idea to store them in jars in your pantry with a label stating the variety & cooking instructions, to avoid having to look up how to cook them each time you use them.
There are many varieties of lentils, ( green, brown, black & red are the most common) the French Green Lentils, Lentilles du Puy, are actually my personal favourite. I love their tasty slightly peppery flavour but all varieties offer similar health benefits & can be cooked & enjoyed in any number of ways. The Black or Beluga Lentils are the smallest ones with a delicious nutty, earthy flavour which are perfect for whole grain recipes & salads, whereas the Red Lentils whilst the sweetest, are often transformed into a golden puree & added to soups, curries & casseroles.
I like to rinse my lentils first in a colander, picking out anything that may not be lentil & gathered up in the harvest! I then pop 1 cup of lentils to about 1 1/2 cups of veggie broth or water in a saucepan & bring to the boil, then simmering gently until they are al dante, so checking regularly; if they are overcooked they become mushy which of course is not an issue if you intend blending the recipe, but I find them more enjoyable when they are just a little chewy. Some people remove the saucepan from the stove once the lentils come to the boil, pop a lid on & let them then sit for 5-10 minutes before serving or adding to a recipe.
I prefer to sprout them whenever I can, as they then become an excellent addition in many Raw Food Recipes, especially salads; they can also be used sprouted in crackers & breads in a most delightful way, remembering of course that sprouted foods are especially high in nutrients & I believe better than cooked, when you can manage to eat them this way !
Some Basic Ideas.
Lentils encourage home cooking, sprouting & creativity & it is very easy to invent your own favourite way of including them in the menu.
One idea is to add some veggies to the simmering lentils no more than 5 mins before they are cooked or keep a veggie portion of choice, raw, & just add to the lightly cooked or sprouted lentils.
I suggest as another example, you could do this;
Chop up & lightly fry these veggies & add to the lentils
1 cup onion,
2 cloves garlic
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup celery
1 cup carrot
1cup frozen or fresh corn
1 cup red pepper
1 cup kale or spinach
1 cup fennel
Once added to the lentils fold through a sauce of your choice
This could be something along these lines
Mix together testing for personal flavour before folding through warm veggie lentil mix,
1 tea salt, more may be required
1 tab tamari
1 tea garlic powder
1 tea ground cumin
1-2 tab balsalmic vinegar
1-2 tab olive oil
1-2 tab rice vinegar
1 tea curry powder
1 tea dried mustard
1/2 tea smoked paprika
Cooked lentils also go beautifully with buckwheat soba noodles, just add some lightly steamed broccoli florets & leeks or veggies of your choice & dress with olive oil, garlic & ginger for a quick & easy meal.
ENJOY!
