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Barbara C.
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| Posted: June 13 2008 at 6:49pm | IP Logged
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I am intrigued by lentils, and over-whelmed at the idea of cooking some at the same time. I've never had lentils, so I don't know what they are supposed to taste like. But I am looking for a high-protein and low-cost alternative to beans (which I can not stand) and meat.
I am also not a very good cook with two somewhat picky eaters. One will not eat tomato sauce except on pizza and the other doesn't eat meat most of the time, especially hamburger.
So my questions are:
1. To what due cooked lentils taste similar?
2. How much work are lentils to prepare in general?
3. And does anyone have any simple recipe suggestions for trying out lentils?
....I was kind of thinking about throwing lentils in with my rice pilaf recipe, but I'm not sure how they need to be prepped, which kind to even try, or how long to cook them (throw them in first thing or towards the end of the cook time).
Thanks for any help.
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Barbara
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stefoodie
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| Posted: June 13 2008 at 7:35pm | IP Logged
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We love lentils! Right now I've got organic red lentils from the co-op. French Du Puy lentils are also wonderful.
I love that they don't need pre-soaking and are done in half an hour or so.
A basic recipe
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil in saucepan. Add tomatoes if you like. Then sliced sausages, chorizo, or other flavoring agent (leftover meats, or shrimp). Add lentils and water (or chicken stock, or other stock) and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so. Add chopped herbs as a finishing touch (parsley, or thyme, etc.)
- I make it as soupy or as thick as I want by varying the amount of stock.
- some interesting flavor additions -- curry, chili powder
- they are also delicious added to a hearty stew (meat or otherwise) as additional protein/fiber source.
- they are also quick to cook for a yummy salad -- toss with dressing and serve on greens, with chopped hard-boiled egg and/or bacon.
- for a great non-meat vegetable soup, omit the sausages, and add sliced carrots, celery, a bay leaf, and then a few minutes before serving, greens like spinach or kale.
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stef
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stefoodie
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i've tried this recipe from Real Simple before -- it's really good!
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stef
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Matilda
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We love lentils too. I would describe them in texture like a small firm bean but with a bland, nutty flavor. This is one of our favorite lentil recipes. It looks complicated but essentially you boil the lentil for 30 minutes, cook the rice, saute the zucchini and mix them all together.
Zucchini and Lentil Pilaf ~I use brown rice and minced onion if I don't have fresh onions. The sesame oil can be substituted with olive oil and I like garlic salt instead of regular salt.
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folklaur
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I will try to find the recipe, I recently made "sloppy joes" but used lentils. My dh (who had not been a lentil fan) liked it better than when I use ground turkey (we don't do beef usually.)
They are actually really easy to cook. Much simpler than dried beans, since there is no soaking.
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Kristie 4
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We eat lentils many times a week. The small red ones cook up very quickly and I will just rinse them and cover them with water, put them on to boil with a dollop of curry paste and some ginger and that's it. Tastes good with a pot of basmati,
The green ones take a little longer to cook but are great in almost anything. A good way to start using them is to slip them in here in there- in chilli, soup etc.
The More With Less cookbook put out by the Mennonite Central Committee has heaps of bean and lentil recipes and lots of good costsaving ways to stretch your budget.
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Kristie in Canada
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MaryM
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| Posted: June 14 2008 at 1:46am | IP Logged
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Stef, you could work in promotions for the Dry Pea and Lentil Council!
I am very intrigued by lentils as well. I generally use them in soups and salads though I want to branch out more so this is a great thread. They have such a fascinating story. I find it interesting that 90% of America's lentils are grown in the Palouse region of Washington/Idaho (my old stomping grounds).
As has been mentioned they are very easy to prepare. They can be nutty in flavor (or earthy) though they really take on the flavor of what they are cooked with.
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Mary M. in Denver
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12stars
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| Posted: June 14 2008 at 1:54pm | IP Logged
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I LOVE LOVE Lentils. Thanks for the recipes.  
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Lentils
