Spicy Red Lentils with Spinach
 

I got this recipe from my latest issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter.

Spicy Red Lentils with Spinach

8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red chili flakes
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups red lentils
1 cup orange juice
3 cups water
10 oz. baby spinach
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large sauce pot over medium-low heat, saute the garlic and chili flakes in 2 Tbs. of the olive oil until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add the lentils and stir to coat with the oil. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the orange juice and water. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes (add more water if necessary).
Stir in the spinach and continue to simmer until it's tender, about 2 minutes. Season with up to 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the individual portions. Serves 6.

This was good, but not as tasty as I hoped. Next time I will saute some onions along with the garlic, and substitute chicken or vegetable broth in the place of the water. I also only used the 2 Tbsp. of oil for sauteeing, and didn't drizzle any extra over the individual portions.

Thanks for recording this! A friend saves me copies of his Nutrition Action Health Letter after he's done with reading them. I tore out the page with this recipe and made it a few times and really liked it. I used chicken broth and more OJ than the recipe calls for. I also threw in a boullion cube (which may not be South Beach friendly, so check on that). Unfortunately, I lost the recipe in the flood that destroyed my apartment & its contents last August. Today I was thinking about the recipe & tried a search for it -- I'm delighted it turned up. So thanks again!

I made this this evening as a side dish with salmon, and it was very good! I did make some changes though: I sauteed onions to add to the garlic, omitted the orange juice and added a vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in the 3 cups of water instead. For the spices, I used a bit of cumin and cayenne pepper (I like spicy!). Overall, great quick recipe that I will definitely make again.