Thank you, thank you, thank you guys so much! I've always tried to sneak beans/lentils into as much food as I can, like cannelini beans into Italian recipes, kidney beans into chili, red lentils or aduki beans into soups and stews, that sort of thing. But I've never been one to just eat beans or lentils on their own. Close as I ever came was baked beans as a side.
So after I read this thread yesterday, I took down my (what has mostly been decorative) jar of split red lentils for lunch. I heated some EVOO in a saucepan, put in two bay leaves, chooped up an onion, tossed in some crushed garlic and stirred til the onion was translucent then added a squirt of tomato paste and stirred that up. Then I added a cup of the lentils and 2 cups of water, heated to boiling then turned down to simmer for about 30 minutes. I did have to add some more water about half-way through cooking, though so keep an eye on it.
Oh wow, it wasn't like "okay, I'm gonna choke this down because it's good for me" edible. They were just really delicious! 1 cup made enough for me to have two servings yesterday (one for lunch and one later as a snack) and still have some for today for lunch. Even my 3 year old daughter liked them.
Just wanted to say I appreciate the way threads, advice and personal stories can be so inspiring here at 3FC. This place is great.