Home / Food Talk And Fabulous Finds

Adding Lentils

#1

JuliaDH , 02-17-2009 11:52 AM

I am adding lentils to my families menu. Please share your fave ways of preparing them. Not to much hot spice as I need the kids to enjoy them and not worry about washing it down with milk because its to hot.

Reply
#2

aneleh , 02-17-2009 12:19 PM

I looove lentils. My favourite when I was a kid was lentil soup.

-Chop up one large onion, 1/4 of it finely
-sautee the rest of the onion (except the fine part) with some oil in a pot
-When it is soft and caramelized add in 1c. orange/yellow lentils and mix
-Add in 3c. chicken broth or water
-let it come to a simmer and add in 1-2tsp ground cumin (totally makes the soup, and I don't even like cumin!)
-Once it is boiling add in 1.5 c. pasta (small bite sized ones are best)
-Let it cook together for about 8-9min until the pasta cooks and the soup thickens
-Serve with a tablespoon of the finely chopped onions on top, and if you can find it a spice called sumac.

Hope you like it!

Reply
#3

beerab , 02-17-2009 12:21 PM

I love lentils and to me the simplest way to prepare them is to take two cups of lentils + 8 cups of water, throw in some pepper and a tiny bit of salt, maybe even a bit of curry or a chicken base square, then any veggies if you want but I normally just throw in some onions, and just let it cook on the stove for hours till the lentils are soft as heck, it's SOOOO good. You might have to add more water to get it as soft as you want, but man that's such a nice thing to eat when it's cold- I love it

Analeh sumac is the best spice in the world I LOVE IT I make salads with it all the time, I put cucumber, tomato, and a tiny bit of onion- chop it all up and toss it with some lemon, sumac, and a tiny bit of salt

Reply
#4

nelie , 02-17-2009 12:38 PM

Snobby Joes are a favorite -
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbreci...?RecipeID=2059

Also I enjoy lentil soup. Throw in various veggies, maybe some barley into a big soup pot with lentils. This past winter, we ate lentil soup for an entire month. It was fun.

Other thing to do with lentils is indian spices. You can get mild curries and what not so they aren't hot but lentils, tomatoes, onion maybe some chopped potatoes as well. Simmer with about 3 cups of water per 1 cup of lentils.

I also had a lentil hummus before that was really good. You'd just make lentils and blend it with some garlic and various spices and use it as a spread for veggies or what not.

Reply
#5

junebug41 , 02-17-2009 01:26 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by nelie
Also I enjoy lentil soup. Throw in various veggies, maybe some barley into a big soup pot with lentils. This past winter, we ate lentil soup for an entire month. It was fun.
I do this quite often So versatile.

Also, I make bbq lentils w/chicken. I'll cook the lentils, drain them and sautee them chicken and bbq sauce. Pretty simple.

Sometimes if I'm looking for more protein and fiber I will throw it in with just about anything- wild rice, veggies... There really isn't much you can't do with them.

Reply
#6

zinkemomx2 , 02-17-2009 01:36 PM

Honey Baked Lentils

I second nelie's snobby joes. Those are delish.

Reply
#7

mandalinn82 , 02-17-2009 01:39 PM

I love lentils and brown rice cooked together - I make a lentil and brown rice pilaf...saute an onion in cooking spray, add 1/2 cup each of lentils and brown rice, cover with 2 cups of chicken broth and simmer. I usually flavor mine with curry powder, cumin, and cayenne, making a slightly spicy curried lentil pilaf. It's a wonderful side with grilled chicken!

We're also big on lentil and sausage soups here. So satisfying and easy.

Reply
#8

suitejudyblueeyes , 02-17-2009 07:18 PM

Here's a good one for the crock pot, for when you want to cook ahead of time.

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

* 8oz baby carrots
* 1 1/2 c uncooked lentils, rinsed
* 1 1/2 lb frozen chicken (you choose the cut, I use whatever boneless/skinless item I can get on sale, usually tenders)
* 2 tbsp minced garlic
* 3/4 tsp salt
* 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
* 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
* 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 3.5 c fat free, low-sodium chicken broth

Place in slow cooker in order listed. Cover and cook on high 5 hours, or high 1 hour and low 7 hours (whatever fits your schedule). It is delicious.

Reply
#9

beerab , 02-18-2009 01:41 PM

oh man I want some lentils now!

Reply
#10

JuliaDH , 02-18-2009 02:36 PM

Those are all awesome ideas! Thanks everyone!

Reply
#11

saef , 02-18-2009 06:17 PM

This was an unusual variant on lentil soup that I really loved:

Apricot Lentil Soup

Whatever you do, do NOT leave out the fresh lemon juice, and I really do recommend squeezing the lemons for it, if you can. This really brightened up the whole thing.

Reply
#12

retiredone , 02-20-2009 11:26 AM

Here's a page from the 3FC UK recipe thread. I've made the Lazy Lentils and it was great. Uses red lentils which cook really fast.

Quote:
Originally Posted by peacock 2
At last I can post some recipes. Ones which I have tasted but not cooked myself! If you are on a 'more fibre mission', a veggie or cooking with one in mind - these are for you. Those who are not sure what yeast extract is - marmite (veggie) Bovril (meaty) or similar like the Aussie vegemite or similar from a health food store. Gives a good flavour. Don't miss out on the cheese in the lazy lentil dish unless someone is vegan of course.

One of my book club friends made these. SHe made the lazy lentils for another friend's after Christmas get together and brought the lasagne one to a New year's Eve bash. Both went down really well. I particularly love the lazy lentil one. I had it hot but people that came later had it cold and really enjoyed it also. The comments in brackets are her's).

Lazy Lentils from Bean Feast by Rose Elliot

Serves 4 to 6, calories 200 to 300

Ingredients
4 large onions peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
I garlic clove, crushed
250 ml (half pint) water
2 teaspoons yeast extract (Retiredone's note: this is like Marmite but you could substitute bouillon cube or other salty flavoring)
176 g (6 oz) split red lentils
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
125 g (4 oz) grated cheese
breadcrumbs

Method
Set oven to 150C, 300 F or gas mark 3.
If possible use a flameproof casserole that can go on hob and into oven.

Fry the onions in the oil for 5 to 7 minutes, browning lightly.
Then add the garlic, water and yeast extract and stir until yeast extract dissolved.
Take off the heat and add lentils, herbs, seasoning and most of the cheese.
Sprinkle the rest of cheese on top together with some crumbs.
Bake for 2 hours.
Serve with vegetables and gravy or a parsley sauce.
The protein in the lentils and the cheese is complimentary.

Lasagne with leeks and lentils from Sarah Browns Vegetarian Cookbook

Serves 4 (? Mine came out a bit bigger than that)

Ingredients
100 g (4 oz) brown lentils, washed
15 ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
450 g (1 lb) leeks, finely diced
225 g (8 oz) mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
450 g (1 lb) tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
15 ml (1 teaspoon) shoyu (soya sauce)
salt and pepper
350 to 450 ml (half pint) béchamel sauce (I used shop bought White Lasagne sauce)
50g (2 oz) Parmesan, grated

Method
Put the lentils in a pan with plenty of water to cover.
Bring to the boil then simmer, covered, for 25 mins. Drain reserving the stock.

Heat the oil and gently fry the leeks, carrot, mushrooms and garlic for 5 to 6 mins or until fairly soft (I used a wok, too much veg for my frying pan).

Add the cooked lentils, tomatoes, herbs and shoyu, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the lentil stock if the mixture is too dry. Season to taste.

Preheat oven to gas mark 4, 180 C, 359 F.

Cook the lasagne by boiling them in a large pan of salted water for 8 to 10mins or until tender. As soon as they are cooked, drain them, run cold water over them and spread them out on a damp cloth.
(I used shop bought fresh lasagne that you can use straight from the bag.)

Put a layer of lasagne in a lightly greased baking dish, cut to fit. Cover with a layer of lentil mixture and one of béchamel sauce. Continue in this order until you have used up your ingredients. Finish with a layer of pasta and then béchamel sauce. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.
Bake for 30 mins.

The illustration has a line of sliced tomatoes along the top which looks very attrtactive.

Reply
#13

iriswhispers , 02-20-2009 08:21 PM

sometimes i like to stick them in with pasta and then put marinara sauce over it all.

Reply