Lentil Recipes

[surgtech1956]

I'm looking for recipes for lentils. The only way I've used lentils is in a soup - cook the lentils, add a little garlic, salt, onions and carrots, kind of bland. Any ideas? Thank you

[Thorn]

Sprout them. Seriously....they sprout very quickly and make very tasty sprouts.

I also use lentils in salad. Cook them. Cool them. Serve with a good balsmic/oil oil dressing and chopped veggies. If you eat cheese, sprinkle with a salty feta; if you don't, salted chopped almonds and olives.

[surgtech1956]

Thanks Thorn, never thought of putting them in salads. How do I 'sprout' them?

[goldfinch]

A good way to change out the soup is make it a curry. We use a small amount of lentils or mung daal . Generally, we cook the lentils with sweet potato or squash. After these are cooked toss in lots of vegetables, whatever you have. Chard. Spinach. Cauliflower. Asparagus. Tomatoes. Just about any veggie you can think of.

The spouse toasts pumpkin seeds in an iron pan and tosses them in. Toss in some raisins. He cooks the curry spices in a bit of ghee and that is the last thing that goes in the soup. Oh, except for a bit of one kind or another hot sauce. We like our soups spicy.

[Thorn]

Thanks Thorn, never thought of putting them in salads. How do I 'sprout' them?

We first encountered sprouted lentils at a farmer's market in Madison, WI. Up until then, I thought sprouts came in two flavors: alfalfa and "spicy mix". Needless to say, I've since expanded my repetoire -- and, in winter, fresh sprouts are a welcome treat.

That said, my sprout method is to use Ball canning jars. I've cut an old screen for under the lid. I soak the lentils overnight and then for the next couple of days, rinse, drain well, and then put the jar on an upside down angle on the counter under a towel. I'm a fanatic and I rinse the sprouts 2-3 times a day.

Brown lentils sprout consistently. I've never had a failure. Puy and black lentils work pretty good, but I find I like the simple brown lentil sprout better so I save the Puys for salad. Red lentils are usually sold split so they won't sprout.

[gnat23]

http://www.redbookmag.com/recipefind...l-chorizo-soup
Only I use Turkey Chorizo and kale instead of spinach. Rave reviews every time I make this!

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/lentilsandrice.htm
Super filling and versatile.

http://www.slowcarbfoodie.com/2011/0...bacon-lentils/
From my 4-hour-body days, nom

-- gnat!

[Thorn]

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/lentilsandrice.htm
Super filling and versatile.

Mujaddara? Classic lebenese or hillbilly? Hmmmm....interesting how multiple cultures can have similar recipes; or how recipes migrate from what you'd think were disparate cultures?

Note that the lebenese version is topped with caramelized onions--to me, the best part.