Cold Lentil Salad

Yes, more lentils. They are just too good and too good for you to leave sitting in the pantry. This is a great lunch to take to work since it can be eaten cold or room temperature.

Recipe:
2 cups of cooked and drained lentils
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 lemon, juiced
3 T vinegar
3 T olive oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1 handful fresh parsley or cilantro
pepper

Combine lentils, carrots, celery, red onion, and cucumber in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, mustard, and sugar. Toss with lentil mixture. Stir in herbs and pepper.

*You can add or substitute a lot of things into this salad. Fresh tomato is great in this if you like them. Also, if you want a bit of heat you can add some crushed red pepper flakes.

Lentils cooked in wine

I always have brown lentils in my pantry so I can make lentil soup but I wanted another recipe that I could use them in as well. I started to experiment with different cooking methods and flavors. This creates a nice Italian meal that is completely meatless but is very satisfying. It is low fat, full of fiber, and has tons of complete protein.

Recipe:
1 T olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried lentils
3 cups water (save 1/2 cup of cooking liquid for later)
pepper
1/2 T dijon mustard
1/2 cube vegetable bouillon
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water
1/3 cup fresh water
1/2 cup spinach
1/2 T butter
parmesan
pepper

Place lentils in a large pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil for 8 - 9 minutes. Save 1/2 cup of the cloudy cooking water and drain the rest. Saute onions, garlic and oil in a large saute pan. Add lentils and brown them. Add pepper, mustard, and the bouillon cube. Add wine, cooking liquid, and fresh water. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Add spinach and let it wilt. Add butter. Serve with parmesan cheese and more pepper.

*Depending on how old or how dry your lentils are you may have to adjust the cooking time. Also, the amount of fresh water may need to be increased so that nothing sticks to the pan and so that the lentils continue to cook evenly.

Indian spiced lentils (dhal-ish)

Lentils are delicious. Just about anything you do to them tastes great. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them. They are really good for you too. They have tons of protein, fiber, and iron.

recipe:
1/2 cup red lentils
water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 a medium onion, grated
1 -2 garlic cloves, to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
salt
pepper
cilantro
lime wedge
cooked white rice

place lentils in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, simmer for 15ish minutes or until they are tender and sort of mushy.

while lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a pan, add onion and garlic and cook until slightly soft, add spices and cook until it becomes very dark.

After lentils are finished cooking, add oil and spice mix. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro and a lime wedge.

**increase or decrease the amount of spice to your liking. You can also add other spices, such as paprika, Cayenne pepper, etc. depending on what you have on hand.

This recipe is amazing. So good, and good for you too. Leftovers reheat well but you may have to add a little bit of water.