Lentils

[surfergirl]

I love cooking lentils or sorts of ways. But I recently discovered a new lentil in my shop. A french lentil. Its a purple brown color.

I like to curry them up. or add to potato stew. Any new Ideas please?

[ReadYourBible]

I love lentils too, but my husband hates them. I usually buy an 18 bean blend and throw in extra lentils, these are cooked in the slow cooker that has in it a beef broth, wait until they're soft, add some cooked beef (usually stewing cubes that I've cut up into smaller chunks), potatoes, frozen carrots, turnips, frozen peas, frozen kernel corn (my husband hates turnips as well, so if I'm making this - it's for me only lol) and of course seasoning (usually something simple like garlic, pepper, salt, doh forgot oregano, thyme and sage (but only a bit)). Usually takes awhile for this to be done. Maybe 8 hours total? I haven't made it in a long while.....

I had lentils for the first time at a neighbours house, and I'm a pretty picky eater....I didn't want to try them (I was pretty young) but did anyhow and I am SO glad I did cause I LOVE them!!!

I found this website for Canadian Lentil Recipes!!!

http://www.lentils.ca/cooking-with-lentils/canadian-lentil-cookbook

Mmmmmn Beef & Lentil Samosas!

Filling:

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 lb. (250 g) lean ground beef

1 cup (250 mL) cooked green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained if canned

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp. (10 mL) grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. (5 mL) cumin

1/2 tsp. garam masala

salt and pepper

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 pkg. samosa or spring roll wrappers, thawed if frozen

canola oil, for cooking

Directions:

In a large, heavy skillet, cook the onion in a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until transparent. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it's no longer pink. Add the jalapeño, garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the cumin, garam masala, salt and pepper, then the green onions and cilantro. Cook for another minute or two, stirring to combine everything well, then remove from heat.

In a small dish, stir together the flour and 2 Tbsp. water to form a paste. Fill and fold the samosas. (Note: if you don’t know how to do this, Google it for visuals. Generally you want to fold over the end of a strip of wrapper to form a triangle, form it again to form a pocket, fill the pocket, then keep folding, maintaining the triangle shape, to the end of the wrapper. Use the paste to seal it closed and fill any holes in the tips of the three corners.

In a medium heavy pot, heat a couple inches of canola oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry a few at a time, without crowding the pot, flipping as necessary as they turn golden. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Serve warm. Makes about 2 dozen samosas.

[ReadYourBible]

Reasons to eat Lentils:

(From the site above)

Fibre

Did you know? Just 100 grams of green lentils (uncooked) packs in a whole day’s worth of the fibre you need!

Lentils are an excellent source of fibre. In addition to gut motility, dietary fibre is well known for many health benefits. Notably, high intake of fibre is associated with lower blood cholesterol levels and protection against developing colon cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

Potassium

Did you know? Just 100 grams of split red lentils (uncooked) has more potassium than a large banana!

We are so driven to reduce salt that sometimes we forget to look at the other half of the equation: getting enough potassium. Potassium can counteract the damaging effect of sodium and has been shown to lower blood pressure.

Folate

Did you know? Out of all plant-based foods, lentils contain the most folate!

Lentils are an excellent source of folate. A type of B-vitamin, folate helps support red blood cell formation and proper nerve functions. Folate also plays an important role in lowering artery-damaging homocysteine. In addition, this water-soluble vitamin may help prevent anemia and protect against developing heart disease, cancer, and dementia. Folate is particularly important for women of childbearing age, as it is needed to support increasing maternal blood volume and to decrease the risk of neural tube defects (NTD) in newborn babies.

Protein

Did you know? A serving of lentils contains more protein than a serving of yogurt!

Lentils are a good source of protein. A ¾ cup serving of lentils provides about 13 grams of protein. With such a high protein content, no wonder lentils are regarded as a meat alternative in Canada’s Food Guide!

Iron

Did you know? Just 100 grams of lentils provides 50% of your daily iron needs!

Iron plays an integral role in the formation of hemoglobin in blood and myoglobin in muscles, both of which carry oxygen to the cells. That’s why fatigue and tiredness are usually the first symptoms people notice when they are low in iron. Average adult women require double the daily amount of iron than men. For vegetarians, getting enough iron is particularly challenging. Regularly including lentils in your diet can help boost your iron intake.

Manganese

Did you know? Just 100 grams of red lentils provides 100% of your daily manganese needs!

Lentils are a very good source of manganese. This mineral is stored mainly in our bones and in major organs including the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Manganese plays a role in maintaining normal blood sugar level, and helps protect against free-radical damage.

Lentils are truly Hidden HealthyTM superstars. Preparing lentils is as easy as 1-2-3: just rinse, boil, and season. Unlike beans, lentils do not require soaking at all.

[Joey]

I got an idea for lentils from my heart repair book...you can add barbecue sauce and make like a sloppy joe sandwich...put it on a bun like ground beef and barbecue...very good!

[Ms. Piffle]

My daughter ( a vegan) and I have made tacos using lentils in place of meat.

[rosieg]

My daughter ( a vegan) and I have made tacos using lentils in place of meat.

how did they tast?

[Ms. Piffle]

We all like the 'vegan tacos' quite will. Even my husband, a 'real meat and potatoes" man, liked them.

[rosieg]

I guess I will have to try it i'm trying to cut my meat intake down.