Lentils

[trilliumwolf]

Does anyone have any good lentil recipes? I have a cupboard full of different types of lentils, and am drawing a blank on what to do with them!

[Magelet]

saute onions, add red lentils and enough chicken broth to cook, cook. when cooked, flavor in one of several ways(when I have made them this way, it was a "what do we have around spice wise, oh I'll throw that in. you can definitely adjust it as you like, leave out what you don't have, but this is sort of a "flavor profile":
thai style curry:
add a kaffir lime leaf or two as it cooks
thai chili paste, galengal, lemongrass, ginger, other "thai curry" ish spices, coconut milk. plenty of salt, and lime juice,

indian style peanut curry:
coconut milk, peanut butter, garam marsala, fenugreek (just a little), tumeric, cumin, chili pepper, cloves (just a little). plenty of salt and lemon juice.

chicken lentils:
add salt, lemon juice, and drippings from roast chicken. optional chicken meat.

(veggies and/or meat could be added to any of these. chicken and chard go well in the peanut curry I know because I've had it that way.)


in summer:
french green lentil salad:
soak and cook french green lentils. cool (we often put the lentils in icewater to cool them quickly. if I make it in advance I'll just put the drained lentils in the fridge overnight). cut tomatos, peppers, carrots, cucumber, feta or cheddar or meat, and other veggies, and toss with a dressing of about 1/2 apple cider vinegar, 1/2 olive oil, LOTs of salt (to taste.)

beans soak up lots of acid and salt, so you need a lot in all of these dishes.

[crazyrunningmama]

For the kind of lentils that are like split peas (eg. chana dal), I rinse them well, throw them in a pot with broth or just water and spices and roughly chop whatever veggies are around (mostly root veggies like carrots, parsnip, turnips, and squash, yams, potatoes plus lots of onion and garlic which I just peel and toss in whole). Spices are usually curry type, but needn't be. When the lentils and veggies are all soft, cool a bit and hand blender the whole thing. Much more protein than the currently popular butternut squash soup that I see in restaurants and a great way to include cheap veggies that you don't always know what to do with (for me - parsnips).

[blessedwithboys]

when i was a kid, my g'mother used to cook regular lentils in salted water and then add in cooked elbow noodles. i dont think she really put any other seasonings in it, but it was one of my favorite foods and still is, but now i trade soaked brown rice for the pasta and i cook everything in bone broth and add some veggies and esp garlic, but i add the garlic right at the end so it is essentially raw. its my #1 fave comfort food, and my 7yo ds loves it too.

[DevaMajka]

Honey baked lentils!!!

I use molasses instead of honey and add rice and squash in it. The first time I made it, it was for a vegan. It was so good, I've never tried it the original way.