Ideas for red lentils?

Red lentils quickly turn to mush when you cook them, so they are perfect for soup. Here's my MIL's recipe for Red Lentil soup. It is very yummy, and you could make a meal of it with salad and pita bread on the side, or serve it as a starter:

Hiyam's Lentil Soup
Don't be afraid to experiment with this recipe - it is a great way to use up left-over vegetables from the fridge.

Ingredients

2 T olive oil, plus more to garnish
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
2 cups dried red lentils, rinsed
Water
1 carrot, chopped coarsely
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
1 lemon, quartered
Fresh parsley, chopped finely

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, and then sauté the onions until translucent.

Pour the lentils into the pan, and then add enough water to cover the lentils by about half an inch.

Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the carrot, cumin, and salt to taste. If you are using additional vegetables, you can add them at this point, too. Cook the soup until the carrot is soft; this will take about 20 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat, and puree in small batches until smooth. Serve immediately, drizzled with additional olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and chopped parsley.

Quote:
I was about to share my spicy Italian sausage and red lentil soup recipe but notice this is the veg/vegan forum.

None the less! I make a red lentil soup similar to Owen'nZoe's as well.

simmered red lentils
carrots, sliced
potatoes, cubed
onion, chopped
a can of chopped tomatoes, with their juice
ground cumin to taste

I add a splash of balsamic vinegar instead of the lemon.

That ginger and coconut milk combo sounds luscious.

I like to make Dal with them

Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry! Seriously delicious!

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoon madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
4 cup cauliflower florets
1 jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded, and diced fine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon eavporated cane crystals

In a large saucepan over low heat, combine lentils, onions, curry powder, salt, turmeric, and 2 cups water; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Add tomatoes, cauliflower, and jalapeno peppers and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Serve with rice and/or chapati bread.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for about 10 seconds. Add garlic and ginger; saute until the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in cayenne and immediately add the oil-spice mixture to the cauliflower mixture. Stir in lemon juice, cilantro, and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional salt and cayenne.

Sloppy Joes! We like them with any lentil but the red has a better flavor I think. I go between making the sauce with the seasoning packet and tomato sauce or using Manwich. I much prefer the Manwich stuff honestly. The trick is adding the sauce to the lentils. That way you can have the amount you want to use and you won't be overmaking a batch or having too much sauce to lentil ratio. Trust me on this! Lentil first, sauce next.

We also use them in chili and a creamy lentil soup. I've found making patties out of lentils (and loaves for that matter) is not an easy thing. I've only tried a couple times and it's never really worked for me.

Dal and curry were my first thoughts, too