Thursday, 19 January 2012

Ahhh Lentils

Be honest – the moment you hear the word Vegan or Vegetarian one of the first things you think of is lentils. Closely followed by mung beans, musty incense, and quite possibly hippies wearing socks and sandals. For that reason I have avoided lentils for a long time. Actually the other reason I have avoided them is I had no idea what to do with them! I had canned brown lentils sitting in my pantry, but being a novice cook I wasn’t sure whether I needed to cook them once I opened the can, whether I could just use them, or whether I would even like the little critters.

So last week I decided to beat another one of my cooking fears, and opened up the can of Lentils.

The recipe I decided to break my Lentil fear with was from Oh She Glows.  – Olive Oil Pasta with Walnuts, Lentils and Red Peppers.

For my first attempt I made the recipe exactly as suggested on the site but tonight I modified it slightly to suit the family.

Although my daughter is only officially allergic to Peanuts, she insisted the walnuts in the original recipe gave her “Tickly ears” Apparently the inside of her ear tickles when she is about to react to something!

I also changed the medium heat salsa to a milder heat, and left out the suggested red pepper flakes. I also added in a lot more spinach than suggested. It was still delicious.

So here is my version

Lentil, red pepper and spinach pasta

You will need

250g spaghetti (we used Healtheries Gluten free)
1/2 cup medium or mild salsa
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup cooked lentils (I poured straight from the can :)
1 chopped red pepper
1 cup spinach (I used baby spinach leaves)

Instructions


  1. Cook the pasta according to packet directions.
  2. Whilst pasta is cooking pop the rest of the ingredients in a pan, and heat at a low to medium heat for about 10 mins.
  3. Place the spinach in a colander, and when the pasta is cooked pour it over the top of the spinach in the colander.
  4. Pop the spinach and pasta back into the pasta pot, pour the sauce over the top, and stir it well. I used tongs to mix it well.

Makes 4 medium sized portions.

And just in case you were wondering why you might want to eat lentils, apart from the fact that they are delicious and versatile?

Lentils are high in iron and are a great way to keep up the body’s iron stores, especially for people who don’t eat red meat like vegans and vegetarians.

Lentils are a great source of B vitamins, especially folate and niacin (B3). B vitamins are important for the healthy functioning of the nervous, digestive, and immune systems.

Lentils are a great cholesterol lowering food due to their high levels of fiber.

And

Protein makes up 26% of the calories in lentils and they have the third highest level of protein than any other plant food. 

So my friends – I have officially broken my Lentil phobia, and I am now a fan.

(And just to clarify – we have moved a long long way from mung beans, socks and sandals and musty incense. Unless you like that type of thing of course)

Question: What are some of your favourite dishes/ways to use lentils.

cheers

Ali


  • Anna @ the Guiltless Life

    YUM! I love cooking with lentils – probably my favourite is the recipe I posted the other day, the lentil sweet potato stew – but thanks for this recipe because I am always looking for new ways to make lentils and this sounds a lot like a vegetarian spaghetti bolognese too which is awesome!

  • Ali

    Yum – lentil sweet potato stew sounds awesome. That will be my next lentil attempt!

  • Shannon

    I havent had lentils in a long time! I think its about time I had some again!! :)

    Thanks for sharing the recipe! Have a nice weekend!

  • Ali

    Hi Shannon -thanks for dropping by :) . Definately try this one – its yummy.
    I checked out your blog – fantastic!

  • Keri

    Even though I read OSG, I've never seen this recipe. Will definitely try it this week because I LOVE lentils. Though I've never bought canned lentils–are they good?!

    My favorite lentil recipes are lentil stews and lentil salads (usually make a big batch and spoon over spinach salad for lunch during the week).

    Thanks for the recipe inspiration!

  • Ali@whatalididnext

    Keri they really are good! So convenient.I would love to see some of your recipes for Lentil stews – always up for new ideas.