Lentil Lovin'

Lentils are not very attractive looking legumes. I've passed them up several times, too put off by their appearance to give them a try. I probably never would have taken a nibble if my co-worker hadn't made some for an office potlock. Sitting amid the steaming dishes of baked macaroni & cheese, hashbrown casserole, and corn pudding the little dish of brownish-green beans didn't look very appealing but I put a few tablespoons on my plate anyway. Ahhh! It was love at first bite.

Variety of lentils

After my initial encounter with this lovely legume I did a little investigating. To quote Marc Anthony, "Tu amour hace bien!" (your love does me good) because these little beans are packed with all sorts of benefits. They are low in calories, high in fiber, stabilize blood sugar, high in iron, great source of B vitamins (most notably folate and niacin), lower cholesterol, and (my fav) packed full of protein. Protein makes up 26% of the calories in lentils AND they are the third highest level of protein than any other plant food. One cup of lentils is about 230 calories, 18 grams of protein, <1 gram of fat, and 16 grams of fiber (net carbs of 24g).  How can you not love that, Fit People??

Another thing I love about lentils is that they don't require soaking or other such non-sense that encroaches on my time. My requsite for just about anything I cook is that it can't complicate my life. Soaking and a lot of prep do not work for my lifestyle most days. Also, it doesn't take a lot to make these babies delicious. My first adventure with cooking lentils was a nice and easy lentil soup recipe that I found on www.fatsecret.com--of course I made some changes to suit my taste.

Ingredients:

My lovely lentil soup

2 bay leaves, whole and dried

• 1 dash black pepper, coarse ground
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 3 cups of water
• 2 cups of frozen mirepoix mix (already chopped celery, onion, and carrots) 
• 1 clove garlic (I used already minced in a jar)
• 1 16oz package of lentils (mine cost $1.25)

1. Dump lentils into a bowl and rinse them. No need to soak!
2. In stockpot lightly saute or "sweat" the mirepoix mix in the olive oil. Add garlic; pour in the chicken broth and water.
3. Add lentils, and seasonings bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 30 minutes until lentils and vegetables are tender.
4. Remove bay leaf, season with additional salt and pepper if desired. 

That's it!! We ate off half a pot for about a week and I froze the other half. I had it by itself, as a side dish, and as a pre-workout snack. So easy, so delicious, and so good for you. Ahh, that's amore! 

Until our next adventure EAT Fit4Life!!