Curried Lentils

I love curried lentils. It is a filling dish and is quick and easy. It also is forgiving and can easily incorporate as few or as many add-ins as you'd like. I love it with a side of rice and topped with chutney and yogurt.

Depending on how many you want to serve this recipe can easily be scaled up or down. This will serve about 4 (or more as a side dish). I saute 1/2 an onion, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 a green pepper, and 1-2 carrots in 2T oil or butter or a mix. I add in 1C lentils, coat them in the grease, and toast them slightly. I then add 2C water or broth, depending on what I have available. My goal is to only add enough liquid for the lentils to cook and absorb it all in order to avoid ending up with soup.

Add more liquid as needed during the cooking process.

Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat. Lentils can overcook so it is important to check them as they cook. I usually cook them for about 10 minutes and then add potatoes.

Cook about 10 more minutes and add greens like spinach, chard, or kale. Continue to simmer until lentils are soft but not mushy and the potatoes are cooked to your liking. Add more liquid as needed. And serve with rice, plain yogurt, and chutney. I am a fan of mango chutney. With this dish I ate a homemade apricot chutney that I made over the summer. Yum!

Lentils everyone will love!

This is a cold lentil salad that everyone will love. A couple of summers ago my husband's cousin lived with us for a few months. When I would make this salad, which is usually enough as a side dish for about 8 people, he and my husband would polish it off in one night. And neither of them like lentils. Hmmm. The saddest part of that story is that this salad is great the next day so peering in that empty bowl was always a disappointment.

I got this recipe from my aunt who makes this every year at the beach. It is a favorite there too. I am not quite sure how she scales this up to feed nearly 20 people, but it is always a hit!

1 1/2C green lentils

6C chicken stock

1 garlic clove, whole and pierced with a toothpick

1t herbes de Provence

1 small bay leaf

1 tomato (the recipe calls for the tomato to be peeled, seeded, and chopped, but I just chop it)

3 green onions, finely chopped including some of the green tops

1T fresh parsley, chopped (I use about 2T)

1T capers, drained (I use about 2T)

Rinse and pick at the lentils. Put lentils in pan with stock, garlic, herbes de Provence, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer uncovered. Cook the lentils until tender, about 20 minutes, and be careful not to overcook them as they will turn to MUSH! Drain the lentils and leave them to cool. Remove the bay leaf and garlic clove.

Once cool, put the lentils in a bowl with the tomato, onions, parsley and capers. Whisk the vinaigrette (see below), add to the lentils, and toss. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese (recipe calls for 2 1/2 ounces of chevre and I use about 4 ounces) on top and serve, or chill and serve.

Vinaigrette

1/2C olive oil (I use about 1/4C)

2T lemon juice

1t Dijon mustard

1/2t salt

fresh ground black pepper