Experimenting with Lentils

Hey guys! I hope you’re having a great start to your week!

Last night's bike ride was glorious. We did an easy 4-miler. I hope we have a few more days of nice weather so we can get in another ride or two!



Safety first! :)



Let’s zip through the usual packed breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast: Pumpkin Yogurt topped with Cacao Nibs & Crushed Chia Seeds

This was tasty, but it only kept me full for about an hour! Which is no good!

Lunch:

For dinner, I was inspired by Angela’s High Protein Lentil Salad. So I decided to finally use my bag of lentils that has been chilling in my pantry for about a year!

Since this would be my first time cooking dried lentils, a little research was necessary. Gosh, I love the internet. Where did people find the answers to these questions pre-internet? ;)

After a little research, I found out that I had standard brown lentils.  Brown Lentils are plumper, but smaller than green lentils and have an earthier flavor. They hold their shape well but if overcooked they can become mushy. (Note to self: do not overcook!)

If you’re like me, and you’re not familiar with lentils, you can find a lot of information about them here.

To Prep:

Spread lentils out in a single layer on a white kitchen towel or a light colored work surface. Check for and discard any dirt, tiny stones, and damage lentils. (After this step, I will be finding lentils in my kitchen for weeks to come!)

After checking through the lentils, place them in a strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water.

To cook:

Use 1 1/2 cups of water or broth to 1 cup of lentils.

Add water to a saucepan and if desired add seasonings. I kept it simple with these:

Bring water a boil and add the lentils. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until tender. Cook green and brown lentils for approximately 45 minutes.

While the lentils cooked away, I chopped veggies.

Then I made a simple and slightly sweet dressing with these ingredients.

I also decided to add some dried cranberries for a bit more sweetness. I also added some TJ's light feta cheese!

All ready and waiting for the lentils to be done!

The result:

Simple, quick, and healthy!

I’m pleasantly surprised with my first experience cooking lentils! Now what to do with the leftover cooked lentils?

I’m off to spend some quality time with my treadmill and get some school work done!

<3 Stefanie

Have you ever cooked lentils? What did you make with them?