Occasionally, I Cook..with Lentils!

Ordinarily speaking, cooking is my husband's realm, not mine. I'm what I like to call a "modified vegan." I'm a lactose-intolerant vegetarian who doesn't like the taste of egg yolks. Yummy cheeses like Asiago, Parmesan and Cheddar are all a go, but anything with a milk or cream base is out. I bake with eggs, but prefer not to eat them by themselves. Finding food I can eat that is healthy is a bit of a chore and I find little joy in chopping and simmering and braising (not that you do that a lot in modified vegan cooking). I picked up some vegan cookbooks recently and that's led to me cooking a little more than usual.

In modified vegan cooking, you get a lot of protein from legumes, seeds and nuts. Since I'm also not a huge fan of nuts (I like them in chocolate, does that count?), I pretty much stick to the seeds (think, whole grains) and legumes. Speaking of legumes, lentils are just about my favorite legume around because they're so stinkin' versatile! They are PACKED with protein and they cook faster than any other beans out there. Best of all, my meat-eating husband likes them. A few people have been asking for lentil recipes lately, so here are a few of my favorites:

LENTIL LOAF
(modified from a recipe from Allrecipes.com)

1 1/8 cups green or red lentils
2 1/4 cups water
6 slices whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable broth (can sub water)
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 packet dry vegetable soup mix (onion works fine, too)
1/3 cup bread crumbs

1. Combine lentils and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x5 laof pan.

3. In a large bowl mix together 2 cups cooked lentils (you'll have a little more than that), bread, eggs, broth, ketchup, basil, garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, olive oil and dry soup mix. Spread into prepared pan.

4. Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle top with dry bread crumbs and continue baking another 10 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

We usually serve this with some rosemary roasted potatoes and green beans.


CHIPOTLE LENTIL BURGERS
(from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, modified slightly)

1 tsp. (or thereabouts) olive oil (and a little more for frying)
1 small red onion, cut into medium dice
1/2 pound zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick (think, half moons)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped (stems and leaves)
1 1/4 cups cooked lentils
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, divided (that means you're not using them all at once!)
1/4 cup chipotles in adobe sauce, seeds removed
2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp. smoked paprika

1. Preheat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Saute the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, garlic, cilantro and a pinch of salt and saute for 7-10 minutes, until the zucchini is soft.

2. Transfer zucchini mixture to a food processor. Add all the other ingredients EXCEPT 1 cup bread crumbs. Pulse until mostly smooth, but there should still be a little texture. (Make sure you're removing the cap from the top of the food processor every now and then to let the steam escape.) Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

3. Preheat a pan and a teaspoon or two of olive oil (you're frying the burgers, so make sure it's one that you can flip burgers in) over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 cup of bread crumbs to the burger mixture and use a fork to thoroughly combine.

4. Divide the burger mixture into 6 equal pieces. Form the portions into patties and cook for about 12 minutes, flipping the burgers often until they are nicely browned on both sides.

Serve them on toasted bread or burger buns. Be warned--they are a little spicy and kids probably will not appreciate them.


LENTIL SLOPPY JOES
(from Vital Juice Recipes)

2 cups lentils, rinsed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
2 tbsp. tamari (I'm sure soy sauce would be fine)
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. paprika
couple of pinches of black pepper

1. Bring 8 cups of water and lentils to boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

2. Remove from heat and drain off excess water. Return pot to low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer about 10 minutes. Add pepper to taste.

Serve on whole wheat buns (or open-faced sprouted wheat bread, which is what I did).


TOMATO CURRY LENTIL STEW
(from Allrecipes.com)

1/2 c. dry lentils
1 cup vegetable broth
5 oz. stewed tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped with leaves
1/4 tsp curry powder (I usually throw in a little more)
2 cloves garlic, minced (you could use more, but it gives me heartburn)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine lentils and broth and bring to a boil.

2. Lower heat to simmer. Add tomatoes, onion and celery. Cover and let simmer 45 minutes. Check every 15 minutes to stir and add water if necessary. Add spices in the last 15 minutes. Taste and re-spice if necessary before serving.

I eat this with basmati rice (brown basmati if you like it--it's better for you).