Ideas for lentils (521 views)
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Post by karenw on Mar 24, 2020 18:54:12 GMT -5
DD (sadly) just moved back home from the dorms today. Her roommate told her to take whatever was left in their fridge so among the items she came home with was a package of Trader Joe's steamed lentils. Anyone have any suggestions, ideas, or inspiration for me to use them, I would appreciate. I do love lentils but I am used to using them from dried. Perhaps, a lentil hummus....I know I have made one in the past that was good. Share your ideas if you have any! Thanks!!!
Karen
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Post by wallycat on Mar 24, 2020 20:09:12 GMT -5
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Post by karenw on Mar 25, 2020 7:23:11 GMT -5
Ha ha Wallycat.....too funny as I was talking with DD last night about ideas to use them and sloppy joe lentils was at the top of the list!! I think it will be that or a lentil marinara over pasta or Indian spiced and stuffed into sweet potatoes. The latter would require a trip to the store for me for the potatoes so not sure I am making that one now but maybe down the road!!! (I hope!).
Karen
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Post by erin elizabeth on Mar 25, 2020 8:54:02 GMT -5
Lentil tacos? My recipe starts them dried in the crockpot, but you could just treat them like meat in this case. Pan, spices, some salsa or water to make it come together.
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emptynestmom
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Post by emptynestmom on Mar 25, 2020 9:52:13 GMT -5
Found this old CLBB recipe, can’t remember if I made it...don’t see why you couldn’t use cooked lentils...
Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
New York Times, November 17, 2007 (CLBB KValley)
Time: 1 hour 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced 4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed 2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups) 1 1/2 cups dried lentils 1 bay leaf 1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced 1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro Finely grated zest of 1 lime Juice of 1/2 lime 1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores 1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.
1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeño. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.
3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.
Yield: 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings. __________________
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Post by swedishcook on Mar 31, 2020 13:52:54 GMT -5
I don't know if you still need suggestions Karen, but I found a recipe from New York Times among their "Pantry Staples". It does include rice, which can be a hard to find ingredients these days.
Lentils, Rice, Caramelized Onions and a Dinner to Remember Adapted from a Middle Eastern mujadara, this streamlined take falls somewhere between a soup and a stew. Today’s pantry dish is a hearty one, built on a solid foundation of lentils and rice topped with golden fried onions. Adapted from a Middle Eastern mujadara, this streamlined version is brothier than the original, somewhere between a soup and a stew. Simmered together in one pot, it’s faster and more flexible, using any kind of lentils, rice and allium you’ve got on hand.
To make it, heat a slick of oil or other fat in a medium saucepan. I used a combination of olive oil and duck fat. Add sliced onions, shallots or leeks — the more the merrier. The browned onions are the best part of this dish, so you really can’t overdo it, but just know that the more onions you add, the longer they will take to caramelize. I used two shallots and two small onions, because that’s what I had, but in a perfect world, I’d use one giant white onion, thinly sliced.
Add a pinch of salt, and sauté until the onions turn golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes. Watch them carefully, especially toward the end of cooking. If they are cooking too quickly, turn down the heat. If they’re not getting brown, crank it. Some dark brown strands mixed in with the golden ones are OK, but you don’t want them to burn.
When they are done, transfer half of them to a plate and add a couple of thinly sliced garlic cloves to the ones left in the pot. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about a minute, then add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, if you have it, and a pinch of cayenne, and sauté for a few seconds to toast the spices and bring out their flavor. If you have any herbs sprigs — thyme, oregano or rosemary — add them to the pot. Otherwise, add a large pinch of dried herbs.
Now add 5 cups broth or water (or a combination), and bring to a simmer. Add enough olive oil and salt to the liquid so that it tastes good. Then add 1 cup rinsed lentils (any kind) and let simmer, partly covered, until they are almost but not quite done, about 25 to 30 minutes for green or brown lentils, and 15 to 20 for red lentils.
Add 3/4 cups rinsed rice to the pot and continue to simmer until everything is very tender, another 18 to 25 minutes. As it cooks, keep an eye on it. If the mixture looks too thick, cover the pot, or add more liquid. If it seems too thin and soupy, turn up the heat and boil off some of the liquid. The consistency is up to you.
Melissa Clark, New York Times
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Post by karenw on Mar 31, 2020 19:42:23 GMT -5
I do love Mujaddarah, Swedishcook but I did use the lentils (tonight!!). We had lentil sloppy joes and they turned out really good. So good I may have to keep a supply of those steamed, vacuumed sealed lentils on hand if I ever get to shop at TJ's again in the future!! O/W I have plenty of dried lentils in the house (And rice!!!) Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!
Karen
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