When you’re talking loving your body and feeling better in it, as we are on Off the Menu this week, you can’t do better than adding lentils to your routine. High in protein, packed with vitamins and the phytonutrients called isoflavones, full of fiber, brimming with folate—they’re all kinds of good for your body. But unlike most super foods they’re dead cheap, and all kinds of good for your wallet. Is that why they’ve been a part of the human diet for ten thousand years? Could be. Cuisines around the world rely on them as a staple – they’re delicious in India, big in France, and important in Italy. Use them in soups, salads, and as side dishes. Here are a mere 5 recipes to turn you into a lentil superfood superfan - use one to bring a little warmth, well being, and budget-healing into this long, long winter.
Beet, Lentil, and Beet Green SaladAll you need for this is a cup of lentils, a bunch of beets with their greens and vinaigrette ingredients and you’ve got a double superfood salad. Beets and lentils go well together because of their contrasting textures and contrasting levels of sweetness, bur really you can use this basic recipe for just about any root vegetable you can think of—parsnips? Carrots?—and you’ve got a great salad for a potluck, a hearty lunch, or a side for a fancy dinner.
French Lentil Salad with Bacon and HerbsIf you’re skeptical about this whole lentil as a side dish thing- try this. Tangy with capers, rich with bacon, this is what happens to lentils in France and it’s a glorious thing. Try it as a side-dish to a nice piece of meat or fish, or pile it on some torn lettuce for a nice hearty lunch.Martha Stewart’s Rosemary Lentil Side DishWhy don’t you serve lentils in place of potatoes next to your roast chicken or pork? You know I have a love/hate thing with Martha and her perfect world—but I do love her rosemary lentil recipe for its utter simplicity. Boil some lentils with rosemary and garlic, and you’re about done. Put it on a salad, serve it with a nice rotisserie chicken, throw a dollop in any kind of soup. Note the red wine vinegar addition. Any time lentil soup is not working for you add some lemon juice or wine vinegar, it’ll fix you up just right.
Slow Cooker Curried Lentils with Chicken and PotatoesCurried lentils are a staple of Indian cuisine, and there really is no better way to eat a lentil. This slow cooker recipe will keep your house smelling great all day, and left overs will keep wonderfully in the fridge—and it’s easy as can be too.
Lentil Soup with Manchego CheeseIf you master the basic concept of throwing some lentils, a can of tomatoes, and some vegetables in a crock-pot you can eat well on the cheap for the rest of your life. If that’s too simple for you—grate some fancy cheese like Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, or Manchego on top. Any dark green vegetable will work here—chard, but also kale, collard greens, turnip greens, whatever you’ve got.