My journey of cooking, gardening, preserving and more
Quinoa is one of those foods that became super trendy, for a while. Super trendy until a lot of people actually tried it and decided they didn’t like it. The first way I ever made it was as a savory side dish, with mushrooms, veggie stock, …
If you’ve been with me on this journey for a while, then you’ve seen my no-mayo coleslaw recipe, made with cider vinegar and Dijon mustard. In that post, I mention another no-mayo coleslaw recipe that I make and this, finally, is that recipe. If you’ve …
Lentils have made a serious comeback in the last year or so. Okay, maybe not a kale-style comeback, but a comeback, nonetheless. I don’t want to turn you off from lentils by telling you this, but lentils are pretty darned good for you. Lentils health benefits include being a good source of soluble fiber and protein, along with being a great source of folate and magnesium. The beauty of black lentils is that they have a nuttier taste than regular legumes, plus their black coloring is thanks to anthocyanins, which is a powerful antioxidant.
Black Lentils are not the easiest thing to find, at least where I live, but I consistently find mine now at Bushel and Peck’s, in Beloit, WI.
Lentils are a member of the legume family but here’s the real beauty: you don’t need to soak lentils before cooking them. This makes them an easy and healthy side (or main, depending on how you prepare them) dish to compliment a quick meal. You can change this recipe up by adding different veggies, just keep the cooking of everything to a minimum, so you don’t end up with mushy veggies and lentils. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook lentils, this recipe is a great way to start.
Black lentils are also called Beluga lentils, due to their resemblance to Beluga caviar. But here’s another bonus: black lentils are much, much cheaper than caviar. Do I have you loving these little black pearls yet?
Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, carrots and celery and cook just until onions begin to become translucent and carrots begin to soften, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add thyme and lentils and stir well, to coat lentils. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add stock, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Stir in fresh herbs. Remove from heat, remove the lid, let sit about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.
You don’t want to over-stir these once the lentils have cooked, or you’ll end up mushing them up, which isn’t very attractive. (But they’re still delicious!)
I really hope this post inspires you to try black lentils. They really are easy and delicious and this is a very easy black lentil recipe to prepare for a weeknight dinner.
I made these the other night as a side to Moroccan-spiced duck breast and braised leeks and they were a perfect, nutty foil to the richness of the duck breast.
Don’t be afraid to try new things and never, ever be afraid to play with your food. This recipe is also great cold, as a side salad. Just add the fresh herbs after you’ve removed the lentils from the heat, so you get the real “fresh herb” flavor.
Leftover ham? My motto is: make soup! I’ll keep this post short and simple. These are guesstimated amounts since soup is a wing-it kind of thing for me and I don’t really measure. The key is really ratio – add more of what you like, …
Yes, I’ve been very busy in my gardens. Flowers and veggies and mulch, oh my. But I’ve also tried to relax a bit and enjoy the early summer. A screened-in patio with a ceiling fan and hammock really help with the whole “letting go” process. …
Am I a horrible person because the sight of the tater-tot-topped, canned-chicken, Velveeta-cheese-oozing, can-of-soup-required concoctions that pass as casseroles all make me start to contemplate a Double Whopper with Cheese as a healthier option.
Sadly, “salad” also seems to take on a whole new meaning at times. I’ve seen bloated macaroni salad literally swimming in Miracle Whip and added sugar and I’m still unclear on how anything that contains marshmallows and jello constitutes a salad and not a dessert.
So having said my little food-snob rant, I’ll be the first to admit that this recipe is not very fancy, nor very original. What I will say is this: it’s made with fresh veggies, no mayonnaise, (just like with my mayo-free coleslaw), and is a much slower way to clog your arteries and expand your waistline. Oh, and it’s pretty delicious if you like pasta and fresh veggies.
This is a dish that you have to customize to suit your tastes, along with using what you have on hand. I’ve made this pasta salad a number of ways based on the contents of my pantry and fridge. Black beans, cubed tofu, steamed broccoli or broccolini, snow peas, carrots, celery, chopped jalapeno, fresh basil, olives, artichoke hearts, goat cheese or feta cheese…use your imagination and your on-hand supplies. Here’s how I made this particular batch of pasta salad with my recent overly-ambitious veggie purchase at the store though I will warn you, it makes a big batch. Feel free to halve the recipe if this is for just a few people….
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. You may have to add a bit more of the oil or vinegar, depending on taste – the pasta and salad do absorb it after sitting. This is best once the flavors have had a chance to come together – usually at least a few hours.
Pretty simple, right? And no jello or marshmallows required.
Enjoy!
If you’ve never had coleslaw made without mayonnaise, I hope you’ll try this! I was kind of a weird kid in the fact that I didn’t really like coleslaw growing up. The cabbage always seemed to be drowning in watered-down mayo and it was never …