Simply Lentils
by Wardeh Harmon
I grew up loving and enjoying Middle Eastern food. My namesake, Tata (”Grandmother”) Wardeh, taught my mom how to cook the traditional foods from the Middle East. Olives, rice, lentils, fava and garbanzo beans, lamb, cinnamon, cardamom, goat cheese, pickled vegetables and fresh yogurt — just to name a few. As an adult, I look back on my upbringing and wish I’d paid more attention to the preparation of these incredibly nutritious and flavorful foods. I know and love the flavors, but now that I’m grown, I’m working hard to merge our whole food diet with those traditional, rich and healthy staples of the Mediterranean diet.
Healthy lentils are a staple food in the Middle East and other eastern countries, such as Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey. I see that more and more health-conscious people in our country are beginning to favor lentils and other legumes. The legumes — lentils, beans and peas — are the fruit of leguminous plants. According to World’s Healthiest Foods,
[Lentils] grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds that are round, oval or heart-shaped disks and are oftentimes smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser. — World’s Healthiest Foods
For more in-depth information on their history and nutritional information, please visit World’s Healthiest Foods.
In our family, we love lentils. I will tell you why –
1. Lentils are highly nutritious. Lentils are high in fiber, protein and complex carbohydrates, while being low-fat. With almost no fat, one cup of lentils offers good to excellent amounts of six important minerals — molybdenum, folate, tryptophan, iron, copper, and phosphorus; two B-vitamins; and protein.
2. Lentils are easy to cook. They do not require soaking and cook up in 30 to 40 minutes. To those of us used to spending all day cooking up a pot of pinto, kidney or black turtle beans, this seems incredibly speedy!
3. Lentils are a great meal-stretcher or meal-filler. I routinely add lentils to main dishes to stretch out how far our meat goes. This offers a financial benefit since lentils are much cheaper than meat. It also adds a nutritional benefit to the meal; meat has little fiber, so adding lentils boosts the fiber content of the meal.
4. Lentils make a fantastic meal on their own. They are high in protein. They are mild tasting themselves, but readily absorb other spices and flavors, for a very satisfying main dish. When combined with a grain, such as rice, barley or quinoa, they can make a complete protein offering optimum nutrition.
5. Lentils are a food in the Bible. When the Israelites were under seige, the Lord saved them from starvation by giving them a recipe for bread-making. One of the foods that was to be ground into flour was lentils. To our family, this is an endorsement by the Creator that lentils are a good food to eat.
PURCHASING LENTILS
Lentils are available for purchase either in packages or in bulk. You’ll find the greatest cost savings by purchasing in bulk. However, choose a store that has good turnover in its bulk department which will ensure that you are buying fresh, bug-free lentils. Before dipping in and scooping out a bagful, check the bin for bugs. Whole lentils are preferable to cracked. For the maximum health benefits, choose organic lentils. They’re better for you and the way they are grown is best for God’s world.
PREPARING TO COOK LENTILS
You will not need to soak the lentils before cooking. However, it is a good idea to spread them out on a tray and pull out any little stones or debris. Also, take the time to rinse them under cool water for a few minutes.
COOKING LENTILS
Incorporate lentils into a main dish. Add a cup or two of lentils to your stew or sauce and let them cook along with the other foods. Be sure to add enough liquid to sufficiently cook the lentils and the other foods in the dish. One cup of lentils requires three cups of liquid and about 30 to 40 minutes of cooking time.
Pre-cook the lentils. Using three cups of liquid for every one cup of lentils, bring the lentils and liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Consider adding another grain (and sufficient liquid to cook its quantity, too) such as brown rice or barley, as well as spices such as onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, salt and pepper. Add these cooked lentils to finished dishes or store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
I like to keep a large bowl of cooked lentils in the refrigerator and I will add them to meals over the course of a couple days. These meals include — stew, chili, Sloppy Joe’s in a Bowl, or spaghetti sauce, to name a few. As I mentioned before, they readily absorb other flavors, so you’ll hardly know they’re there. Except, as a mom, you’ll notice satisfactorily that your meal stretched further than usual!
Consume lentils warm or cold. Obviously, lentils in a stew or casserole should be served warm. But cold, cooked lentils are delicious added to a pasta salad or rice salad.
A FEW NOTES
Adjust the cooking times to your desired degree of doneness. A shorter cooking time will result in firmer lentils while a longer cooking time will result in softer lentils.
If adding lentils to a main dish recipe, increase some or all of the seasonings to account for the increased volume of the main dish.
Experiment, experiment, experiment! If your family resists drastic changes, just use a small amount of lentils in a meal. Wait until they acclimate before increasing the quantity of lentils.
For recipes using lentils, please visit my Such Treasures blog:
Enjoy those healthy lentils — and feel the satisfaction that you’re eating one of God’s favored foods!
I always welcome your comments, questions or suggestions. Write to me at wardeh@t2chk.org or comment below.
© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon. Used with permission from the author.
Leave a Reply