Lentils – A Healthy, Yummy, Low Cost Protein

With our winter temps holding steady in and around the 30s, you may find yourself suddenly craving heavy carbs. Hearty lentils to the rescue! Lentils are the easiest of legumes to prepare, and a slow burning complex carb full of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract trapping and eliminating cholesterol out of the body. And, high fiber foods like lentils have been shown to help prevent heart disease while stabilizing blood sugar. Lentils also increase your energy by boosting your iron levels. Lentils are an excellent low cost protein source. When stored properly, dried lentils have an extremely long shelf life.

They’ve got an earthy, slightly peppery taste that combines well with fresh greens, tomatoes and herbs. You can eat them raw, which adds a nice crunch to your dish, or blanch them for a minute to soften them both in texture and in taste.

When you sprout lentils or other legumes you make them easier to digest and you also increase their nutritional content, especially vitamins B and C.

It’s super simple to cook lentils:

They don’t need to be presoaked like other beans, and the red, yellow, and brown varieties cook in about 20 minutes. Green lentils take about 40 minutes.

Rinse lentils a couple times in a bowl with water. Carefully pour out water, or drain through a sieve.
Place 1 cup lentil to 1 ½ cups water into a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to low. Top with a lid and leave simmering for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check lentils to see if they are tender enough for you. If not, simmer another 5 minutes, to desired texture.
Serve lentils warm, or set aside to cool before storing in your refrigerator.

Use lentils to top salads, add to soups, serve with sauces, or blend into a hummus-like dip. Will keep for about 3 to 4 days when stored in sealed container in fridge. You can also freeze cooked lentils.

Want to get more nutrition from your lentils?
Try soaking and sprouting instead of cooking:

Green or brown lentils work best for sprouting.

Rinse lentils a couple times in a bowl with cold water. Carefully pour out water, or drain through a sieve.
Place 1 cup lentil to 2 cups water to cover in a large bowl and soak overnight. Lentils will absorb most of the water.
Drain what’s left and rinse thoroughly.
Add water to the bowl to cover again and leave to soak another 4-8 hours.
When the lentils have grown a small tail (also known as having sprouted) they are ready to rinse, drain and use.
Lay them flat on a cookie sheet to dry for an hour or so until ready to store.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (if they last that long!)

Use lentils to top salads, add to soups, serve with sauces, or blend into a hummus-like dip. Add spices and use as a vegan taco base or wrap filling. Sprouted lentils are especially good by the handful as a snack as is!

One of my favorite ways to use sprouted lentils in a meal is by substituting them for ground beef in the base for shephard’s pie!