Lentil Lovers

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ 349?cached=F&savedReview=true

Had to share this recipe.  It's is the best lentil stew I've ever had.  I varied it a bit based on reviewer suggestions.  Added 1/2 tsp. each of dried thyme and cumin, as well as a cup of diced tomatoes.  The flavors just pop.  It serves 3 generously.  And the nutrition analysis is excellent:  50% carbs, and 25% each for fat and protein, AND 24 grams of fiber.  The perfect meal! 

oooh....i'm excited by this recipe. I have a bag of lentils lying around that i haven't been able to decide what do with. and now i know. Thank-you kindly!

Thanks for sharing!  I love lentil soup and have been waiting for the right recipe to come along to share with my family (they aren't as adventurous with new foods as I am).  I can't wait to try it!!

Bon Appetit,

Lynne

Hi Lynne,

This is more a stew than a soup.  Very hearty.  Hope you enjoy it.  I just had it for lunch for the third time and it's still delicious.  I'm going to try it with kale next time.  Swiss chard, too.

Colleen

Thanks for sharing this. . . Being that lentils are so unbelievably healthy (protein, fiber, micronutrients), I so want to be a fan of them. Unfortunately the only good recipe I've found so far after much hunting are soup recipes, which can become quite boring after a while. So, if anyone else has tasty lentil recipes that aren't soup, please do share!

This is one of my favorite dishes in the world - and I've been a vegetarian for 25 years and grew up eating delicious Indian food (and have the potbelly to prove it - which is why I'm on this site!).

Anyways - Mujadara (Imjadara?also known as mujadra, mujadara, mujeddra, and mdardarah) is a "peasant" dish which is popular in the Middle East and has ancient roots (Lebanese, Syrian, Israeli, Palestinian), It is very nutritious "comfort" food with lots of fiber. The traditional recipe calls for rice or bulgur; I have experimented with brown bulgur (which is "whole" cracked wheat) and quinoa as well and the recipe becomes even more nutritious.

I am at work so stole the recipe below from another website but this is closest to the recipe I use, probably b/c it is adapted from the same recipe! Enjoy!

Source: http://eggandsoldier.com/?p=93

The combination of spices you see below is not at all traditional and entirely my own (and goes slightly in the direction of North Africa), though the recipe is based on Claudia Roden?s Mujadra bel Burghul from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food (Knopf, 2000).

Imjadara 4 cups stock (vegetable or beef as you like) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon coriander 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon turmeric Pinch of cayenne or a tiny squeeze (about 1/4 teaspoon) of chili pepper paste Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed 1 1/4 cups coarse-ground bulgur 6-8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 large onions, halved and thickly sliced

In a large, heavy pot, bring the stock to a boil. Stir in the tomato paste and all spices except the salt and pepper, then add the lentils. Simmer, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes or until the lentils are almost tender.

Taste, and add salt and pepper if desired (you probably won?t need the salt if you?ve used a pre-prepared stock). Stir in the bulgur, put the lid back on, and cook over very low heat for another 10-15 minutes. Check it; if it seems dry, add a splash of water. Put the lid back on, remove from heat, and let the pot sit for another 10 minutes or so, after which time the bulgur should be tender and nicely plumped. Stir in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil (I occasionally stop at 3 if the bulgur is very moist.)

As your stock is coming to the boil, get started on the onions. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and fry over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until they?re very brown. Turn the heat up towards the end to caramelize the onions.

Serve the lentils and bulgur topped with the onions and accompany, if you like, with thick Greek yogurt. The dish may be served hot or cold.

Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side dish.

neelshah....your recipes sounds very tasty.. I'm definitely going to try it.  I did the analysis on it and it's pretty high in calories, but if you cut back on the olive oil, not too bad.  I put it in CC recipe file with a cut in the oil. 

Good call it definitely still tastes great w/o that much XVOO, and the quinoa substitution for bulgur improves the makeup of carbs vs protein and general nutrition content considerably

neelshah....bought some bulgur today so I could make this.  Never had bulgur before, so thought I'd try that before quinoa.  Will let you know how it turns out. 

I love lentils! Both those recipes soound yummy!

I like mine curried with tomatoes, onions & garlic, and spinach. The potatoes and mint combo sounds intriguing, and so does bulgur, which I have not tried before.

neelshah.....just finished eating the Imjadara.......loved it!!   I really cut back on the EVOO.  Stirred in just one TB at the end, and it was fine for me.  Garnished with the carmelized onion (added just a little brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit), nonfat yogurt, and chopped cilantro.  Brushed some pita bread with a little oil and sprinkled with the spices used in the stew (except cinnamon) and baked to crisp.  What a great lunch this was.  My hubby is going to love it, too.  This was my first experience with bulgur and I really like it.  Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. 

mmm it all sounds great. I've been making this recently, and it's great too:

cook up some lentils with salt/pepper and some greekish seasoning (oregano, sage, mint that sort of thing) when almost done, put in the bottom of a sprayed casserole. layer on a chopped onion, sliced up eggplant (I use asian type if I have it), the bottom of swiss chard, then some capers, more seasoning, salt/pepper, garlic, then the chard tops and drizzle on some red wine vinegar and maybe a bit of olive oil. put lid on bake for like 45 min until a good smell comes out of the oven.

I suck at cooking. I just boil the lentils in plain water.

Well, that sounds delicious dm84.

Thanks for the link colleen10. I too have several bags of lentils waiting for something to be done with them.  

lol. It's not as bad as it sounds. Sometimes I throw some chipotle seasoning or fake chicken seasoning on it.

I made the recipe from the OP and it was awesome! My husband has requested it get put in regular rotation (we had it without the cheese) I made it with swiss chard instead of spinach because that's what I had. I also added some oregano and thyme.

DM84:  Your recipe is simple and fantastic!  Very tasty (and probably a lot less carbs than my mujaddra recipe).  Thanks for offering it up - worked out great and so easy.

Original Post by neelshah74:

finchcat: Your recipe is simple and fantastic! Very tasty (and probably a lot less carbs than my mujaddra recipe). Thanks for offering it up - worked out great and so easy.

 

oops - I misattributed your lentil chard recipe to another poster, but anyways it was really great and tasty. Thanks.

Original Post by neelshah74:

oops - I misattributed your lentil chard recipe to another poster, but anyways it was really great and tasty. Thanks.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it.  I really like your mujaddra as well.  I'm always trying new lentil recipes, so if I find another winner like this, I'll share it.

Hi

I am new to this site I know how to make delicious lentils with little effort as i am Indian and we are very found of Lentils called (DAL) moreover we take lentils in our dinner or lunch with whole wheat bread called (chapati) i was very slim when i was in Indian but for last few years i started liking pizza,chips, baked potatoes oh gosh this is all oily food with so much of fat i want to control my diet now and I want myself to be back with my vegetarians awesome and healthy Indian Diet. I want to share my favourite Recipe today and if you like Lentil then try to make this Awesome Spinach's Lentils (Dal) You will love it for sure :-) Here i go

(Dal Saag): Lentil Spinach

(Mashed Chana dal-Beet greens)Beet Greens are a wonderful choice for making dal Saag,which gives it a slightly reddish color and tastes great as well as you can see.It cooks down just like Spinach,may be needs to cook few mins longer than the Spinach.Do not add salt and any tomato,tamarind ,mango pd etc while cooking with Chana dal,you can add those later if you like while cooking.



You Need:
Beet greens from 3-4 beets,one cup chopped Spinach,1/2 cup Chana dal(split red gram)soaked in water for 2 hrs, 2 garlic minced, 1" piece ginger minced, 1 green chili, 2 tsp coriander seeds powder, 1/2 tsp Garam masala(optional),salt to taste,1 tsp of jaggery or sugar. 2 tbsp corn flour or corn meal(Makki ka atta).

For seasoning: 2 tbsp ghee or oil, 1 tsp cumin deeds,2 green chilies, (if you like spicy)cut into rounds,1" ginger, cut into long thin strips, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or paprika.

How to make it:
1. Wash,de-vein and chop the leaves and tender stems,cook with drained dal in 1 cup of fresh water, ginger, garlic and green chili in a pressure cooker on medium heat for few mins or in a pan covered and cook for 20 minutes.Open the lid.
2. Mash a little, add coriander pd,corn flour,sugar,garam masala,and salt,simmer on a low heat until it thickens,keep stirring to prevent sticking.It should not be thin or very thick like a big lump.
4. Heat ghee/oil, saute cumin seeds, ginger strips, green chilies rounds until it changes color slightly, remove from the heat and add chili powder. (If you like spicy) 5. Add this seasoning to Dal saag and mix well.