red lentil magic
Red lentils make a good base for soup, one that is a favorite of mine. Recently I've found that cooking up red lentils as a sauce to toss with vegetables makes a quick, tasty, and healty meal.
Red lentil and vegetables:
Place the red lentils and water into a pot and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, remove the white froth floating on top and reduce the head to low. Add spices as desired. Add the tofu to the lentil mixture (if desired), stir.
4 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1-2 tablespoons ground cumin
red pepper flakes
garlic
1 block extra firm tofu, cubed
vegetables of your choice
from tonight's variation:
3 sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
6 carrots, sliced
1 bag of frozen white corn
Add a lid, leaving it open a crack.
Cook the red lentil mixture on low for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the other vegetables. I usually use the microwave to cook each of the vegetables but any method of cooking would work. As the vegetables are cooked, add them to a large bowl.
When the lentils are cooked, pour them over the mixed vegetables. Toss the vegetable and lentil mixture. Serve.
This concoction makes enough food for me a dinner plus lunches for the entire week.
You can easily use the recipe as a starting point, decreasing or increasing the amounts to meet your needs.
If you're interested in the nutritional value of red lentils, I found a concise summary at the bottom of this page on Bob's Red Mill site.
