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Okay, so, for the last few years now I've been a priest in the church of lentils. Lentils, if you don't know, are small bean-like legumes called "pulses." They come in a variety of sizes and colors, with the most common being the brown lentil.

Here are the nutrition facts for a cup of dry brown lentils.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4337/2

As you can see, only 2 g of fat (almost no saturated fat) and only 4 g of sugar, but 59 g of fiber and 50 g of protein. Add to this that for about $1 to $1.50 depending on the store you can get two cups worth of lentils. That's basically 100 g of protein for a buck.

Now, it's true, lentils aren't explosions of flavor when cooked, but the great thing about them is that between their blandness and their ability to soak up liquid, they're great at taking the flavor of whatever you cook them in. Hence why they're perfect for soups and chilis.

When cooking lentils, you probably want to precook them in boiling water until they're tender (don't worry if the water turns muddy--that's natural, just strain the lentils after they're done) before adding them to your recipe.

Below are a few of my favorite recipes involving lentils.

Sloppy joes with lentils:

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/06/sloppy-joes-plus/

Lentil burritos (my own recipe--and my favorite lentil dish)



Mujaddara (Lebanese dish)

This one is really simple, but the trick is to have LOTS of onions and to cook them until they're caramelized.

-1 cup brown lentils
-1 cup white rice
-3-5 yellow onions
-olive oil
-whatever spice you want--cumin and ground cloves work well, as does red pepper flakes
-salt to taste

Precook your lentils and chop your onions. Don't worry about chopping the onions fine as they'll shrink down as you cook them. Also don't worry if 5 chopped yellow onions looks like a mountain in the pan--again they'll cook down. Coat your pan with olive oil and start sauteeing the onions. Keep cooking and stirring them until they're a deep, sweet brown. At the same time you should start cooking your rice in a rice cooker. Once the rice, lentils, and onions are all done, stir them together in your pan. That's it.

Typical liberal anti-meat bias. What a joke.

Thing is, looks like they have way to many carbs.

But seriously,

Gf made lentil soup a couple months ago, and it was great. And there's this Lebanese restaurant near me that makes a lentil soup that's otherworldly. Lebanese food in general is awesome. Love me some Mujadara. And I tend not to eat a lot of meat, so beans are a semi-regular part of my diet. I'll likely copy/paste and save the recipes. I have dozens that I may or may not ever use, but hopefully I'll get to them someday.

I grew up on lentils, my mother makes this absolutely delicious lentil stew with a light tomato sauce and adds carrots, onions, potatoes and a small amount of meat, usually a combo of beef, chicken and/or Italian (pork) sausage.

Funny thing, I've not had it in probably 2-3ish years and I think she's making it today.

Originally posted by Digi
Typical liberal anti-meat bias. What a joke.

Originally posted by Digi
Typical liberal anti-meat bias. What a joke.
What does a republican eat?

Originally posted by Jesus McBurger
What does a republican eat? The body of Christ.

Originally posted by Jesus McBurger
What does a republican eat? Cock, in bathroom stalls.

So its true then.....Omega is FULL OF BEANS!!!!!!!!!!


And Religion is to blame....

Originally posted by Time-Immemorial
Thing is, looks like they have way to many carbs.
I wouldn't worry too much about the carbs.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/CarbsInGrains/a/Carbs-In-lentils.htm

Basically they do have carbs, but not enough to offset their many other benefits. It's the same as sweet potatoes. Yes, they're a starchy food, but they're so nutrient dense that you can afford whatever minor downsides they might have.

I don't want to shit on this thread's parade but dried Spirulina Seaweed is the most complete and best food source out there. It is almost a complete food.

Just based off the little research I did, I think you could eat Spirula Seaweed and avocados the rest of your life and not need anything else.


http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2765/2



Lentils are good for you, too. I think the take away is to find a mixture of foods that you can eat that are also good for you.

Yep and anyone would be crazy to not want to just eat seaweed and avocados for the rest of their lives.

But eh I tend not to worry about fat in foods. My doctor always says I need to gain weight.

Originally posted by dadudemon
I don't want to shit on this thread's parade but dried Spirulina Seaweed is the most complete and best food source out there. It is almost a complete food.

Just based off the little research I did, I think you could eat Spirula Seaweed and avocados the rest of your life and not need anything else.


http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2765/2



Lentils are good for you, too. I think the take away is to find a mixture of foods that you can eat that are also good for you.
Dat high sodium doh.

I would never advocate anyone eating a simple diet of just a few foods. I'm a foodie so I love variation, but I also have a certain set of usual suspects that I eat in large quantities frequently, and this includes lentils, split peas, black beans, rice, sweet potatoes, avocados, onions, garlic, carrots, and ground turkey.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
Dat high sodium doh.

I would never advocate anyone eating a simple diet of just a few foods. I'm a foodie so I love variation, but I also have a certain set of usual suspects that I eat in large quantities frequently, and this includes lentils, split peas, black beans, rice, sweet potatoes, avocados, onions, garlic, carrots, and ground turkey.


The only jewish food I have ever eaten was Hebrew International Hot Dogs.


They is durn good!