SuperFood Lentils: Foodie Friday

Lentils with Roasted Acorn Squash and Green Beans c2012

A cup of lentils provides 16g of fiber thats 63% of your daily fiber. Forget red meat, you can get 37% of your iron from lentils along with vitamin C and calcium with almost no fat... no fat!*

Lentils are versatile and unlike other beans require no time to cook, they also don’t require you to take any Beano after eating them if you catch my drift...

Lentils are very much part of may traditional diets from the Mediterranean region to SouthEast Asia. The recipe I am giving you today is super simple. You can use this recipe as a base, add spice to it for variety, or broth to it for a hearty soup.

I felt the need to finish up the squash I have stored in my basement, so I’ve included a simple way to cook them too. Squash goes nicely with lentils you can even mix them up and make a stew.

As the weather gets warmer don’t forget about lentils, add some of your favorite vinaigrette dressing to them and serve them cold as a picnic salad.

Enjoy...

*Source: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4338/2

SIMPLE LENTILS

by Diane Balch

prep time: 10 minutes  serves: 4

Ingredients: 

1 cup of washed dry lentils any color

2 cups of vegetable broth (you can also use beef or chicken broth)

2 carrots chopped fine

2 celery chopped fine

1/2 of a small onion chopped fine

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a medium size sauce pan.

2) Sauté vegetables until wilted & slightly brown. Start with the onion, then add the celery & carrots. Chop and sauté as you go. The onions need a little more time to cook.

3) Add the lentils along with the broth, salt & pepper. Bring the lentils to a boil, then lower them to a simmer. In 15 minutes they will be firm but edible. If you like them softer add a little more broth and cook them until desired tenderness, up to one hour.

SIMPLE ROASTED SQUASH

by Diane Balch

Prep time 10 minutes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large acorn or butternut squash halved with seeds removed

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper to taste.

1 tablespoon Maple Syrup

2 tablespoons of butter

1/8 of teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions: 

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degree. Rack at middle level.

2) Put halved squash in a baking dish baste with oil then salt and pepper.

3) Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until squash can easily be punctured with a fork and is slightly brown.

4) Let squash cool enough that you can peel off its’ skin.

5) Mash squash with Maple Syrup, butter, and cinnamon. Check salt and pepper.

Serve with lentils and a side of green vegetables.
copyright 2012

 lentils, squash, Italian cooking, Vegetarian,Vegan 

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I invite you to share in the joy of  of Adelina of Home Maid Simple,

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