2 Easy Lentil Recipes - Zippy Soup & Tarka Dhal
Crockpot or Quick Skillet Dinners - Great Vegetarian, Lenten Meals!
Jul 29, 2009
The George Mateljan Foundation rates the humble lentil among The World’s Healthiest Foods, and for very good reason! Lentils are super source of molybdenum and folate, an excellent source of manganese, and a very good source of iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, thiamin and potassium—making them a superior nutritional value. (Mateljan, 2006) Add to this that Lentils are a leader among the foods with the highest content of soluble and insoluble fiber, and it becomes evident that they are an almost perfect food!
Nutrients in Lentils - per 1 Cup, Cooked (198 grams)
- 148.5 mcg Molybdenum - 198.0 % of daily value
- 357.98 mcg Folate (vitamin B9) - 89.5% of daily value
- 15.64 g Dietary Fiber - 62.6% of daily value
- 0.16 g Tryptophan - 50% of daily value
- 0.98 mg Manganese - 49% of daily value
- 6.59 mg Iron - 36.6% of daily value
- 17.86 g Protein - 35.7% of daily value
- 356.4 mg Phosphorus - 35.6% of daily value
- 50 mg Copper - 25% of daily value
- 0.33 mg Thiamin (vitamin B1) - 22% of daily value
- 730.62 mg Potassium - 20.9% of daily value
- 73.3 mg Omega-3 fatty acids
If that were not enough, Lentils are also inexpensive, versatile, quick and easy to prepare. For a taste sensation, try these delicious and easy Lentil Reicpes!
Easy, Zippy, Lentil and Barley Soup - Serves 6-8
This dish makes a wonderful vegetarian, main dish meal. It's a handy recipe to have on hand for the Days of Abstinance during Lent and Advent, too! Serve with a hearty loaf of crusty dark bread and a mixed-green salad.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried Green French Lentils (or brown)
- 1/3 cup Pearled Barley
- 1 cup Carrots, medium diced
- 1 cup Celery, diced
- 1 cup Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried Basil
- ½ teaspoon dried Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried Thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 6 cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Chicken or Vegetable Bouillon (or Soup Base)
- 14.5 ounce can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
- ¼ cup fresh Parsley, chopped (1 heaping tablespoon dried)
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions:
- Rinse and sort Lentils
- Place first 12 ingredients into the Crockpot®; reserving the last two ingredients for later.
- Cover and cook in High setting for about six hours. (You can cook this dish on Low, but it will take a very long time—approximately 14 hours.)
- Thirty minutes before serving, stir in the parsley and vinegar.
- Turn Crockpot® off, remove bay leaf, and serve.
Nutrition per serving: Calories - 167; Calories from Fat - 5; Total Fat - 1g; Saturated Fat - 0g; Trans Fat - 0g; Sodium 528mg - 22%; Total Carb., 32g - 11%; Dietary Fiber 11g - 45%; Sugars 3g; Protein 10g; Vitamin A 71:%; Vitamin C 19%; Iron 16%; Calcium 6%
Lentils in History
Lentils have an ancient history, having been cultivated since about 6000 B.C. in the Middle East where they were traditionally eaten with barley or wheat. From there, their use spread widely throughout Africa and Asia, and by the first century had been introduced into India's cuisine where a spiced lentil dish, dhal, is always included as part of a meal, even today.
Tarka Dhal (An Indian Spiced Lentil Recipe) - Serves 4
Serve this wonderfully exotic dish with Vegetable Samosas, Chapaties, or Tandoori Roti for an authentic Indian Meal! (Adapted from a recipe by, Mridula Baljekar in, The Little Book of Indian Recipes - 1994)
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon Ghee (clarified butter) or Unsalted Butter
- 1 medium Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 dried Red Chilies, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup Masoor Dhal (red split lentils)
- 3-1/4 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- In a medium skillet, melt the Ghee over medium heat and cook the Onion, Garlic and Chilies until the Onions are browned. Set aside.
- In a medium sized saucepan, bring the Water, Lentils, Turmeric, Cumin and Salt to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring, for 10 minutes.
- Cover and simmer 30 minutes more.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- Make a slight puree of the cooked Dahl by running about half of it through a blender or by forcing it through a sieve.
- Recombine the cooked and pureed Dahl.
- Stir one-half of the Onion mixture into the Dahl, and garnish with the remaining half.
Nutrition per serving: Calories - 208; Calories from Fat - 56; Total Fat - 6g; Saturated Fat - 4g; Trans Fat - 0g; Cholesterol 15g - 5%; Sodium 589mg - 25%; Total Carb., 28g - 9%; Dietary Fiber 12g - 49%; Sugars 4g; Protein 10g; Vitamin A 8:%; Vitamin C 63%; Iron 20%; Calcium 4%
To learn more about what's special about lentils and many other healthy foods, you will want a to read, The World's Healthiest Foods (2006), by George Mateljan. And for truly wonderful and authentic Indian Recipes of all kinds, you'll want a copy of The Little Book of Indian Recipes (1994), published by, Whitecap Books Ltd..
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