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Every week I will be presenting three meal ideas to make your cooking life a bit easier. This post is all about lentils. why? Because they are versatile and fantastic source of protein. Easy to cook, easy to spice up and easy to use across different dishes. These are my favorite. You could freeze probably Lentil Shepard’s pie. You can make soup for a few days as well as koftas. You can serve all of them with fresh bread, salads, and sauces.

I recommend soaking dry lentils overnight, as they will cook easier, and that way you will get rid of phytic acid which keeps them in good shape when they are dry but is not good for our digestion. 

protein

Other benefits: they are a good source of protein, fiber and folic acid. They are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fibre. They not only lower cholesterol but they are of special benefit in managing blood sugar disorders as they keep sugars at bay after a meal. 

I also like them in stuffed peppers (you can use the same filling as for koftas) or try in a salad with baked cubed sweet potatoes and mustard dressing. Try tossing them with buckwheat soba noodles with broccoli florets and leeks. Add some olive oil mixed with garlic and ginger. Delicious!!

Love M. – Plant-Based Chef and Coach

lentil pie

Lentils Shepardless Pie

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup green lentils (dry - soaked)
  • 200 g mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 2 medium to large sweet potatoes (or white)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp tomato paste (optional)
  • olive oil
  • 2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tsp of water
  • 300 ml water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp soya sauce (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Turn on the oven for 180 degrees
  • Cook lentils until soft and as per instructions
  • Peel and chop potatoes and cook in a pot
  • Cook chopped onion for 5 min in the pan with little bit of olive
  • Add chopped garlic and cook for 5 min
  • Add mushrooms and cook for 5 min
  • Add celery and carrots and fry for 5 min (they do not have to be soft as they will cook in the oven)
  • Add all the spices and lentils, mix well
  • Add soya sauce, tomatoe paste (if using,) salt and pepper to taste
  • Add water - add a bit and check , you do not want that to be too watery
  • Dissolve corn starch and slowly pour into the mix, cook for 5 min
  • Transfer to oven proof casserol dish,
  • Mash cooked sweet potatos and transfer them on top of the lentil mix; use fork to even it out and put in to the oven for 30 min
  • Enjoy with fresh green leaves salad and/or some fermented /sauerkraut

Notes

You can cook more lentils and use them for lentils koftas and lentil soup.
Lentil soup

Tomato and Lentil soup

Delicious protein quick soup
Prep Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 30 g olive oil (2 tbsp)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 200 g split red lentils (soak overnight if you can)
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 800 ml vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil in the pan and add oninoc and cook for 5 min
  • Add chopped garlic cloves and cook for 5 min
  • Add lentils, bay leaves, thyme, tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper then cook 30 min. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Notes

1 portion has 116 kcal, 4.2g protein, 11.3g carbohydrates, 6g fat
This soup is lovely served with humous and crusty bread.
vegan koftas

Lentil Vegan koftas

Lovely recipe fo protein alternative . Makes 12 medium size koftas.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup uncooked green lentils or puy lentils
  • 400 g chickpeas, drained
  • 1 oninon or leek (just white part), chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 200 g mushrooms, chopped (optional)
  • 2 tbsp soya sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard or mustard powder
  • 1 tbsp nutritonal yeast (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • semolina or breadcrumbs to roll koftas in
  • olive oil to fry

Instructions
 

  • Turn on the oven 180 degrees
  • Cook lentils as per instructions
  • Heat olive oil in the pan and add onion or leek (or both), fry for 5 min and add garlic fry for another 5 min
  • Add chopped mushroom and fry until no water in the pan is visible
  • Put everything from the pan into the bowl
  • Add cooked lentils, chickpeas and all spices, nutrional yeast, mustard, salt and pepper - taste to see if it is well seasoned
  • Mix with the spoon then mix a bit with the hand blender but leave some chunks.
  • Form koftas and roll in the semolina or breadcrumbs and place on the baking tray
  • Bake in the oven for 15 min
  • Serve with seasonal salad, mushroom sauce or tomato sauce

Notes

Koftas are great as a protein part on your plate. I eat them hot or cold serve with salad or without. You can use the same mix and bake as a pate . Just mix well with hand held blender and put into the small loaf tin, sprinkle with some semolina or breadcrumbs and bake for 25 min - you can add some cooked beetroot as well.