Friday, September 04, 2009

Lentil Love

Although we like pretty much every bean there is, the little protein machines we eat most often is, hands down, lentils. And more specifically, red lentils. They are really easy to cook, and if you cook them a little bit longer they mush themselves up so there is no need to break out the blender. That's a win-win, if you ask me.

Last year we mostly ate our red lentils in dahl form, but this year we have branched out a bit.

Red lentil make a great base for these Neat Balls, which also had things like oats, some gluten flour, and probably a grated carrot. I baked them for a bit before covering them with a garlicky tomato sauce, and we served them up with salad and roasted veggies.

This plate looks like a massive, colourful jumble of veggies (it sort of is). But on the left is a Potato and Lentil Bake from Wild Morsels. This was really yummy, perfectly spiced and easy to make.

And finally, red lentils are our favourite thing to bulk up a Neat Loaf. This one is based on the recipe for Lentil Burgers from Hot Damn & Hell Yeah, with the addition of some leftover risotto, grated sweet potato and gluten flour. This was the best loaf we've made so far. And it was extra good served with smashed potatoes, BrisVegan style.

9 comments:

lisa said...

Your neat balls sound awesome - I love red lentils. Where is the recipe from?

Anna said...

Ohhh - I love red lentil and sweet potato soup with ginger and chilli.

Amy said...

Mmmmm LOVE lentils!!! And I have neatball want!!

Amy said...

Nom! I want to make neatballs for dinner now - but Cam's insisting on pies....

x said...

Yum, now I want to make Neat Balls and Lentil Bake. I'm only just starting to use up my co-op lentils, I will start googling recipes!

Vaala ◪ said...

I like the look of that neat loaf. Hmmm...should really use lentils more.

Theresa said...

Lisa - good question. This was one of those times where we just kept adding stuff to a bowl and it somehow managed to come out. Something like - mushy red lentils, veggie stock, oats, some veggies and spices, and gluten flour to stick it all together. Sorry I can't give any more info!

DJ said...

I love red lentils - they improve just about any dish in my opinion! We eat a lot of soup over here, and you can't beat red lentils for adding a bit of oomph! to even the blandest of broths. I love the idea of those neat balls - my daughter loves spaghetti with neatballs and marinara sauce and I don't make it for her nearly enough!

JENNA said...

Lentils are such a wonderful things. Especially red lentils. I love them in soups and I'm loving the look of those neatballs!