I hope it is not too late to send new year greetings.
I wish you all success and contentment in the months to come.
Recently, I prepared this lentil dish for a friend,
who then asked for the recipe. The highest
form of cooking flattery, I suppose! My friend manages a low salt diet, so I
used salt free tomato paste, added no salt, and even eliminated the mustard, to be cautious. This version was delicious, even sweeter than
the original.
Spicy Lentils was designed to taste like baked beans. Prepare
this dish and feel healthy about your choice! (See more below on this topic.)
Spicy Lentils
Ingredients
1 12 oz. package dried brown lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup medium onion, chopped
3 cups of water
1 cup medium onion, chopped
3 cups of water
¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup molasses
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Sort through lentils, searching for stones, rinse and drain.
Directions
1. Sort through lentils, searching for stones, rinse and drain.
2. Heat
oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add
onion and sauté until softened and translucent.
4. Add
about 3 cups of water and lentils.
5. Simmer
for 30 minutes. Adding more water if necessary.
6. Add
brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and tomato paste. Mix gently.
7. Simmer
until the lentils are tender, but intact (approximately an additional 30
minutes).
8. Season
with salt and pepper.
As I write, I have been thinking
about the nutrient quality of this dish, because one of the benefits of cooking with molasses is iron
content. One-third cup of molasses would add about 5
additional grams of iron to the dish.
What nutrients do lentils offer us
compared to other protein sources, for example? Looking
at the
Calories
|
Protein (g)
|
Fat (g)
|
Iron (mg)
|
Fiber (g)
|
|
1 cup lentils
|
230
|
18
|
1
|
7
|
16
|
3 oz lean beef
|
205
|
20
|
13
|
2
|
0
|
