Lentils - The Healthy Food

This loaf has minimal hands-on prep time, but you can even cook the lentils ahead of time to make assembly faster. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

1. Rinse the dried lentils. Bring water to a boil. Add lentils and simmer 25 - 30 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain any excess water.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

3. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat, add chopped onions, pressed garlic, red and green bell pepper and let cook until onions are transparent (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

4. In a mixing bowl combine, cooked onions, garlic and peppers, cooked lentils, bread crumbs, chopped nuts, soy sauce, 2 tablespoon olive oil, grated cheese, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and mix until well combined.

5. Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice with a nice salad.

In a large soup pot add water, tomatoes, lentils, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and olive oil. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until lentils are done. Stir once in a while. Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaves. Stir in the oregano and vinegar. Add some more salt and pepper to your taste.

Stir the flaxseed and water together until it is creamy. Put the flaxseed mixture, onion, garlic, carrot, cheese, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, cumin, salt, pepper, chilli pepper, oregano and bean and lentils in a food processor/blender and blend until smooth.

Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat. Spoon out a ball of mixture in your hands. Make patties. Place them in the pan. Leave it for a minute then flip the ball (this ensures you have one side that's cooked enough to be prodded without sticking). Flatten with a spatula making sure the spatula is clean so the mix doesn't stick to it. Turn the heat down to low. This is important because you want the heat to cook through the patty, which takes a while, without burning the outside. Leave for about 5 minutes and then flip again. Leave for another few minutes. Repeat for the other patties, just make sure you turn the heat up before each batch so the first side cooks a little quicker than the second side).

In a large pot over medium heat add the olive oil, onion, and shallots. When the onions soften up and get a bit translucent, add the garlic, ginger, chili powder and cumin. Stir well and cook for a minute of so, until everything gets quite fragrant. Stir in the serrano pepper and chipotle pepper, tomatoes, and 5 cups of the broth. Add the lentils. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer.
Simmer for about 35- 45 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through. You will likely need to add the rest of the water, a cup at a time, if the chili thickens up too much. Before serving do add more chipotle, salt, or whatever you think it needs.

Serve with these toppings (opt): A bit of feta or grated cheese of your choice. A bit of chopped serranos, yogurt, oregano, chopped onion, green lettuce, sliced tomatoes and olives.

Cook the lentils ahead of time to make assembly faster.

Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a skillet on medium heat, add chopped onions, pressed garlic, red and green bell pepper, sliced mushrooms and let cook until onions are transparent (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, 1 bouillon cube, lentils, salt, black pepper and oregano. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. If necessary, add more water to keep the sauce from sticking. Be careful not to dilute; the sauce should be quite thick.

Serve to any pasta of your choice and top with grated cheese.