Poor lentils... I don't think they'll ever get the respect they deserve. These green or red, humble little members of the legume family may look, well, as appetizing as lentils, but they are a veggie-on-a-budget's best friend. I've used them as a replacement for meat in spaghetti sauce, tacos, and chili. They're a lot like tofu - they taste like whatever you season them with. Taco seasoning or Montreal Steak Seasoning are two of my favorites.
A 1/4 cup serving (dry, makes ~1/2 cup cooked) packs a whopping 13g of protein, 15g of fiber, and 20% of the RDA for iron, all for 180 calories. Of course, because it is a plant-based protein (and therefore an incomplete protein... we'll talk quinoa in a later blog post), it's best paired with a whole-grain.
Cultures have been pairing legumes and grains for centuries to create complete, inexpensive proteins. Meat has not always been so widely available, so people needed another way to get complete proteins from plant foods. A 'complete protein' is one that contains all 8 essential amino acids - building blocks for growth and repair - that our bodies cannot make themselves. In Mexico, rice and beans are paired. Greece - hummus and pita. And one of my personal favorites - peanut butter and whole wheat bread.
But... back to the much-neglected lentil. For those of you reluctant to give up meat in your recipes, you could try substituting half the meat with lentils, and cut the saturated fat content of your recipe in half! They're super inexpensive (less than$2/lb... roughly $0.22 per serving), and are a fabulous source of iron, fiber and protein. Give 'em a try!
Keep Nomming! Om Nom Nom!
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