Sprouted Lentil Salad

After my success sprouting lentils, I immediately set to work eating the results. This salad is very similar to any other lentil salad you might create but the ratio of ingredients to lentils is very different. The sprouts are very delicate and subtle in flavor. The first flavor is fresh sprout, crisp, wet, and much like a fresh vegetable. The lentil flavor is subtle and comes after the sprout flavor. When adding ingredients keep in mind the delicate nature of the sprouts. I added the usual ingredients that I might add to lentil salad but in very tiny amounts.

2 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
6 kalamata olives, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced

For the dressing I kept it much lighter but using the same ingredients for a regular lentil salad. To taste, I added olive oil, red wine vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. I didn't add salt because the feta, the olives and the anchovies were salty enough. Taste as you go.

The result was a fresh and light and healthy salad.

Sprout About It!

Like with the parathas, I was hesitant about sprouting. Of course, now that I've done both, I laugh at my hesitation. Sprouting is easy! And, like with parathas, the results are fabulous. Sprouts are a healthy and tasty addition to any numbers of recipes. The list is endless from breads to salads to patties to soups to you name it.

The equipment is minimal and you probably already have everything sitting in your cupboards. The process is simple and, with the exception of a twice-a-day rinse, the beans/legumes/seeds pretty much sprout themselves.

My set up was simple. A quart-sized mason jar, a rubber band, a piece of cheese cloth, a colander and a plate.

I chose lentils as my first sprouting experience but I could have chosen beans, seeds, grains, etc. I love lentils and they are very versatile. I really had no final recipe in mind, I just wanted to try sprouting something. I started small, 1/2 cup of dried brown lentils. This would yield about 3 cups of sprouts.

To start, soak the 1/2 cup of lentils in 2 cups of water overnight. Just let them sit. I covered the jar to keep out dust. The next day I drained, rinsed, and drained the lentils, covered the jar with my cheesecloth and fastened the cloth with the rubber band. Two layers of cheesecloth was plenty. I then tipped the jar on angle inside the colander and set the colander on a plate. You can use whatever set-up you like. I set this whole operation way back on the kitchen counter under the cupboards. It's dark back (they don't like light) in there and it was out of the way.

Twice a day I removed the cheesecloth, rinsed the lentils, replaced the cheesecloth and drained out as much water as I could before placing the jar back in the colander. And I should note again that the jar is placed on an angle, not just completely upside down in the colander. You don't want the lentils all bunched up on themselves. Let them line the side of the jar, give them a little space. Sometimes I would give the jar a tumble if I happened to be walking by the jar.

In a couple of days the lentils will sprout. In 3-4 days you will have obvious sproutage. You can eat the lentils the moment they sprout but I wanted at least a half inch of sprout to crunch on. You can also let them grow really long if you like.

The sprouts in the photo above were tender yet crunchy. They have an obvious sprout taste and crunchiness but a really delicate and subtle lentil taste too. Keep this in mind when using them as the centerpiece in a recipe. For example, I used these to made a lentil sprout salad (recipe to follow in a couple of days) and I used far smaller quantities of additional ingredients than I would have used in a cooked/un-sprouted lentil salad. You can easily overpower the sprouts so add minimally and taste as you go.

Go sprout something!

Leftover Somethings

I hate wasting food. I believe there is an obligation to plan well and use the food I buy and grow. So I don't at all mind leftovers. I love them and I love finding ways to refreshen the ingredients to create a whole new dish.

What to do with left over canned garbanzo beans and left over cooked oatmeal? Experiment, of course.

I opened the can of garbanzo beans for a salad. They keep well enough in the fridge for a while. I made oatmeal for breakfast a few days ago. I don't mean instant, I mean real oatmeal that you buy in bulk and cook on the stove. Nope, not quick cook either. It took a whole 5 minutes, this did. Whew! Saved myself alot of time on that choice. Anyway, what would I do with these two items that were taunting me every time I opened the fridge? Well, I knew it would be something savory and I knew it would be a patty or a ball or something along those lines. I took the basic idea from the Lentil Patties and went from there.

While a cup of red lentils were cooking, I blended the leftover oatmeal and garbanzo beans in the food processor.

I diced a large onion and a large carrot and sauteed in olive oil. To this I added the rest of the toasted and ground panch phoron from the dal and a healthy dose of ground cumin, some garlic powder and salt. Into this I added some roughly chopped almonds. Once the veggies were cooked to my liking, I added the blended oatmeal-garbanzo mixture to the pan and mashed it up to combine. Then it all went into the food processor until blended. I could have blended slightly less. Next time. I put the mixture into the fridge for a while to firm up so it would be easier to handle.

I cooked this lentil-bean-oatmeal mix in two different ways. First, I sprayed a muffin tin with cooking spray and filled each space with lentil-bean-oatmeal mix. Then I baked it until the tops were a nice shade of brown. I've had success with this method when cooking falafel, a mixture of similar texture. Much lighter and healthier than deep frying. The lentil-bean-oatmeal mix didn't get terribly firm but after a night in the fridge they did. Still not firm like a burger but they held the muffin shape nicely. I wrapped these and froze them for the future. Upon thawing a batch, I noticed that they retained their shape but as soon as you touched them with a fork they were soft. Still, they tasted great. A great fiber and protein source for a vegetarian wrap. Slather a couple of these "muffins" on a tortilla and dress like you would a burrito. Really tasty.

The other method of cooking was to lightly oil my hands, form patties, lightly dust with breadcrumbs then pan fry in just enough olive oil to moisten the pan. This worked just fine. Again, not as firm as the lentil patties. But so delicious. Hell, you don't have to form shapes or patties at all. You could use it as tortilla filler form the get-go or use like hummus. Get creative. Waste less.

The Dal House

I just love dal. All kinds, all recipes. I want to try them all. OK, so dal isn't nearly as photogenic as it is delicious.

Dal refers to pulses which have been split. A pulse is a leguminous crop which is harvested for the dry grain. Think lentils, though lentils are only one of many dals. A dal can also be a bean, like kidney and pinto. Dal is also a term for the dish made with dal. It's a thick, hearty, flavorful dish.

There are many varieties of dal with some of the common ones being toor dal, chana dal, mung dal, urad dal, and masoor dal. Dals are widely used in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Each country has its own name for each of these dals and then each region in those countries has its own name and then each region has its favorite recipes and so on. I haven't even mentioned how many ways you can spell it. I love the variety of name, type and recipe. I think dal is delicious and I love to experiment with flavors and textures.

You know, there are also dals which are not split but that's a whole other entry.

Moving on. Dal is easy to prepare and basically consists of boiling the dal to the consistency you desire. Often a recipe will instruct you to soak the dal first, sometimes overnight. To the cooked dal you add a mixture of spices, seeds, and often onion and garlic that has been fried in a little oil. This mixture is called a tadka, a tarka, a chaunk or baghar, according to Wikipedia and some of the Indian cookbooks I've read. I'm betting there are more references out there.

The seasonings vary with the type of dal and the regional preference but common ingredients include combinations of cumin seed, mustard seed, tumeric, garlic, ginger, asafoetida, chili, cilantro, and garam masala. This particular dal I made included the spices I was in the mood for and that I thought would taste good together. I was right.

I used 1 cup of chana dal, which is split chick pea. I had soaked it overnight and changed the water a few times. I brought this to a boil in 3 cups of water then turned down the heat and simmered, covered until the dal was soft with a slight "tooth" to it. Once the dall is cooked you can leave it moister or continue to slowly cook off some of the liquid. I leave mine in an in between state. Besides, the dall will absorb plenty of moisture as it sits overnight in the refrigerator.

For spices I had some panch phoron spice mix already combined so I toasted it in a dry skillet until it released its aroma. Panch phoron is a 5-spice mix of nigella seeds, black mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds. I have all of these spices separately but using up the already proportionately mixed spices saved me time. By the way, the proportion is simply equal parts of all. After the spices cooled, I ground them in a spice/coffe grinder. What an amazing smell. Layers of licorice (fennel) and nuttiness (I think from the mustard and fenugreek).

As my dal was cooking, I dropped mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried curry leaves in some hot oil . Once these sputtered I added diced onion and minced jalapeno (seeded and deveined). After a couple minutes I added a paste of equal parts ginger and garlic. I then turned down the heat and slowly let this all mingle while onions got soft and sweet. To this I added a healthy tablespoon of the toasted and ground panch phoron and a teaspoon of homemade garam masala.

Now that the dal is the consistency I like (thicker than thinner), I added the spice mixture, some chopped cilantro and a good squeeze of lime. The lime might sound like an odd ingredient but wow it just gives it that little zing and actually, I think, brings out the sweetness and nutiness of the dal.

Don't be put off by what seems like a long ingredient list when you look at dal recipes. It really couldn't be easier. Add as many or as few ingredients as you like. Just try it.

Lentil Patties

The idea for these came from the Eating Well website. Once in a while I pick up the magazine but I'd just as soon go to the web. I modified the recipe in several ways. Again, I usually modify recipes because I like to use what I've already got on hand. But the inspiration came from the website. Here's what I did.

I cooked 1 cup of red lentils in enough water to cover them and then a bit more. I know, you anal types are starting to twitch already. But really, just about more than cover the lentils and you'll be fine. You can always add more water in the cooking process. Red lentils cook quickly and they don't hold shape very well but that didn't matter for these patties. Not to me, anyway, because I had planned on putting the whole batch in the food processor (the magazine suggests some in the food processor, some left whole). I diced 1 medium onion. I diced 1 smallish carrot. I chopped 1 large clove of garlic. I chopped 1/3 cup of cilantro. Folks, use those stems. Sooooo much flavor in the stems. I roughly chopped 1/2 cup almonds.

While the lentils cooked, I sauted the onion, garlic, and carrots. To this I added salt, pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, and a generous sprinkling of crushed, mild, red chilies I bought in Chimayo, NM. For good measure, into the pan I gave a few shakes of Roland's Balsamic Pepper Sauce. Pick up this delicious condiment if you can find it. Once the saute mix was beginning to brown I added the almonds and the cilantro, lowered the heat and let the whole thing slowly continue to cook. Once it done to my liking I removed the pan from the heat and let it cool for just a bit.

I drained the lentils and reserved the liquid just in case the patty mix needed moisture but it didn't.

Then everything goes into the food processor. I pulsed the mix several times then decided to add two slices of bread that I had sitting out to dry for bread crumbs. I continued to pulse and re-season. Then I put the whole mixture into the refrigerator so it would be easier to handle. When I was ready to cook the patties, I heated some olive oil in a non-stick pan, lightly oiled my hands, formed patties with the mixture, then quickly flipped the patties in homemade bread crumbs before frying on both sides. This resulted in a nice crust. I used just as much olive oil as I could get away with and it worked out well. These patties were not greasy. I kept an eye on them and at one point lowered the heat and let them brown slowly. I set them on paper towels as I removed them from the pan. These were really tasty. And the possibilities are endless with this type of vegetarian patty idea in general. Veggie patties are really a great way to experiment with lots of healthy ingredients. And these patties are a great way to get protein and fiber in one bite.

Lentil Soup

There are all sorts of recipes for lentil soup. All are good. Like any other soup, let your imagination run. I do, however, consistently add tomatoes to my lentil soup.

Lentils are one of my favorite foods anyway. I love Indian food and lentils play a big part in the form of dahl. Plenty of fiber and protein. They are also cheap to purchase and taste great.

The weather in the PNW has been very cold and wet. It snowed again today, if only for a moment. And the wind has really been harsh. Any soup is welcomed these days. But try this one and give it your own spin. Some crusty bread is required too. The inspiration for this particular recipe is from .

1 cup lentils (always a good idea to pick through them to make sure there are no funky ones or tiny stones. then give them a rinse in a strainer.)
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled (depends on how much garlic you like)
1 bay leaf
5 cups water
extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 can (14 ounces) tomatoes, chopped, with juice (the original recipe called for fresh tomatoes but in the winter i can't get locally grown tomatoes. besides, the store tomatoes for sale in the winter taste like nothing.)
1 small carrot, diced
dried thyme and basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional:
1/2 cup small pasta (i used orzo)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a medium saucepan add 4 cups water, lentils, bay leaf and 1 garlic clove. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer 20 minutes. Drain through strainer set over a bowl in order to reserve the cooking liquid. Rinse lentils with cold water and set aside, along with the cooking water. Throw out the bay leaf. Mash the cooked garlic clove with remaining 3 garlic cloves and set aside.

In a heavy soup pot heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions and celery. Cook and stir until tender. Add tomatoes, mashed garlic, and cooked lentils. Cook while stirring for 5 minutes. Add cooking water from the lentils along with the remaining 1 cup water and all the dried herbs to taste. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Add pasta at this point if you want and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with Parmesan if you like. Dip in with a hunk of crusty bread and enjoy!

Note: This soup will thicken naturally. But if you've added the pasta, in about an hour it will be as thick as stew, as in the photo. It’s even better!