3 Delicious Lentil Recipes | healthy + vegan

lentils are one of the healthiest foods on the planet they're rich in fiber and protein and I always have them in my pantry but if you don't know how to cook them they can be a little bit boring a little basic a little bland so today I'm going to show you my three favorite ways to cook lentils and how to make them taste amazing as always everything will be easy vegan and extremely delicious first up is a marinated lentil salad with fresh herbs it's light fresh and perfect for warm weather we'll start by filling a saucepan with water and adding salt to season while the water is heating up on the stove I'll go ahead and chop a large shallot in half if you have ever had lentils and found them to be bland it's probably because they were just cooked in plain old water not a lot of flavor there so I like to flavor them at multiple stages in the cooking process the first stage is to prep some flavoring agents that we'll add directly to the water that we cook the lentils in today I'm using chopped shallots black pepper and a bay leaf you could also add a bundle of fresh herbs like thyme oregano or dried herbs crushed garlic some chopped carrots or celery whatever you think will add more flavor once the water comes to a boil add your lentils and flavoring agents today I'm using French green lentils but black Beluga lentils work equally well with this recipe turn down the heat and simmer until the lentils are al dente about 20 to 25 minutes depending on your lentil variety while the lentils are cooking we'll get started on my favorite part of the recipe the spiced oil today I'm using 3/4 teaspoon each of coriander and cumin seeds but other good options are fennel seeds or caraway seeds and I'm also adding 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves heat up a small or medium skillet and add a generous glug of olive oil once the oil is shimmering add the garlic and spices we'll cook this mixture for about a minute and make sure to stir frequently and swirl the pan so that nothing burns you'll know the spices are done when they're very fragrant and the garlic is golden take them off the heat and set it aside we can also use the time while the lentils are cooking to chop up our herbs they're gonna add a lot of fresh flavor and make the lentils taste light and springy I'm using a few handfuls of fresh basil parsley and dill today but any soft herb works in this kind of recipe so you can experiment with something like cilantro or tarragon or even something like thinly sliced green onions the lentils are al dente when they're tender but still a little firm to the bite kind of like al dente pasta but tender how did tender like your first true love when they're done cooking drain the lentils and place them in a large mixing bowl now it's time to add even more flavor to the lentils so pour the spiced oil mixture on top of them and we're gonna treat the lentils kind of like a salad that gets a vinaigrette so we're also going to add some vinegar to contrast with the oil I've got champagne vinegar here today but the more important thing is to just use any acidic ingredient at the end it could be sherry vinegar red wine vinegar or even lemon juice it's gonna add a really nice punchy brightness to this dish now of course season with some salt and pepper I like mine quite peppery and the final step is to add in those chopped fresh herbs you can serve this lentil salad immediately but I like to let it sit for 10 minutes or so to let the lentils absorb all of those flavors what I love about this recipe is that you can easily make a big batch on Sunday or Monday and then enjoy it throughout the week in so many different ways today I'm going to serve this lentil salad with some crusty bread and hummus and greens on the side it makes for a very easy and delicious lunch next up we're going to be making dal tadka null is a deeply spiced and flavorful Indian lentil stew and it is a perfect healthy comfort food and I figured if we're gonna be making dal there's one person we have to call I hope she picks up high you have to turn on the audio I mom hybrid are you then how are you can I ask you a few questions about making dal yeah what's one secret for making Kadam the most important thing for dollies the Turcotte turkey is the seasonings when you pour it towards the end of the dish so it has generally Dan tell me yes curry leaves and when I gets hot you add the mustard seeds first and it starts popping I don't use this I don't have one of those what is that this is for third cup I brought it from India and let the heat directly on the flame when was the last time you made though that daya doesn't make dal I make dance then you put sprinkle a 1 teaspoon mustard seed then you sprinkle a little bit of cumin seed then you put as I put it on then you could dry red chillies some curry leaves how do you to do mustard seeds first I don't normally do that mustard seed then pour it over the cooked down when you are finished cooking dal like it is nice and hot then you pour this who's that guy that you love on the Food Network whose goatee or your mimicking when he sees somebody with a goatee or his style of hair he says he's my brother from another mother um how much did I like dog growing up not at all scale of 0 to 10 10 being the worst how big he was I ate at least oh I thought you were gonna give me a 10 won't get who say 10 but I was looking I said okay mom I'm gonna go make some bail now thanks for chatting with me all right thank you good luck with your doll love you we'll start by sifting through the lentils make sure there are no pebbles in there and I'm using bong Val which are split yell of lentils and then rinse the lentils and soak them in cold water for 15 minutes to help soften while the lentils are soaking will prepare our aromatics first chop up one yellow onion then mince four cloves of garlic dice one Serrano chili pepper and grate a little bit of fresh ginger if you have trouble grating ginger is stored in the freezer it actually makes it easier to peel and grate it and there's no need to thaw it beforehand next we'll heat up a little bit of oil in a deep frying pan or saucepan I'm using coconut oil but you can use any oils you like once the oil is simmering add the diced onions and cook until they just start to soften about five minutes next we'll add the garlic ginger and green chili pepper and cook for another minute or two until the mixture is very fragrant and the garlic turns golden next we'll add the ground spices curry powder turmeric and garam masala stir to coat the spices into the onions for about 30 seconds then we'll deglaze the pan with the water and scrape up any of those brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot add the soaked and drained moong dhal or the lentils along with salt and pepper to season bring the VAL to a boil and then lower the heat and partially cover the pan simmer the valve for 30 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked through and soft keep an eye on the dal as you're cooking it stirring occasionally and the texture and consistency of valve varies widely so add more water if you like yours on the thinner soup your side but I prefer mine thicker and creamier once the lentils are cooked pour in one can of diced tomatoes along with a small handful of chopped cilantro and allow the tomatoes to cook down cilantro is often used as just a garnish but it adds a lot of flavor if you cook it into the bell for a few minutes if the salt is not thick enough to your liking go ahead and use an immersion blender to puree some of it it'll help thicken it up and finally it's time to make the dedica which is the best part of the vowel it's tempered spiced oil and it's what gives us all a really rich aromatic flavor that you love so much about Indian food we'll heat up some coconut oil or any neutral oil you like and once it's hot I'll add our whole spices today I'm adding mustard seeds cumin seeds curry leaves and dried chili peppers every thought is different so don't worry if you don't have every single ingredient you can add the whole spices you do have or even something like thinly sliced shallots stir or swirl the pan to cook the spices evenly for 60 to 90 seconds or until it's very aromatic now it's time to pour the tzedakah over the dal and it should smell amazing as is customary in my family I'm serving the bell with some white best methi rice and a little extra cilantro on top if you have some coconut yogurt a dollop on top it's really nice that helps balance all the spices and some sliced red onion for a nice crunch my final favorite cooking technique for lentils is to make creamy savory lentils these lentils are so luxurious like Egyptian cotton sheets or a weekend in Paris or one of those really cute dogs with suffer that I really really want we'll start by chopping two Somali weeks which I've already cleaned and trimmed but leeks do carry a lot of dirt in them so be sure to wash them even after you chop them I'm also making a bouquet garni to flavor the lentils it's just a bundle of herbs I've got dill thyme and a bay leaf but you can use any fresh herbs you have on hand and if you don't have fresh herbs you can also add some dried herbs next we'll heat a bit of olive oil in a large deep pan and once it's hot add some fennel seeds toast the fennel seeds for 60 to 90 seconds until they're very fragrant then we'll add the chopped leeks and cook them down until they're softened and lightly browned we'll pour in some vegetable broth a little less than three cups to deglaze the pan making sure to scrape up all those brown bits if you don't have that jewel broth you can of course cook the lentils in water but you might want to add a little more salt for flavor next add one cup of green lentils to the broth and I'm also adding a bouquet garni bring the lentils to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are tender but still al dente once the lentils are done we'll stir in some tahini it brings this a really nice rich creaminess that makes lentils taste and uldn't I also like to add miso paste or tamari at this stage it brings us bold umami notes and savory depth of flavor and finally we'll hit these lentils with something fresh and punchy like balsamic vinegar stir chicken i encode the lentils with everything and then taste for seasonings adding salt and pepper as needed I'm serving the lentils in a green bowl today I've got some cooked barley in my fridge but really it's great paired with any green add in some cooked veggies or lightly dressed greens and you have yourself a full balanced meal now that you know how to cook the humble lentil stay tuned for my video on how to cook the mighty bean

Channel: Rainbow Plant Life

Views: 314,967

Rating: 4.9344716 out of 5

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Id: 34FC_NRj41Y

Length: 10min 39sec (639 seconds)

Published: Sat May 02 2020