I am… I have been… shadowed from such good food. I slowly am realizing how amateur my palate really is and how much of a food world I have to explore. “Amazing”, I say to myself.
The other day,without previous knowledge of what dish I would create, I decided to buy some LENTILS . I was tempted to buy a bag due to remembering that lentils are a quick, healthy cook. Perfect for my life. Lucky for me, I seem to stock my kitchen with many different ingredients that deem to blend well together. So, I didn’t think I would have trouble whipping something up on the stove.
Well, I took those lentils out of the cupboard and pondered on what would mix…
Lentils are known to have an earth flavor. So what would make for tomorrow’s lunchbox? hmmmm…
I pulled out the spinach, carrots, a tomato, vegetable stock, garlic…
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Lentils with Spinach & Carrots
Note: if you add salt, wait until the end or else the lentils will toughen.
1/4 C onion, chopped
1 to 1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala
1 1/2 C Vegetable Stock
3/4 C Lentils
1 bunch spinach – stems trimmed
1 carrot, cut lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
First, rinse lentils under cool water.
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and Garam Masala; sauté 3 minutes or until onion is tender.
Add lentils and vegetable stock to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
If you haven’t prepped the remaining vegetables, this is a great time to do so.
10 minute buzz: Stir in spinach, carrots, tomato, and garlic; cover and simmer 5-10 more minutes (not too long or the lentils will get mushy.
Serves 1 – 2
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I don’t know what it is… but these lunchbox ideas taste so much better the next day after all the flavors have time to infuse together. Wonderful dish! I surprised myself with this vegetarian dish.
My next idea with lentils… I was putting away the dishes and as I held the wine glass in my hand… it dawned on me that cooking them in red wine would be tasty because of their earthly flavor.
