Monday, March 21, 2011

The Lovely Lentil (Part One).

So, lentils.

I can't say that the thought of eating lentils ever crossed my mind until my friend Leslie mentioned them on her blog (and made them look delicious). I had heard of them before, but I honestly had no idea what they were (it turns out they are legume-ish).

I found some at the grocery store and wasn't sure what kind to buy, so I picked up some pretty green ones that looked an awful lot like peas. I like peas. I had a rather crazy day on Friday and needed some kind of project to which I could focus all of my attention, and I opened my cupboard to see that bag of green lentils. A-ha! Time to try a new recipe.

Thanks to my enormous creativity that caused me to Google "green lentil recipe", I came upon this tasty dish. I was pretty stoked that I actually had most of the ingredients (there was a little substitution here and there) and I was excited to try something new.

I am proud to present "Katie's Foray Into Lentils, Part One".

Exhibit A:
The Parents' Dish
Green lentils with sauteed shallots, carrots, celery, garlic, and fresh tomatoes, mixed with a homemade dijon dressing, served with roasted shrimp seasoned with lemon and pepper.


Reviews:
My husband devoured the shrimp and ate most of the lentils. Was a little cautious at first, but felt that overall the dish was tasty. Two thumbs up. I agreed that the lentils were a little different, but good, and the seasoning made them yummy and the shrimp was great.

Exhibit B:
The Cub's Dish
Aforementioned lentil mixture, with shrimp chopped up in easy-to-eat pieces.


Review:
Liked the shrimp, not too crazy about the lentils. However, he did eat half of what we gave him, which is the requirement at our dinner table. Good boy.

Exhibit C:
The Mouse's Dish
Aforementioned lentil mixture, pureed, sans shrimp.


Review:
She inhaled it like she inhales everything, now that she is eating table food (FLAVOR, Mom! Flavor!!).

I liked that this recipe was easy and cost-efficient (shrimp is pricey, but I bought the frozen cheap-o brand and there was enough for this meal and another). The ingredients were simple enough for the kiddos, but tasty enough for the adults. Yay!

I found another lentil recipe that involves some bacon and I'm going to give that a try. Everything tastes good with bacon, right?

Thanks for joining me in this lentil adventure. And thank you to Leslie for inspiring me!

Have a lovely day.

6 comments:

  1. You know, I don't think I've ever eaten a lentil. Perhaps I shall try them sometime. Especially if the Mouse gave them rave reviews! ;)

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  2. I've never had a lentil either. They look like they have the texture of cream peas. I may have to give them a try.

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  3. I always make them with smoked turkey sausage, carrots and onions in chicken broth a little white wine and some sauted mushroom (LOTS of salt and pepper to taste). It turns out real thick like stew or a skillet rather than soup. WE LOVE LENTILS!

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  4. You know I love a lentil! And Riggins loves them too! I need to sit down and post some legume recipes...

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  5. Lentils are delicious if they are spiced up enough. Yours look delicious.

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  6. I LOVE lentils! I found a really good recipe for a lentil & macaroni soup I could share if you want it!

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