January is for Lentils

I’d been getting a bit panicky. I mean, here it was, the 3rd of January, and I had yet to figure out what food belonged to January. Pumpkin was good for October and November. (Okay, okay. I started in September.) And molasses (Gingerbread…I’m talking about YOU!) totally belonged to December. But now what? What was January?

I sat in my pantry this afternoon (not even kidding), pondering this very question, gazing at the food on the shelves, when I spotted a bag hiding behind the amaranth, millet, rice, wheat berries, and quinoa.

Red lentils.

It was time.

I had bought these to use in a recipe given to me by a dear friend, who shares my love of real food. And then, somewhere along the line, I lost the recipe (sorry, MT…). And I never gave it another thought until today.

I would say I’ve never been a fan of lentils, but the honest truth is, I really don’t have much lentil experience. (Except in “Sloppy Lo’s”…a nice little vegan twist on Sloppy Joes.) And if we are going to be completely honest, I am not a fan of the smell of lentils when they are being cooked. Reminds me of pepper. As in salt and pepper. Not a fan.

But, after looking at the “date purchased on”, I decided I had best give them a try. And soon. No time like the present!

I scoured recipes looking for some inspiration. Since I had no desire to make a second trip to the grocery store, I morphed several recipes into one (and changed the amounts based on what I had).

And the results?

Heavenly! Definitely a meal made with love!!! And definitely a meal I will be repeating!

Lentils, welcome to January!

Lentil Soup 

(serves 5 Hovies with no leftovers)

2 c. red lentils

4 c. water

4 c. vegetable broth

2 c. carrots, chopped

1 1/2 c. celery, chopped

1 c. onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. curry

2 tsp. cumin

1 T. lemon juice

1 handful of spinach, torn into small pieces

sea salt to taste

Rinse lentils. All recipes told me to take out the little foreign particles of heaven knows what before rinsing. I saw nothing. So nothing was removed. Put lentils, water, and vegetable broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove scummy layer with a spoon and discard. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Stir. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add curry and cumin. Stir. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Add spinach and lemon juice. Stir. Simmer until lentils are tender. Add salt to taste. Enjoy!