Lovin’ My Lentils

Happy HUMPDAY!I Love how long weekends make the week just fly by!

Yesterday I completed another tough training run on the treadmill. I am not a fan of the mill… it makes 3.5 miles seem like a million. When I’m outside I can pump out 5 or 6 miles no problem, but on the treadmill, I’m over it after 3.

Yesterday I did 3.5 miles + strength. The run was tough, but good… however, I am still experiencing the foot numbness I wrote about before during my runs. I got new shoes, in a bigger size, so I don’t think my shoes are the problem. Have any of you ever experienced this during longer runs? I think I may take a trip to a physiotherapist when I am home next month to see what the problem may be! It is not fun to run on numb/tingly feet!

Anyway… I didn’t want’ to talk about my feet today, I wanted to talk about LENTILS!!!

Hm…I guess lentils seem just about as interesting as feet when you first think about it Ha. But really, they are a super nutritious and highly underrated food…and if you make them right, they can be oh so YUMMY!

That picture above is of my lunch today, a HUGH JASS lentil salad, (I also had some shrimpies on the side, a slice of whole wheat bread with AB, and a large glass of H20). I thought to myself, hm, since I’m eating all these lentils, why not talk about how great lentils are! And so I shall…

I feel like lentils are an underrated food because people don’t really know what to do with them, think they’re boring or that they don’t taste very good.

Here’s a very quick nutritional rundown based on WH Foods:

Lentils (a member of the legume family):

• Are a very good source of dietary fiber – which helps lower cholesterol, manage blood-sugar levels and is great for the… happenings in your digestive tract
• Provide good – excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein
• Have virtually no fat
• And only 230 calories for a whole cup of cooked lentils (that’s a lotta lentils, my friend)

Pretty darn GOOD!

Now, the only problem is how to make these teeny little nutritional powerhouses taste good. Personally, I think they taste great on their own, but lots of people don’t. 

Below is my recipe for lentil salad, plus some other recipes I found that look yummy!

Lovely Lentil Salad

What You’ll Need

For the lentil mix:

• 1 cup dry brown or green lentils
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/3 cup red pepper (or roasted red pepper), finely diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or minced
• 1/4 cup of parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

For the Dressing

• 1 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a pot combine lentils, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cover with water 1 inch above. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until lentils are tender and NOT MUSHY!

Drain. Add olive oil, lemon juice, wine vinegar, celery, cucumber, red pepper, parsley, salt and pepper. Toss to mix and serve at room temperature, or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

[recipe adapted from here]

Other yummy lentil recipes to try:

Dhal 1(A soup/stew made with lentils based on Indian cuisine (regularly eaten with rice or vegetable)

Dhal 2

Vegan Red Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato Lentil Chili

Lentil Burger

Vegan Lentil Burger

ENJOY YOUR LOVELY LENTILS!

Are you a lentil fan? Any favorite lentil recipes?