For the Love of Lentils

In Genesis 25:29-34, Jacob is cooking red lentil stew, and his brother Esau comes in exhausted and wants some. Esau wants it so badly that Jacob is able to finagle trading a bowl of it for Esau’s birthright.

So what does this tell us? Real men eat lentils. Yep. Lentil soup is a meal made for a man—and with potential bargaining power, too.

Several years ago, my husband Alan and I started the slow process of changing the way we eat (we still have a long way to go.) Since organic food is pricey, we cut out most meat to better afford it. (Alan calls us “budgetarians” rather than “vegetarians.”)

Now that we’re learning how corrupted our meat sources are and how our bodies run cleaner with less of it anyway, I’m even more in love with lentils. Pair them with some brown rice, and you have an easy protein.

These are two of our favorite lentil recipes (kids, too!) They call for RED lentils--like Jacob’s stew (called “Red Pottage” or “Red Stew” depending on your Bible's translation.) They are smaller, take less time to cook, and tend to dissolve somewhat, which naturally thickens the soup (this is also good if you are still getting used to the texture of legumes.)

You’ll make a small investment in spices up front, but you’ll find that many very healthy, flavorful, ethnic recipes include these spices, and cooking these dishes can add a lot of delicious variety to your menu.

RED LENTIL COCONUT CURRY

This recipe is our #1 favorite. It’s thick and hearty and utilizes two vegetables I can still get at this time of year at the farmers' market—cabbage and cauliflower (both of which come in purple--purple cauliflower?!? Yep! With all the antioxidant benefits of other purple & blue fruits & veggies.) It’s from one of my favorite cookbooks, “Simply In Season,”  which organizes recipes by what vegetables and fruits are available in each season. Pretty cool.

Start some brown rice cooking on the stovetop (or in the oven if you only have two burners or two pots to work with). The soup won't take too much longer than the rice.

1 large onion, chopped

In large soup pot, sauté in 1T olive oil over med/high heat until transparent but not browned

1 T garlic (minced)

1 T ginger root (peeled, minced…or I’ve substituted ½ tsp. ginger powder)

2 tsp. curry powder

½ tsp. EACH ground turmeric, cumin, pepper

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Add & reduce heat to med/low. Cook & stir constantly for 3 min. do not let spices & onion brown

1 can coconut milk

¼ cup tamari or soy sauce (a HUGE rabbit trail could be taken here about MSG & soy sauce, but I admit I use soy sauce in this recipe)

1 cup tomato sauce (I’ve often substituted a can of chopped tomatoes here w/great results)
2-3 bay leaves

Add & simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring often.

2 cups dried red lentils

5 cups water

In a separate saucepan, cook for 15 minutes while the rest of the soup is simmering in the soup pot. Add to the soup pot at the end of the 15/20 min.

1 med. Head cauliflower cut into 1-in. florets

1 large sweet potato (I’ve used white potatoes, too)

¼ head cabbage (cut in 1 in. chunks)

Add to soup pot & cook over med heat until veggies are just tender. Salt to taste. Serve over brown rice. Some people enjoy adding toppings such as Indian chutneys & pickles, fresh diced pears, roasted sunflower seeds, or plain yogurt (I admit I’ve never tried any of those—but they sound very interesting!)

RED LENTIL DAL ("Dal" refers to soups from India)

Our #2 favorite takes slightly less time to whip up, and I tend to have these ingredients on hand.

Again, start your brown rice on the stovetop first (or in the oven). This soup will be ready in under an hour!

1 onion

2 cups red lentils

5-6 cups water

Put in a pot together, bring to a boil, then simmer 15 min. partially covered

1 tomato, chopped (I’ve used a can of chopped tomatoes instead)

4 carrots, chopped

4 med. potatoes, chopped

1 can coconut milk

Add to the soup pot & simmer 15 minutes more.

While your soup is simmering, saute in a saucepan:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. red pepper flakes (I often omit these for my kids’ sakes)

2 tsp. cumin

3 T olive oil

Saute for 3 minutes or so, add to the soup at any point (swish some soup around in the sauté pan to get every last bit of spice out of it and into the soup!), and add salt to taste.

Enjoy!