Back to my weekend version of this blog -- basic frugal foods made easy.
A lot of folks weren't raised learning basic frugal cooking skills. Instead, in their family homes of origin, a lot of foods that they consumed were what we'd recognize as convenience foods, such as boxed meal helpers. There's nothing at all wrong with that scenario. However, they now find themselves (through no fault of their own) on a very limited budget, unemployed or forced into early retirement due to this pandemic, struggling financially right now and looking for help so that they can help themselves. Enter Basic Frugal Foods Made Easy, my weekend version of this blog that goes back to the basics to help others make very delicious foods while sticking to a tight budget. Remember, once you learn a piece of information or a new skill, you own that information to use over and over again.
Last weekend, we talked about cooking dried beans, that quintessential frugal food. I mentioned that there are some bean-like legumes that don't require pre-soaking before cooking -- black-eyed peas, split peas, and lentils. These legumes are the fast food of the bean world. They cook up quickly and can provide an inexpensive, hearty and protein-filled meal in an hour or less. And when they're prepared with aromatics (onions, garlic, herbs and spices), these legumes are downright delicious.
Today, I'm going to share one of my favorite ways to cook and use lentils. Lentils come in black, green, brown, red (orange), and yellow. The yellow and red/orange tend to turn mushy when cooked, which makes them suitable for curries and soups. Black lentils are hard to find locally, but are said to be the most flavorful and will do well in salads. Green and brown lentils keep their shape when cooked, with brown lentils being the most plentiful. Brown lentils are the ones that are simply labeled as "lentils" in your grocery and warehouse stores. They're also the least expensive of the lentils, which is what we're after with these budget recipes.
As I said before, cooking lentils with aromatics adds flavor to a somewhat bland food. Whether you want to serve lentils chilled or as a warm dish, the addition of carrots, onions, garlic, herbs, and tomato paste to the cooking liquid elevates these legumes from a boring bean dish to a culinary delight. As with other dried beans, 1 cup of dried lentils will yield 4 adult servings, cooked. Also like other beans, don't add salt until the lentils are tender.
With some recipes, you can wash, chop, and measure as you go. With this recipe, everything comes together rather quickly. For best results, we'll prep the ingredients before cooking. Are we ready? Let's do this!
Seasoned Lentils
equipment needed:
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| capacity info on bottom of your saucepan |
- medium saucepan (a medium saucepan is also known as a 2-qt. saucepan. The bottom of a saucepan is often stamped with the capacity. This pan can hold 2 quarts of liquid/ingredients, but that doesn't mean you should cook 2 full quarts in this size pot, as you need some residual space for stirring and the possibility of boiling over.)
- mesh sieve for rinsing/draining uncooked lentils
- large knife and cutting board
- spoon for stirring
ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste, unsalted
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 bay leaf, whole piece
1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
optional if serving as warm side dish -- 1/2 tablespoon mustard (Dijon, spicy, or yellow)
Rinse lentils. I pour the measured lentils into the medium saucepan and cover with a couple of inches of water, agitating for 2 minutes.
Drain the lentils in a sieve and set aside. Rinse the pot and dry the inside.
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| 1/4 cup of finely diced onions is about 3 half-slices (thin) of a medium onion, then diced |
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| 1/4 cup of finely diced carrot is about 1/2 of a medium carrot, cut into long thin carrot sticks, then chopped |
Chop onions and carrots, and mince garlic, set aside. Measure tomato paste, dried herbs and water.
Heat the saucepan over MED. Add olive oil and swirl around to coat the bottom of the heated pot.
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| I add the onion, carrots, and garlic, spread across the bottom of the pan before adding the tomato paste |
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| onion, carrot, garlic and tomato paste mixture after cooking 3 minutes |
Add water, lentils, and dried herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 35 to 38 minutes, until lentils are tender. Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered, for 10 additional minutes.
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| lentils after cooking and resting 10 minutes |
The lentils can be served right away, warm alongside a grain dish like rice or bread, plus some roasted root veggies, or as filling for tacos, or with pita wedges, tzatziki, and tomato wedges. If serving warm, you can stir in the optional 1/2 tablespoon of mustard for additional flavoring. Taste for seasoning then add additional salt or pepper as desired.
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| French Marinated Lentil Salad |
Or, the lentils can be served in a chilled salad, such as the following French Marinated Lentils.
French Marinated Lentils
1 batch of above cooked and seasoned lentils
2 to 3 sticks of celery, leaves and all, diced (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
Mustard Dressing (below)
lettuce cups
optional -- chives or minced shallots for garnish
Mustard Dressing (combine the following ingredients in a small dish)
2 teaspoons mustard (I use whatever mustard I have, sometimes Dijon, sometimes just yellow mustard, sometimes spicy mustard)
2 tablespoons vinegar (wine vinegar is nice, but I also use homemade herb vinegar)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Toss the cooked and seasoned lentils with the dressing and all but 1/4 cup of the celery dices. Garnish with the remaining celery plus chives or minced shallots, if available. Chill for 30 minutes or longer.
Serve on lettuce cups.
Wasn't this easy? I enjoyed a plate of lentil salad along with toast as a mini-lunch today -- mmmm, yummy!
According to Lentils.com, cooked lentils, either for serving as a warm dish or in this salad, will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, making them an ideal food to cook on the weekend for easy lunches or a dinner during the week.
You can find brown lentils for under $1 a pound, sold in 1-lb bags, at stores like Target and Walmart. I buy large bags of dried lentils at our restaurant supply store for between 65 cents and 85 cents per pound. (Our restaurant supply is similar to warehouse stores like Costco and Sam's in what they carry, just no membership fee.) Each pound of dry lentils contains about 2.33 cups dry and will cook up to about 9 or 10 servings, for roughly 6 to 10 cents per serving.
The whole batch of seasoned lentils cost me just under 50 cents in ingredients, and the lentil salad cost me about 90 cents, total, for 4 large or 6 small servings. For protein content, there are about 47 grams of protein in a batch of these lentils. That's the amount of protein in over 7 ounces of cheddar cheese, or 7 1/2 large eggs, or almost 6 cups of milk, or about 11 ounces of uncooked 73% lean ground beef.
Budget-friendly lentils are simple and straightforward to cook, versatile in how they can be used, and made flavorful with the addition of aromatics in the cooking liquid. They really are a boon to a frugal meal plan.
Do you cook with lentils? Leave a comment below. I'd love to know what you think about this weekend series.
