lentil burritos

Lentil Taco "Meat" is a regular in this house. Once a week, I substitute our ground turkey meat for lentils and it's always a hit.

Lentils are odd-looking little guys, but absolutely nothing to be afraid of.  They must become a staple in your pantry!  

This would be the time to sharpen your pencils.   Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Ooh, LENTILS 101: HIT IT.

Lentils are extremely nutritious:

•   They are a good source of iron
•   They have the 3^rd highest level of protein of any legume or nut
•   They provide essential amino acids, dietary fiber, folate & vitamin B.

Plus, they're super cheap [for a ton!] and also? Also, I dig any grains, beans or legumes that have been around since ancient times.  Ancient noms=healthy noms.

Lentils are mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible, the first time recounting the incident in which Jacob purchases the birthright from Esau with stewed lentils (a "mess of pottage").

Universally, LENTILS ARE THE BOMB.

In Jewish mourning tradition, they are considered as food for mourners, together with boiled eggs, because their round shape symbolizes the life cycle from birth to death.

Lentils were the main ingredient in the diet of ancient Iranians, who consumed lentils daily in the form of a stew poured over rice.

Lentils are also commonly used in Ethiopia in a stew-like dish called kik, or kik wot, one of the dishes people eat with Ethiopia's national food, injera flat bread. Yellow lentils are used to make a nonspicy stew, which is one of the first solid foods Ethiopian women feed their babies.

In India, lentils soaked in water and sprouted lentils are offered to God in many temples. It is also a practice in South India to give and receive sprouted peas by women who perform Varalakshmi Vratam. It is considered to be one of the best foods because the internal chemical structures are not altered by cooking.

In Shia narrations, lentils are said to be blessed by seventy Prophets including Jesus and Mohammed.

Thank you Wikipedia for helpin’ a sister out and satisfying my inner nerd.   Are you still there? (is this thing on?), okaygreat. let’s get started.

Let’s have a LENTIL PARTY UP IN HUR is what I’m sayin.

Simply start by sorting and rinsing the lentils as you would any other dry bean.  (Chunk the red-headed step-children.)

Next, bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan.  Once this is boiling, add the lentils.  Return to boil and reduce heat to low.

Pop a lid on top and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Test the texture, you may want them tender, you may want them smushy, depending on how you are preparing your “meat”. 

Drain the lentils in a colander. 

Return to a skillet.  This is when you would add your seasonings, onions, tomatoes- rock what ya got- and cook as you would any other ground meat.

I prefer ours to be a little on the smushy side, so sometimes I use a potato masher and this really makes for more of a burrito-filling-type texture.

So, that’s it! What do you think? How have you prepared lentils? 

By the way, here are other ways I use them.  ------>  sprout your own lentils // part deux // sprouted lentil patties