3 Preparations With Lentils To Enjoy As A Family
Do you eat legumes at home? Lentils are among the most nutritious legumes, they are also really versatile and can be included in all kinds of dishes. However, in many homes they are hardly consumed, so we share with you 3 preparations with lentils that the whole family will like.
Remember that the nutritional recommendations indicate the importance of consuming legumes at least twice a week. This is due to its great supply of quality proteins. In the specific case of lentils, they provide:
- Slowly digesting carbohydrates, mainly in the form of starch, followed by oligosaccharides.
- Good quality proteins, especially lysine.
- Soluble and insoluble fiber.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids
- Minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
- Group B vitamins (niacin, thiamine, B6 and folates).
We have chosen easy recipes, perfect to prepare with the children. In addition, you will find ideas for hot and cold dishes, to eat at a picnic in the park or to take to the beach. Let’s cook lentils!
Preparations with lentils for the whole family
Go ahead and cook all kinds of preparations with lentils. The reality is that they are super versatile and nutritionally worth incorporating into the family diet. Also, they are very inexpensive!
You can combine them with meats and vegetables, use them to prepare a tasty stew or opt for a healthy salad. The options are multiple and depend only on your imagination! Here are some ideas.
1. Lentil and coconut milk soup
This is perhaps one of the most exotic lentil preparations that we have discovered. The inclusion of coconut milk gives this soup a unique creaminess. Don’t stop trying it!
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 200 g red lentils
- 20 g of grated ginger
- 400 ml of coconut milk
- 300 ml of vegetable broth
- 1/2 kilo of tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 200 g Greek yogurt
- juice of 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- mint (to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste)
Elaboration
- Prepare the vegetable broth and reserve.
- Finely chop the onions and reserve.
- Wash the tomatoes well, peel them and cut them into small cubes. Reservation.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
- Add the chopped onions and the two crushed garlic to the pan. Give them a few turns.
- Add the grated ginger and mix.
- After a minute, add the tomato cubes, the vegetable broth, the coconut milk and the lentils.
- Season to taste.
- Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt and minced mint.
- Finally, add the lemon juice and, if you wish, garnish with a couple of mint leaves.
2. Preparations with lentils: Aubergines stuffed with lentils
Eggplant is composed mainly of water, which is why it is often included in weight loss diets. Combined with lentils, you can create a delicious plate, ideal to take to the office.
Ingredients
- 150 g of cooked lentils
- 2 aubergines
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1 medium carrot
- 100 ml of vegetable broth
- fried tomato (amount needed)
- nutmeg, cumin, and turmeric (to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste)
- Parmesan
Elaboration
- Cut the aubergines in half and make small cuts in the pulp, in such a way as to form a kind of grid.
- Place the aubergine halves on a baking sheet, season to taste and cook in the oven at 200ºC until well cooked (about 30 minutes).
- Cut the vegetables into small cubes and fry them until they are well cooked.
- Add the crushed tomato and spices. Cook for a few minutes and add the lentils. Let cook until sauce thickens.
- When they’re done, remove the aubergines from the oven. Remove the meat from the aubergines and add it to the lentils. Take a few turns and after a few minutes, add the broth. Bring to a boil.
- Taste the lentils and rectify the salt and pepper if necessary.
- Fill the aubergine halves with the lentils and vegetables, sprinkle a little Parmesan on top and heat in the oven for a couple of minutes, until the cheese melts a little. Clever!
3. Lentil salad
This salad is one of the best preparations with lentils to take to a picnic or to the beach, as well as to the office, of course. It is a complete, tasty and very nutritious dish. Have you wanted to try it?
Ingredients
- 200 g of cooked lentils
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1/2 red pepper
- 1 spring onion
- 1 tomato
- basil leaves (to taste)
- extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste)
Elaboration
- Wash the peppers well, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes.
- Chop the chives and cut the tomato into cubes.
- Serve the cooked lentils in a bowl and add the vegetables.
- Season to taste and season with extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with some basil leaves and get ready to taste your lentil salad!
Note : you can also add tuna, crab sticks, carrots, broccoli, olives, and everything else you can think of!
Go ahead and incorporate legumes into your weekly menu. As you can see, the preparations with lentils can be very varied, so you will not have time to get bored! Vary the recipes and enjoy the benefits of legumes.
