Weekend Herb Blogging #10 - Lentils!Lentils, Rice and Sausage andSouth Beach Indian Spiced Lentils.

The suspense has ended. Well, ok, so most of you were out Christmas shopping and weren't exactly waiting with baited breath to see what the intriguing photo was. The photo I posted earlier was green lentils, also called French lentils. Lentils also come in brown, red, yellow and black. The green, brown, and black lentils have skins and hold their shape better when cooked. The yellow and red lentils dissolve into a puree as they are cooked.

Lentils are a type of legume that does not need soaking, and are used in many cuisines around the world. They are a good example of the type of complex carbohydrate recommended by low glycemic diets such as The South Beach Diet. In the U.S. most people are only aware of brown lentils, which are most commonly used in soup. When used in Indian cuisine, lentils are called Dal. For an excellent example of the different types of beans and lentils used in Indian cooking, visit One Hot Stove and see the chart Nupur created (which recently won a prize in DMBLGIT). Preparing lentils is an art form in Indian cooking,

The two lentil recipes I am going to share are probably not authentic in any cuisine, but both were tasty and easy to prepare.

This dish was adapted from a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. Lentils, rice, Italian Sausage, and onions are cooked separately, then combined and baked for 30 minutes to blend the flavors. This was quite delicious, but when I took it out of the oven I thought to myself, "How will I ever get a decent photo of this?" I used green lentils, but brown might have been better. The recipe called for a green pepper, which I left out because I'm not a green pepper fan, but next time I would add a chopped red pepper for more color.

LENTILS, RICE, AND SAUSAGE
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1/2 cup uncooked Uncle Ben's Converted Rice or brown rice
(do not use instant rice)
1 cup uncooked brown or green lentils
5 links Hot Italian Sausage or turkey Italian Sausage
2 small onions, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
2 T plus 1 T olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chicken stock
salt/pepper to taste
chopped parsley for serving

Cook rice in rice cooker and let cool. While rice cooks, place lentils in saucepan, cover with water, add bay leaf, and boil until nearly soft, about 30 minutes. While rice and lentils are cooking, heat 1 T olive oil in large nonstick frying pan. Squeeze sausage out of casing into pan and cook until very well browned. (I like to use a potato masher to break up the sausage as it cooks.) Remove sausage and wipe out pan. Add 2 T olive oil and chopped onions and cook over very low heat until onions are carmelized and well browned. Do not rush this step; it will take at least 20 minutes, and probably longer. When onions are browned add garlic and cook 3-5 minutes.

Turn on oven to 350 F. Drain lentils when done, remove bay leaf, and combine in frying pan with onions, rice, and sausage. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock, blend, and pour mixture into small casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes. To serve, garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.

This dish is one I found in the new South Beach Quick and Easy Cookbook which I previously reviewed. I started out following the recipe quite faithfully, but in the end I added more curry powder and chicken stock and cooked the lentils much longer than the recipe called for. The longer cooking time could have been the lentils, since older lentils need much more time to cook.

INDIAN SPICED LENTILS
Adapted slightly from South Beach Quick and Easy Cookbook

4 tsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced in 1/4 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 1 tsp. minced garlic)
1 tsp. Penzeys sweet curry powder
1/2 tsp. Penzeys hot curry powder
(or use your favorite curry powder blend)
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
2 cups homemade chicken stock or 1 can chicken broth and 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt/pepper to taste

Heat oil in medium sized pan, add onions, and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more. Add lentils, curry powder, and stock, bring to a simmer, and cover pan and cook until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed. I cooked this nearly 40 minutes and had to add more liquid several times, so check it every few minutes. When done, remove from heat, stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Both these recipes contain carbs, but lentils are considered a "good" carb on the South Beach Diet, and Uncle Ben's Converted Rice is lower on the glycemic index because of the converting process. If you're a low carb eater and you'd like to get a FREE copy of The South Beach Quick and Easy Cookbook, the low carb blog Livin' La Vida Low Carb is having a contest to give away ten of the cookbooks. You can read about the contest rules at this blog post.

Food Recipes Cooking Low Carb Recipes
South Beach Diet Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Weekend Herb Blogging