mental for lentils

you know, lentils are a pretty amazing food.  with about 18 grams of protein per cup of cooked lentils (and people wonder where vegetarians get their protein) and loads of fiber, iron, folate, and potassium, they're a veritable nutritional powerhouse.  i didn't grow up eating lentils so they've only recently become a rotation in my diet, but they're more than welcome to stay.  they're delicious!  i love the variety of textures they can take on - al dente for salads*, well-done and mushed for vegetarian tacos, and quite reminiscent of beans in chili (stay tuned below!)

*not only is it the best lentil salad ever, it might be -the- best salad ever.

the bulk bins at whole foods (and most large grocery stores, these days!) are one of the best places to shop for lentils.  they usually have at least 3 different varieties and are generally a better value than buying pre-packaged.  plus, you can buy only as many as you want for a single recipe if you’re unsure about these pebble-esque legumes, thus saving money on a tight budget.

holy mother of grains and legumes chili

(adapted from pierce street vegetarian chili)

vegetarian, vegan if you don’t add cheese on top like i did!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

8 small/med garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons chili powder

1.5 teaspoon ground cumin

4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (use fewer if you don’t like it super hot)

1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

10 cups vegetable broth

1 can chickpeas (365 brand is my favorite, they have a very smooth texture)

2 1/4 cups green lentils rinsed and picked over

2/3 cup pearled barley

2/3 cup bulgur wheat

optional toppings: cheese (i used cheddar, but goat was originally recommended and would be delicious) and braised kale (because in my opinion kale goes with everything)

in a large (biggest you have!) stockpot pot over medium heat add the olive oil and onion. when the onions soften, add the garlic, ginger, chili powder and cumin. stir well and cook for a minute of so, then stir in the chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and 8 cups of the broth. Add the chickpeas, lentils, barley/farro, and bulgur. bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until all the grains are cooked through.  taste and adjust seasonings - i added a little salt, few more dashes cumin, a few dashes ground chipotle pepper, and a few dashes ground ginger (only because i was out of fresh ginger to add).  next time, i would add mushrooms and maybe some carrots and other veggies for color and texture.  

serves... a LOT.  i ate a bowl and portioned out 13 more servings for lunches/freezer.

some other musings:

-beets!  i can officially say, that at least in certain capacities, i like beets.  i didn’t used to.  i’ve wanted to for a long time because they're so pretty and full of nutrients.  the trick?  peel, large dice, coat in olive oil, S, & P, and roast at 400 for at least 45 minutes until they get soft, caramelized, and super sweet.  nature’s candy at its best.  delicious hot or cold, by themselves, in a salad (with spinach, walnuts, goat cheese, and balsamic.  get outta town), and surely many other undiscovered pathways.

-i’ve heard about this tweet what you eat weight loss strategy with the philosophy that you might not eat that extra serving of mac-and-cheese if you’re going to share the news with the world.  while i’m definitely not looking to lose any weight, i’ve been keeping a food journal to track what i eat and how i feel each day.  it’s mostly a quest to find correlations between what i eat and how i feel, since i’ve had some on and off stomach ailments for the past year and a half.. going on 2, really.  i’ve certainly identified cow’s milk as a culprit, though other dairy (plain greek yogurt) is totally fine and others (cheese, butter, cream, ice cream) seem to do okay in small quantities.  i’m keeping a pen and paper notebook for this, because no one but me really cares about every.thing.i.eat.  good news is, lately i've been feeling great!  i'm also recording my daily exercise accomplishments which i think i WILL post in here.  because on a good week, it will be something i’m proud of!

in the past week:

wed, jan 4: walk up to TJ’s on top of queen anne (40 min round-trip) and yoga at my gym

thu, jan 5: 20 minute walk around wallingford before teaching flute lessons

fri, jan 6: 25 minute elliptical

sat, jan 7: yoga w/ maria @ yogalife

sun, jan 8: 2 mile run around wedgwood, walk around greenlake inner path (2.8 miles)

mon, jan 9: 30 minute elliptical

tue, jan 10: 5k on treadmill

if i can be at least 75% this active on average throughout the year, i’ll be a happy camper!  when my iphone arrives (tomorrow, i hope!), i'm going to get on board with this clever scheme.

thankful for a relaxing evening at home in the midst of pre-horsfall week,

maggie