29 August 2006

Cuban Lentils!

At our avocado house communist dinner last night, we enjoyed this new lentil salad recipe from the Food Network.

Here's what I did, for posterity's sake:

6 c. water
1 1/2 T. salt
1 1/2 c. lentils
1 T. evoo
4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. vinegar
4 green onions, white/light green parts only, sliced thin on the diagonal
1/2 c. finely chopped red or green pepper

In a large pot, boil water and salt. Add lentils, reduce heat to low and cook 30 minutes until tender but not mushy (if you use the smaller red lentils, check them at 15 minutes because they are much more delicate).

Meanwhile, in medium skillet, heat evoo over medium low. Add garlic, cook gently about 5 minutes or until softened (not brown). Remove from heat and stir in spices, salt, vinegar. Transfer mixture to large serving bowl.

Drain lentils; transfer to bowl. Toss together with dressing until lentils are evenly coated. Cool to room temp and stir in green onions and peppers. Serve warm or cold.

I highly recommend this one! Cheap, easy, healthy, yummy.

5 comments:

Peter G said...

You lentils make me sick! What? Oh, wait...
I mean, you communists make me sick!
..with your
..lentils...

emilie said...

Dude, don't hold it against Cuba that they're communists. They still have good food and good culture, as YOU of all people should know.

Marie said...

what is jicama, dude?

emilie said...

you know, that brown vegetable that sort of looks like a potato, but is white on the inside and tastes sweet like fresh pea-pods. It is really mild and refreshing, esp. against the spiciness of the salad. You should try it sometime... peel it, cut it up and eat it raw, maybe dipped in something like hummus.

Anonymous said...

This recipe is also very good. I used jicama, red, and grn pepper...about half a cup (rather than the 1/4 C) all together. Matt loved it! Robert Recio liked it a lot too! The spiciness was perfect for me. :)
Thanks! I'll definitely buy a cookbook if you write one! :)