Dinner Diaries

Lentils

In my quest to become a better cook I'm trying to expand my comfort zone. One day I saw lentils at the grocery and grabbed a bag. They sat in the pantry for a while because I had no idea what to do with them. If you google "recipes using lentils" you will get a zillion lentil soup recipes and that's about it. I wasn't interested in lentil soup so they sat in the pantry even longer. One day I got bored/desperate and just made them as is. You know - I like them! They are like little tiny beans but they don't (in my mind) serve as a side dish like beans would. I've made them a few times as a replacement for pasta or rice. A few weeks ago I used them as a rice subsitute with fish and salsa. I thought this combination was very good. Light but filling. The kids didn't cheer or sing my praises but they ate it. Spencer picked around them until I forced him to eat a bite and he admitted it was good. (But he didn't take the leftovers for lunch the next day). Unfortunately they are UGLY. When cooked they turn a dull, grey, lifeless color. I think I liked it more than anyone else but I'm pretty sure the hesitation is due to the newness (and ugliness) of the food. Nobody in my house liked fresh spinach in their salad either but now the kids will turn their noses at iceberg lettuce - so ha! Consistency wins.

There is no real recipe to this. Just cook the lentils as directed on the bag. I added tilapia, sauteed onions and fresh salsa on top for a kick. I decided to take a picture halfway through dinner so that's why you get a plate that's missing bites.