• Sweet and Spicey Lentils

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Posted: April 3, 2008

I was in hospital back in October for some scans, everything came back clear, but I got the impression that some of the doctors were not necessarily happy about my vegan diet and signed me up for an appointment with a nutritionist. I didn’t realise until the appointment letter came in the post, but figured that it was probably a good idea. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first. My boyfriend has had one GP tell him that he should do back eating liver (*yuck*), but the lady was lovely. She herself was a vegetarian and she even managed to root out some information about the levels of calcium and iron in vegan foods. Awesome.Pretty much what she was telling me I knew already, but hadn’t been putting into practice. It was just the boot up the butt I needed to start experimenting more in a more healthy way. My obsession with vegan enchiladas (Recipe coming soon) must end!

To sum, I need get back on the vitamin tablets, in particular iron, B12 and calcium. I also need to be more conscientious about my protein intake. Meat is a whole protein and is absorbed into the body very quickly, whereas in nuts seeds and pulses it is released more slowly so it is necessary to incorporate some carbohydrates into each meal.

So I came up with this, the reasoning behind some of the ingredients are listed after them

Ingredients:

• 1 onion.
  • I pretty much put and onion in every dinner. They do contain antioxidants, which lower the risk of heart and neurological disease.
• 1 pepper (Whichever you prefer).
  • I can’t eat too much peppers, the seem to irritate my stomach, but they are a good source of vitamin C
• 2 garlic cloves.
  • I love love love garlic, but I don’t use it enough. It’s good for cholestoral and high-blood pressure
• 1 can chickpeas (or about a cup if you are soaking them)
  • Taste great, good source of protein and carbohydrates
• 2 cups of cooked red lentils
  • Protein and good dietary fiber
• 1 can tomatoes
  • vitamin A & C and a whole bunch of other good things, tasty too ^_^
• 1 tablespoon chilli powder
• 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • Good for digestion
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon tumeric
• 1 tablespoon
• 2 tablespoons of molasses
  • This portion contains 400mg of calcium, which is more than a cup of collard greens
• 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
  • Protein, reduces cholesterol, reduces the chances of heart disease and even cancer
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Rice or pasta to serve

Directions:

• Pour the oil into a pot and let it heat
• While it is heating, chop up your vegtables and crush the garlic
• Add all three to the hot pot, and cook until the onion is translucent
• Stir in the mustard and all of the spices
• Add the lentils, chick-peas, tomatoes, molasses and peanut-butter
• Mix well, and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally
• Serve with some rice or pasta

This makes two massive servings, so there will be plenty left over for lunch. It was inspired by a recipe called Sloppy Lennys sandwich spread that I found in one of my favourite vegan cookbooks: Vegan Vittles. Oh, and even though I’d recommend this with brown rice, the picture above is with mashed potatoes, some soya milk and nutritional yeast flakes. Nick wanted some comfort food the night I was cooking so I did mash instead, and it tasted fab too. A big pile of spuds doesn’t fair as well on the healthy scale although ^_^

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