Loving Lentils

There is one food that I could literally live on: Lentils!
I love lentil stew or soup and I love the taste of sprouted lentils (which taste so good and fresh and are very high in folates). I also love the price. Usually they are 98 cents for a 1 lb. bag, but I have seen it for 39 cents a bag at King Ranch during special sales. There are many kinds of lentils, too. Red ones, black ones, to name a few.

How to fix lentils? Just empty the bag onto a plate and check for little stones, just in case (usually I find that the bag is free of any foreign objects). Then put them in a strainer and rinse them under running water. Then put them in a pot, add water to cover. The water level can be 2 inches above the lentils. Turn the heat on and bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 45 minutes. You do not need to soak lentils. When they cook, they have a natural mild peppery
delicious smell. You can add tomato sauce and finely chopped onion, some diced carrot and potato...and it will look a little like this picture..and taste divine.

If you have never served lentil soup to your family, I encourage you to try it. When introducing a new soup to your family, it is important to have something really good with it, that the kids already love...or that is really appealing..like hot buttered toast, hot rolls or fresh cornmeal muffins from the oven. It takes a while for some kids to get used to a new food, so serve it several times a month.

Lentils, because they are so high in nutritional value, and so versatile, are a vital food to have in your storage.