Behold the mighty lentil! The expression “Big things often come in small packages” comes to mind when I think of the tiny powerhouse of a legume that is believed to originate in central Asia. A half cup of cooked lentils is a mere 114 calories that are packed with nutritional content. This half cup contains 8.9 grams of protein, and a mere .376 grams of fat (with 0 cholesterol).
This tiny little legume can do the following for your health:
The fiber (7.8 grams) in the lentils has two significant effects on your health: the soluble fiber has a substance which grabs cholesterol and escorts it out of the body. The insoluble fiber increases stool bulk, prevents constipation, helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis. If that’s not enough, lentils keep your heart healthy, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. The magnesium in the lentil is a calcium channel blocker, which improves flow, oxygen and nutrients as blood makes its way down the vascular highway. Fiber also balances blood sugar levels while it provides the body a steady supply of good, slow-burning energy. The molybdenum and folate lower levels of homocysteine. (Homocysteine is an undesirable as it damages artery walls and increases risk of heart disease.) Lentils also provide nutritional content such as tryptophan, manganese, iron, protein, phosphorous , copper, vitamin B1, and potassium.
Lentils cook fast, too. Green lentils take about 30 minutes and red lentils take about 20 minutes. Here’s my recent favorite recipe for lentil soup. If you keep the lentils ready in an air-tight jar in your cupboard, and combine them with a few simple ingredients you will have a quick, protein-packed healthy soup for lunch or dinner. (Recipe follows.)
Lentil Soup with Indian Spices (Serves about 4 people)
Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 TBSP fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
½ TBSP. ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 and ½ cups dried brown lentils (picked through and rinsed)
6 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
About 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
Pepper
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice (opt.)
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, sweet potato, carrot, and garlic. Cook covered until softened (about 10 minutes.) Add the juice from the tomatoes, finely chop the tomatoes, and add them to the pan. Stir in the ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne and bay leaf. Add lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the chopped cilantro, season with salt and pepper, cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in lemon juice (opt.) and serve hot. Buen Provecho!
