Always on the lookout for cheap nutrition, I picked up a bag of dried lentils on my last monthly grocery trip. I figured if we like black beans and pinto beans and peas and green beans, how could I go wrong with this dried legume? Well, we tried it...not a great familial response. My son was the only one that gave the green light to cook it again in the future.
For those of you, like us, who have never tasted these discs, I would describe them as closely resembling early peas with a peppery flavor. Not bad but nothing to write home about.
I will, of course, doctor up small batches to see if I can manage to make them a little more palatable... But in the meantime I'm stuck with about 10 cups of food no one wants to eat. So I decided to do what I do--freeze 'em!
I got out 3 quart-size ziplocs and pressed on with my head held high. The first bag I simply filled with lentils straight from the crockpot. The other two baggies I filled with pureed lentils. I know it sounds disgusting. And it looks completely unappetizing, but I have a little nutritional trick up my sleeve.
For a few years now, I've been secretly adding pureed veggies to my culinary creations. So if I make Shepherd's pie (which already includes carrots, onions, and celery with canned peas) I will just add a 1/2 cup or so of some random pureed veggie that's in the freezer. Besides, I make the gravy with the juice from the canned peas! Talk about packing a punch:) And the fam is none the wiser. They just think it tastes like good ol' Southern comfort food.
So, all that to say that the lentils have not shown their faces in vain...they will live on to see another meal, another day. Can't wait!
What shall I venture into next?
No comments:
Post a Comment