Sprinkled right out the jar!
In my on-going quest for foodie fame, fortune, and blog traffic, I’ve decided to enter a contest. I heard about it through the Canadian Food Bloggers, a group of which I’m a member, and I thought it would be a great way to try something new in terms of food as well as my blogging.
The contest is called the “Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Contest Challenge 2015” (a bit of a mouthful, eh? <– look, already my Canadian-isms are coming out! That’s worth a point…eh? *giggling to self because self is funny*), and is put on by the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. Which is a non-profit that I didn’t know existed but apparently does. Did you know that there are over 18,000 pulse growers in Saskatchewan? Neither did I. (I now envision Saskatchewan as one giant pulse farm, fyi. Green sprouty things as far as the eye can see!)
I also didn’t know exactly what a pulse was. In case you don’t either, it’s a “leguminous crop”. That totally clears it up, right? No? Basically, it’s a legume, like chickpeas, beans, and peas. Or, as I like to say, it’s ‘bean-ish’. “Leguminous crop” vs ‘bean-ish’. I think my explanation wins.
I checked out the lentils.ca website, and wow, was I ever surprised! I had no idea that you could put lentils into so many things! Baking delicious baked goods? Throw in some cooked lentils for extra fibre. Cooking savoury stews? Throw in some lentils for thickener. You’d never know the dish contained lentils, and you’d be healthier for it!
Speaking of healthy, I’ve mentioned before that I have IBS, so I eat a lot of salad for the fibre (where am I going with this? You’ll see!) As well, I’m a vegetarian, and I tend to be low in iron, which lentils actually have quite a bit of (a 1/2 c. contains about 1/2 the iron one needs each day). I also need to eat some more non-dairy protein (I rely a bit too much on probiotic Greek yoghurt for my protein), and lentils get about 30% of their calories from protein. As such, lentils are kind of the perfect food for me!
But…aren’t they kind of blah? Not so, my friend! Sure, if you only eat lentils in lentil soup, or as a mealy side dish, then yes, you’d get sick of them. But they don’t have to be boring!
I made…lentil salad sprinkles! That’s right, they’re a crispy, savoury snack that can be sprinkled on top of salad, to pump up the fibre, protein, and iron of your salad, while still managing to taste delicious!
You think I jest? Try out this easy peasy recipe!
Ready for roasting! Add in seasoning at will. Mix it up! This batch will be savoury. But…what about a sweet batch? Of course, my mind goes straight to chocolate covered lentils. I wonder if that’s a thing?
Savoury Lentil Salad Sprinkles
- 1 c. cooked lentils
- 1 tbsp. olive oil (you can use vegetable oil, but olive oil is healthier)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together. Spread out in a thin layer on a foil-lined cookie tray, and bake for 15 min. at 375 degrees. Stir them all up and spread them out again, and bake for another 10-15 minutes. They should be dry and crispy, but not burnt. Let cool, sprinkle on salad, and enjoy!
I’ve brought these to work and had colleagues rave about them. Think wasabi peas without the wasabi, but just as savoury and crunchy and yummy and with some heat and just hitting the spot! My first batch is already gone and I plan on making another asap, because a) healthy, b) delicious, and c) easy — it’s a cooking trifecta! In other words…make them! And then eat them and be smugly healthy.
Next Post: Finally, my bok choy dish! Or…slow cooker vanilla rice pudding? Probably bok choy. Is sooo good! But then, so is the vanilla rice pudding! Decisions, decisions.
Linking up at A Proverbs 31 Wife
This looks like something I could do without much effort! I will give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
They ARE easy! And sooo tasty!