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Red Lentil Side Dish

Red Lentil Side Dish

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Cook onion until translucent, stirring occasionally,, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and jalapeño. Stir and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and parsnips and stir until mixed.
  2. Add tomato paste and cumin, stirring until fragrant.
  3. Add lentils and enough vegetable stock to almost cover the vegetables. Stir and bring to a boil.
  4. Cover, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, adding more stock as needed to maintain a wet mixture.
  5. Once cooked, remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir gently. Transfer to service piece, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
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Red Lentil Side Dish

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Red lentils cooked with ginger, garlic, onion, carrot parsnip and a rich blend of fragrant spices…

  • clock icon
    30 Minutes MIN
  • 6 SERVINGS
Red Lentil Side Dish

Everyone loves this vegetarian RED LENTIL SIDE DISH and it goes with everything!

Many of the books I’ve been reading lately suggest adding legumes to our diets. These include peas, beans, carob, soybeans and lentils. We’re also supposed to be eating more peanuts too, which are, in fact, legumes and not nuts.

These wondrous nutritional powerhouses are a significant source of protein, dietary fiber, healthy fats and carbohydrates. I’ll admit it: I’m just not eating enough of them. Solution: this red lentil recipe. Better still, we’ve crafted this recipe for all the vegans out there. OK, friends, we gotta eat this!

Ingredients for Red Lentil Side Dish

This recipe comes together in about 40 minutes, and I love the heady aromas of spiced red lentils that fill my kitchen each time I make it. I also like the colour of stewed red lentils and their distinctively bright, spicy flavours that heighten with the final squeeze of lemon. All in all, a seriously solid side dish.

Here are some suggestions for when you go make it:

Red Lentils rinsed and strained before being added to the pot

LENTILS

I specifically chose red lentils for their colour and I like how they keep their shape when cooked. Although you can try the recipe with green or yellow lentils, I say, stick with red. I also suggest that you always rinse your lentils a few times in cold water before starting the recipe. Who knows where they’ve been!

Chopped carrots and parsnip all a touch of sweetness

TENDERNESS

Try to chop the parsnips and carrots into equal-sized chunks. This will help them cook evenly and reach that perfect tenderness. The natural sweetness of these two root vegetables add a wonderful counterbalance to the heat of the ginger and jalapeño too.

Freshly chopped ginger, garlic and jalapeno

YOU’RE TOO SHY SHY!

Don’t be shy with the fresh garlic and ginger; in fact, err on the side of more – you won’t be disappointed by the bold flavour profile. Same goes for the jalapeño. The last few times I’ve made this RED LENTIL SIDE DISH, I used larger-than-normal peppers and haven’t been disappointed.

All of the ingredients added to the pot ready to simmer slowly

SEEDS & BROTH

If you can, toast and fresh-grind your cumin seeds. This will give the dish a pleasing aroma plus add an extra kick to the spicy flavour profile.

Red Lentil Side Dish

With regard to the vegetable broth, add less than the recipe calls for. Then, keep adding small amounts only as needed. The goal is to end up with a side dish that remains moist but not runny.

Red lentils served on the side of chicken

Last few things about this recipe: don’t forget to remove the lentils from the heat and allow them to sit covered for ten minutes before serving. After that crucial step, you just need to add the lemon juice, stir and garnish. Finally, serve them proudly with some of our delicious mains like our EASY ROAST CHICKEN, our GRILLED LAMB CHOPS served with a tangy MINT CHIMICHURRI or our BARBECUED SALMON.

A winning combination of fabulous flavours come together in this RED LENTIL SIDE DISH. This one you just gotta try!

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Red Lentil Side Dish

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Red Lentil Side Dish

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Ingredients

  • 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped
  • 1 (5.5 oz.) can of tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable stock, adding more as needed
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
  • 1 small lemon, juiced
  • garnish, chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Cook onion until translucent, stirring occasionally,, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and jalapeño. Stir and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and parsnips and stir until mixed.
  2. Add tomato paste and cumin, stirring until fragrant.
  3. Add lentils and enough vegetable stock to almost cover the vegetables. Stir and bring to a boil.
  4. Cover, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes, adding more stock as needed to maintain a wet mixture.
  5. Once cooked, remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir gently. Transfer to service piece, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

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