Lego my legume

“Aaaaaah...the lentil. The humble, earthy, slightly frumpy, a bit dowdy, no-I'm-not-looking-for-a-date-I'm-staying-home-and-washing-my-Birkenstocks lentil. And brown, so very broooooowwwwwwn is the lentil. But! With a little love, a few spices, and a bit of simmering the humble lentil becomes something entirely different.” – beanplate blog

I LOVE THE LENTIL. I don’t know what it is about this simple little….thing. I mean, what is it, a bean, a grain, a veggie….what? http://www.pea-lentil.com/consumer.htm.
Well, don’t worry Michael, you’re safe, the lentil is only a cousin of the bean family, kind of like sitting down with the Andersons. You know your related, you can trace the line back but the resemblance is a bit vague
Though they are a distant cousin, eating the lentil feels like coming home! Lentils are just great! They’re like a missionary trying to fill his service hours; versatile, inexpensive, helpful, and they get the job done!

This recipe is for Lentil Sloppy Joe’s. Now, before you gawk at it, give it a try. You may like it, and the nutritional benefits are fantastic! In one cup of dry lentils (which is way more than I can eat....) there are 230 calories, 1 g of fat and 18 g of protein! http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4338/2. gram for gram that’s more protein v. fat than a beef steak! So try enjoying this old favorite with a healthy twist.
1 cup lentils
2 cup water
1 minced onion
1 minced green pepper
season salt
1 t agave
chili powder
dry minced garlic (the kind in the spice section)
celery seeds
1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 1/4 cups water

(or just add a can of Manwich)

Directions:
1) simmer lentils till tender, but not mushy.
2) sautee onion, green pepper till soft, add dry ingredients.

3) add lentils and tomato paste.

Serve on whole wheat buns. Makes excellent leftovers and freezes very well!!!I make a bunch and freeze it to pull out for a quick meal.
Makes: 8 Servings, Preparation time: 10 min, Cooking time: 65 min (vegweb: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=29868.0)


for more fun then a lentil should supply check this out!!!
http://www.pea-lentil.com/kids_page.htm