Meatless Mondays: Lentils with Vegetables

Posted by Matt on January 3rd, 2011 at 03:59pm

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions this year to eat better? After all, there is a reason losing weight is one of the most popular resolutions and that’s because most of us could be doing better for our body than what we’re doing right now. If this is the case for you, why not consider some meatless meals. Meatless recipes, when done right, are low in fat and calories but high in flavor and nutrients. It’s a really easy way to reinvigorate your healthy eating routine, especially considering the calorie powerhouse that is the holiday season.

For the first meatless Monday of 2011, try this recipe for Lentils with Vegetables. Lentils are a fantastic ingredient to work with because they’re a super inexpensive vegetarian-friendly protein source. Unlike most beans, you don’t need to soak dry lentils overnight and they cook up far more quickly too. When I can, I prefer to cook with dry beans or lentils so that I can control exactly what’s going into the dishes I eat. This particular lentils recipe is great because it features a whole host of heart healthy veggies that are still readily available even in the dead of winter. If you need more super easy meatless dinners, then you have to give this recipe a try!

Lentils with Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 large potato, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 small yellow squash cubed
• 1 pound spinach
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• Juice from 1 – 2 lemons

Instructions

1. Brown onions in olive oil in a 2-quart sauce pan. Set onions aside.
2. Add lentils and fill the pan with water to one inch above the top of the lentils. Cook until well done but still whole, approximately 30 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except for the spinach and the lemon juice.
4. When vegetable are cooked, add spinach and cook until wilted. Correct seasoning if desired.
5. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Keep covered until served.

Need more meatless recipes? There’s plenty over on the FaveDiets Youtube channel. In particular, be sure to check out the videos from Dorothy from taichibozeman.com/rawfoodblog for great meatless dishes, including this video for kale chips:

Your turn: Are you a proponent of meatless meals? What are your favorite meatless recipes?

Tags: food, Health, healthy eating, healthy meals, Healthy Recipes, home cooking, low-sodium, meal planner, nutrition, recipes, weight loss, what to eat

Under Healthy Recipes Tags: food, Health, healthy eating, healthy meals, Healthy Recipes, home cooking, low-sodium, meal planner, nutrition, recipes, weight loss, what to eat