Why I Always Keep Cooked Lentils In My Fridge

📖 These lentil suppers written down with the measures: https://vernasbook.com so you're not guessing at the stove. My printed cookbook ships to your door! Coiled so it can lay flat on your countertop. It is Tuesday evening, you are tired, and the refrigerator is empty. That was never laziness. One pot of cooked red lentils, made before you need it, turns into a creamy spread, a silky squash and macaroni supper, and a skillet of crisp lentil cakes. Stay to the end for what my mother called a pot like this. 🥄 THE POT (about 2 1/2 cups cooked) 1 cup red lentils, rinsed until the water runs mostly clear. 3 cups water or chicken broth, plus half an onion if using water. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered about 12 to 15 minutes, tasting from 12. Soft with a little bite, not paste. Drain well. Salt last, about 1/2 teaspoon. Cool within 2 hours, refrigerate in a lidded container up to 3 to 4 days (USDA leftovers guidance), freeze cup portions for a few months. One cup cooked has about 18 g protein and 16 g fiber (USDA FoodData Central). 🍲 CREAMY LENTIL SPREAD 1 small garlic clove grated into 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, rest 5 to 10 minutes. Blend with 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, 3 tablespoons tahini (or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise), 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few drops of pepper vinegar. Add cold water by the spoonful only if too thick. Top with crumbled crisp bacon and a drizzle of the grease. 🔥 SQUASH AND LENTIL MACARONI Half a medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks, with 4 unpeeled garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon oil or bacon grease, salt and pepper. Roast at 425 F, 25 to 30 minutes. Blend with the squeezed garlic, 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, 1 cup broth or water, and 1/4 cup milk. Taste, add tomato paste and plenty of black pepper. Toss with about 3 cups macaroni cooked a little short of done, loosened with pasta water. Sharp cheddar on top. 🍳 CRISP LENTIL CAKES 2 tablespoons bacon grease or oil, 1/2 diced red bell pepper, a few sliced green onions, 1 cup grated squash or carrot cooked until the moisture is gone. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of oregano. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils in the dry pan. Mix with 1/2 cup cornmeal (add more by the spoonful if needed), 1 egg, zest of half a lemon, salt and pepper. Chill 30 to 60 minutes, fry a test cake, shape with wet hands, fry in hot grease on medium, 3 minutes the first side without moving, 2 to 3 minutes the second. A FEW HONEST WORDS: lentils are a good food, not a medicine. If you watch your potassium or have kidney trouble, ask your doctor how much is right for you. The bacon and broth carry salt, so taste first. I am a cook, not a doctor. If this saved you one empty-refrigerator evening, I would take a subscribe as a personal kindness. It costs you nothing and it helps me keep making these for you. Have a blessed day. -Verna CHAPTERS 0:00 The empty refrigerator 0:38 Why I keep a pot ready 1:22 Cooking the lentils (and the mistake) 3:28 1. Creamy lentil spread 6:05 2. Squash and lentil macaroni 9:01 3. Crisp lentil cakes 13:11 How a week goes with one pot 14:03 A few honest words 14:22 What my mother called it 14:45 Your turn #cookedlentils #lentilrecipes #mealprep #appalachiancooking