How To Cook Lentils, Beans and Peas. Great Recipes

 2 or 3 cups of black eye peas

mayonaise

Large chopped onion

1/2 crushed clove garlic

Lemon Juice - to taste

Soak peas overnight, Cook until tender about 30 - 45 minutes.

Drain, rinse in cold water.

Stir through chopped onion, garlic, mayonaise add lemon juice to taste.

Taste add more onion if necessary. Delicious with boiled eggs for a light lunch.

Or serve with any meal as a side salad.

2 large onions

3 Cloves garlic

3-4 tbs Olive Oil

2 cups green lentils

1 litre Chicken Stock, Homemade or (low salt)

4 cups pasta, macaroni or twirls are best

Grated Cheese

Yogurt

Chilli

Saute Onions and Garlic till soft and just starting to colour. Stir through lentils. Pour in stock, Bring to boil and simmer until lentils are almost soft about 30mins.

Add Pasta, cook for about 20mins. until pasta is cooked.

Serve topped with grated Cheese, Yogurt, and chilli for those who like a bit of heat.

Serve with Green Salad, Purple onions, basil tossed with Italian Dressing

Dhal can be cooked with any kind of lentils, Red give the most beautiful colour and are quick to cook.

2 tbs Olive Oil,

2 Onions Sliced

3 cloves garlic chopped

1inch ginger finely chopped

1tsp each turmeric, coriander, cumin,

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1cup lentils

3 cups water

Saute onions, garlic & ginger till soft. Add spices cook till fragrant.

Add lentils stir through onion & spices

Add water bring to boil simmer partially covered until cooked.

Red lentils about 20 -25 mins

Green lentils about;35 -40 mins

Serve with rice, onion bhaji, pappadoms

 This is a favourite of mine,  I make this every year. At Christmas we always buy a full leg of ham on the bone.  Once it is eaten, I use the bone to make stock for Pea Soup.

250g dried peas

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Ham stock Strained.

Cover peas with plenty of cold water. Use whole ones not split.  Soak overnight with 1tsp of bicarb.

Cook pea's in strained ham stock until tender about 1 hour.

This is so simple and so delicious. It is the bicarb that makes the peas go mushy. 

It is brilliant over home made pies, or with sausages and mash.

Carrots can be added for both flavour and colour.

When Reheating can add milk or a little water.

To make Ham Stock

Cover ham bone with water, Add a large onion and a couple of carrots. Simmer gently for 3 or 4 hours till water has evaporated and stock has a good flavour.

An interesting and delicious  thing to do  is to cook a whole fresh chicken in this stock until just tender. Adds mountains of flavour.  Use the chicken for pie, fricassee, rice or pasta dishes.

Soak a couple of cups of chick peas overnight. You can sprout some of the chick peas. Change the water daily and when sprouts are 2-3 cms use them in salad or make a raw hummus with them.

Use 1 cup for hummus, Use the rest to add protein and interest to your meals. A few cooked chick peas are great tossed through a salad.

Soaked and cooked chick peas are firmer and give a better consistency than tinned. They are so healthy and easy to cook with, Its worth taking the time. I usually soak them overnight, cook them the following night while I am getting dinner ready and use them the night after. Each step only takes a little while.

Hummus

Process 1 cup soaked or cooked chick peas with 1/2 cup of tahini, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and a good sprinkle of salt. Taste add more lemon if necessary. If it is too thick add a tablespoon of water. In a raw hummus I usually stir through a tablespoon or so of olive oil. It gives it sweeter flavour and makes it more creamy

To serve

Swirl the top of the Hummus, drizzle on olive oil, parsley and little chilli or paprika powder.

Morroccan Chicken

2tbs Olive Oil

1 Chopped Onion

2 or 3 chopped garlic

500g Chicken legs, (boned) or breast

A handful of cooked chickpeas.

1 cup dates

Squeeze of Orange Juice

Slivered almonds.

Saute Onions & Garlic till soft and just starting to colour.

Add Chicken cook covered until browned. A tagine is fantastic for this, otherwise a pan on the stove.

Add Chick peas.

Stir almonds and dates through. Squeeze Orange Juice over. Turn up and let everything get golden and shiny. Serve with a white Jasmine rice,

2 large sliced onions

3-4 cloves chopped garlic

4cm finely chopped ginger

3 tbs of curry powder

1 cup potato, 2 cups of red lentils.

1 cup of each of these. Carrot, Turnip, Swede, Parsnip, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Tomato, Parsley, Cabbage. 

A good big handful of leafy greens.  such as spinach, bok choy, pumpkin leaves.

1 generous tablespoon of miso 

5 litres of water.

Saute onions, garlic and ginger in 3 tbs of olive oil till soft, stir through curry powder and fry until fragrent. Add all root vegies, the potato, turnip, carrot, parsnip, swede stir through spices and onions till starting to cook. Add washed lentils.

Add water and bring to simmer, add rest of ingredients,  Cook until lentils are soft and have disappeared into soup and vegetables are tender.  

You can eat now, but it is tastier the 2nd day.  I have eaten this soup for a week. Especially when I need to get my cholesterol down.  It is full of healthy ingredients, tastes brilliant is good for you and has no fat.