I don't like lentils! An introduction...

[silva]

There's an herb that is supposed to taste great with beans (or maybe the beans taste great with it): Savory:

Winter Savory: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Precautions

Learn more about Winter Savory health benefits, uses, side effects, effectiveness, safety, precautions, and warnings

www.rxlist.com

Herb of the Month – Winter Savory – The Campaign for Real Farming

www.campaignforrealfarming.org

Huh- I think I knew there are two different "Savories"- winter and summer- but I was a bit confused about them. I thought they were supposed to make beans taste better, but these links mention that they reduce the intestinal gas you sometimes get from beans.

Beans, beans, the musical fruit
The more you eat, the more you toot

I just finished my savory. Honestly I didn't find it added any taste! By itself it was just kinda like dried stems .Beans don't give me gas so I can't attest to that either.

This thread is making me not like lentils . I never made them by themselves, and hate them in cold salads. I eat enough lentil soup, and have them in chili enough to not need them any other way!

 

[ImSlowlylovingBecomingVeg]

I love lentils

 

[ImSlowlylovingBecomingVeg]

Honestly the main reason people dont like lentils is because they dont know just how many ways they can be cooked, I literally make them so many different ways

 

[silva]

Honestly the main reason people dont like lentils is because they dont know just how many ways they can be cooked, I literally make them so many different ways

I'm well aware of the many ways lentils can be prepared---and I dislike them!
Really, not everyone likes everything, and it's okay.

Your link however, is not okay here. Please remove the spam.

 

[silva]

Made my favorite lentil soup again! Yeah, it always changes, but lentil soup is one of my top 3 soups

 

[Lou]

I make this one a lot.

I split it up and freeze 3/4 of it. It makes about 6 meals.

Vegan Lentil Mushroom Stew with Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Instant Pot or Stovetop - Vegan Richa

Instant Pot Lentil Mushroom Stew with Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes. 1 Pot 30 Minute. Upside down Lentil Shepherds Pie! Vegan Glutenfee Nutfree Soyfree Recipe Stovetop option

www.veganricha.com

 

[Lou]

Just got this in my mail box.
Just in case you still haven't found a recipe to try. Here are 40 more.

40 Must-Make Lentil Recipes

Whether you’re looking for an Indian dal, lentil bolognese, or a cozy lentil stew, this list of lentil recipes is full of cooking inspiration!

rainbowplantlife.com

 

[Tom L.]

Just to clarify: I'm not out to persuade anybody to like something. The only exception I might make to this rule would be if someone had such a restrictive/restricted diet that they were likely to become malnourished. As it happens, I'm often looking for new taste sensations: a new fruit or vegetable I haven't tried (there aren't many of those, unless I travel to an area which has a local specialty fruit/vegetable which can't be grown in my area and doesn't ship well... like a cashew apple, or a different variety of banana from the usual Cavendish, for example.)

 

[Lou]

Just to clarify: I'm not out to persuade anybody to like something.

I guess I'm not either .... but...

when someone says they don't like beans and/or lentils it triggers a reaction from me.

Like I said in my initial response, "
There are over 10,000 types of legumes that are grown and eaten around the world. I bet you can find about 20 of them at your local grocery store.
Also there about 100 bean recipes right here on the vegan forum.
It might be challenging but I think you should put some effort into finding beans and recipes you do like. I think its important. Legumes are a really good vegan source of nutrients, and sort of hard to replace.

 

[Tom L.]

@Lou I had no idea there were THAT many, although eventually I'll surely try every kind which is available in my area.

And of course there are many ways to prepare them which may be vegan or might be veganized: the Italian Pasta e Fagioli (AKA Pastafazool); various Dal preparations from Indian cooking; maybe even a veganized Cassoulet from French cuisine (I don't know of such a thing offhand- I came across it in a general cookbook about beans, and although it's a classic dish with many variations in France, none of the ones I saw were close to vegetarian, let alone vegan).

 

[silva]

@Lou I had no idea there were THAT many, although eventually I'll surely try every kind which is available in my area.

And of course there are many ways to prepare them which may be vegan or might be veganized: the Italian Pasta e Fagioli (AKA Pastafazool); various Dal preparations from Indian cooking; maybe even a veganized Cassoulet from French cuisine (I don't know of such a thing offhand- I came across it in a general cookbook about beans, and although it's a classic dish with many variations in France, none of the ones I saw were close to vegetarian, let alone vegan).

While I know recipes for vegan pasta e fagioli, and cassoulet, I've never ever seen either with lentils! I believe the one I made was from Robin Robertsons book, and pasta e fagioli is with kidney beans, white or red

 

[Tom L.]

@silva Come to think of it, I can't think of anything using lentils besides the usual soup, although I might have come across some sort of salad using cooked lentils. My mind is still a bit boggled by the revelation that there are several thousand different kinds of legumes.

 

[Lou]

@silva Come to think of it, I can't think of anything using lentils besides the usual soup, although I might have come across some sort of salad using cooked lentils. My mind is still a bit boggled by the revelation that there are several thousand different kinds of legumes.

Yes there are thousands. but if you were just to go to a Non-specialty store you probably would only find... maybe 20. I can only think of a dozen ones that I can get my hands on.

Pinto
kidney
great norrthern
navy
small white
Black
lentils - green and yellow
red
lima
Garbanzo
Black eyed peas
split peas

 

[David3]

Spaghetti with lentils mixed in is one of my favorites

 

[silva]

@silva Come to think of it, I can't think of anything using lentils besides the usual soup, although I might have come across some sort of salad using cooked lentils. My mind is still a bit boggled by the revelation that there are several thousand different kinds of legumes.

Spend time in an Indian grocery and you won't know which to try! So much dahl!
It's funny that by themselves, I hate lentils, but I do like them when pureed, or in a soup. I esp like the split lentils.
Ok, I like green peas by themselves. I mean the whole disc shaped ones, like the usual green or brown
I dislike things like sloppy joes with lentils, and would never put them in with spaghetti sauce
Red lentils do thicken up my chili very well, but go unnoticed

 

[Tom L.]

Yes there are thousands. but if you were just to go to a Non-specialty store you probably would only find... maybe 20. I can only think of a dozen ones that I can get my hands on.

Pinto
kidney
great norrthern
navy
small white
Black
lentils - green and yellow
red
lima
Garbanzo
Black eyed peas
split peas

I've come across all those, and also Anasazi, Jacob's Cattle (these two looked very similar: Navy-bean-shaped beans, but mottled white and black, like cows), Fava (somewhat like big lima beans, but not very good, IMHO), Pink (basically a light red bean), and maybe a very few others- but these were dry beans, mostly sold in bulk at a natural foods store I often go to. The Hispanic food section in my local supermarket sometimes has some of the more unusual ones, canned. It's probably possible to mail-order some of the unusual kinds, too, but if you hadn't had them before and found you didn't like them, that would be money spent on something you didn't care for. (Me being me, I finished off the Favas anyway, but made a mental note not to get them again).

 

[Lou]

And I'm pretty sure that some of those beans aren't just one species. For instance, I think there are a few different beans that go by the name of Navy. I think its pretty much the same thing with white beans.

 

[silva]

Ugh. I like split red lentils--that's what makes them cook into a puree. I recently bought a 2 lb bag from an Indian grocery and each time I used them they didn't cook down. The last time was for a seitan and not only did I double the cook time, I ended up using immersion blender. I was fooled again--Masoor Gota, whole red lentils. For whatever reason, I don't find them split in Indian grocers, and they're usually pricier when I find them in stores. I also see the whole red sold as "football lentils"
Split lentils are deskinned and will cook to a paste

 

[Emma JC]

I went just once to the Indian food store in my community and won't return - items were dusty and the store was not clean and many things were out of date - I have no issues buying split red lentils in my local grocery store and they definitely have them in the bulk stores too. Once I bring them home I put them in a tall mason jar for storage and they stay fresh and as they are in 'sight' they get used more often, especially in with my steel cut oats as they look exactly like them when cooked.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[silva]

I went just once to the Indian food store in my community and won't return - items were dusty and the store was not clean and many things were out of date - I have no issues buying split red lentils in my local grocery store and they definitely have them in the bulk stores too. Once I bring them home I put them in a tall mason jar for storage and they stay fresh and as they are in 'sight' they get used more often, especially in with my steel cut oats as they look exactly like them when cooked.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

The Indian groceries by me are clean and well stocked. It may be that the stores are so full of variety I miss the split?
I do have issues finding split red lentils, I can find them, but they're always pricier than other dahls or beans.
Just cooked and pureed a batch for another hammy seitan