Meatless Monday: Hearty Lentils

Yet another busy, fun-filled weekend has passed, and I still have a lot to do to "recuperate" from it, so this will be a quick post. 


Today's Meatless Monday recipe derived from me just using what I had readily available. I had lentils, olive oil and garlic in the pantry, and onion, carrot, and spinach in the fridge, plus some long grain rice. Here's what I came up with:

Hearty Lentils
(serves 6-8)


Ingredients:


1 cup lentils
4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, diced,
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup baby spinach, rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley (you can use fresh)
2 cups rice


Cook the rice according to package and set aside. While it's cooking, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat in pot for about 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add salt, pepper and parsley and stir together with the onion and garlic, then add the lentils. Cover the lentils with water that is about 1 inch over them, then bring to a boil. Add more water as needed. Once the lentils are about halfway cooked (10-15 minutes), add the carrot. Bring to a boil again, then cover and cook over a high simmer until water is absorbed; add more water as needed. 

Once carrot and lentils are soft yet firm, remove from heat and stir in spinach until wilted. Alternatively, you can add the spinach when the lentils are served so it's still very fresh. Add more seasoning if desired, then serve over rice, or other grain such as quinoa. Quinoa is what I had really wanted to eat with this, but I was fresh out and too lazy to go the store! If you have fresh cilantro, sprinkle that on top. Celery and/or zucchini would make nice additions to this dish as well.


This is an easy, semi-quick meal to make that even meat-eaters will enjoy. Every ingredient is healthy and packed with vitamins and nutrients for your growing child. Most kids like lentils, but if you have a kid who doesn't, make this using only veggies or a different bean they do like. Babies 9 months and up can start eating lentils as long as it is ok by your pediatrician. 


Now, just for fun, I made this little cartoon strip of Lily discovering an ant crawling up her leg. Who says I don't have time for anything fun these days?