If you have read ‘The 4 Hour Body’ by Tim Ferris you will know he’s a big fan of adding beans and pulses to meat and veggies for the ultimate ‘slow carb’ diet.
In theory, I understood the point of this, but I had strong associations between beans and pulses and a rather strange vegetarian girl I knew at University. (I’m sure I’m not alone here!) So while I’d mostly avoided them till now, I decided to do some research online to see if there was a way I could learn to love lentils.
The key, like in most of cooking, is with the seasoning. You can add beans and pulses to many dishes to make them more filling, but if the dish is already quite bland adding beans or pulses will make it even worse.
This quick and easy recipe has become one of my favorite side dishes, to go with any meat & veggies.
Spicy Tomato Lentils (Serves 2-3)
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 half red pepper, chopped
- 1 half onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 200g tinned lentils, rinced well
- ground chili flakes, to taste
- salt, freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Add the pepper and fry for 2 mins. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for 5 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Season generously. Add the tomatoes, lentils and chili to taste. Continue cooking till lentils are heated through, then serve immediately.
