Can you get berbere anywhere? It’s an amazing Ethiopian spice blend. The you could make something like this.
There’s a link for how to make berbere in the link to the recipe. It’s such a delicious blend.
Back when we shared an apartment and had no money, my sister and I used to make lentils this way:
Simmer lentils til tender, saute a couple of cloves of garlic and some onion, add to the lentils. Dump in a can of chopped tomatoes, juice and all. Heat through, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty bread. Quite simple and yummy.
This sounds good. Thanks for the other ideas too
They don’t call it Soylent Green for nothing, you know.
I’ve been trying to up my usage for lentils. My favourite result so far as been making taco filling: Sauteé some onions until they colour, add some chopped garlic, then add a teaspoon each of cumin, ground coriander, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper (cayenne or chapotle for heat). Before that burns add about a half cup of basic jarred salsa. Cook until that reduces a bit then add your lentils and about three times as much water. Bring up to a simmer and cook until the water is almost gone. Then I mash up a few of the lentils so it thickens. Works great in place of taco meat, and works even better with MIXED with taco meat.
I also did a very similar recipe to make sloppy joes (I was then told there is a specific name for it).
And I’ve also tried a few very successful variations that involved adding some canned beans (red for Sloppy Janes, black for taco meat).
If you’re really adventurous you could try making Idli. It involves soaking rice and lentils, then puree until smooth and steam.
Pickle jars need to air out, and then have newspaper put in them for a week or so, and then be washed and aired out AGAIN to get the pickle aroma out of them, IME. I’ve had very good luck with hard plastic containers for storing all sorts of dry goods.
As for lentils, make a bone-in pot roast, and then use the bone and a few bits of leftover beef for cooking the lentils, along with aromatic vegetables.
Make a lentil salad. Cook the lentils, let them cool off, then add some olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, feta, and whatever kind of olives you like.
Throw some cold cooked beef, lamb or poultry in there if you want, too. Make a bunch so you have it to take to work or eat when you don’t feel like cooking (well, that’s what I do anyway).
Coconut milk might be good along with curry. It works really well with mung beans.
A slightly different lentil soup:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Barley-and-Lentil-Soup-with-Swiss-Chard-231578
A fave here (though Swiss Chard is hard to find this time of year, you could substitute other greens or leave them out entirely).