I think my favorite style is Mediterranean, with Greek or Italian style herbs, tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic, etc, but I also like them Indian style with potatoes and Indian spices - I forget the name of the dish, but I never make it the same way twice anyway. I would like to try more lentil recipes, as I love them and have not prepared them all that many different ways.

Lars

I have a recipe using lentils and walnuts to make a vegetarian "meat" loaf that tastes very much like meatloaf. Otherwise, I use them in lentil soup....but that's about it.

We do a simple Lebanese style soup with red lentils and onion, flavored with s/p/cumin, olive oil, and lemon. It's one of about 3 things my picky eater will eat that I cook. (argh.)

I've been sprouting lentils the last couple days. Sprouting increases the nutrition and lowers the carbohydrates. Later this morning I'm making 2 batches of Sprouted Lentil-Oat Waffles to put in the freezer. I'm also making a pan of Lentil Granola Bars (we're expecting a winter storm later today, so they may be greatly appreciated if the electricity goes out). I also use sprouted lentils in salads, stir-fry, tacos, in chili as a substitute for beans.... If there are any sprouted lentils leftover I'll dehydrate them. They cook really quickly when they've been sprouted and dried. I also spice them up before dehydrating (Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle is a favorite) and eat them as a snack food. That's a lot of good eating for a $1 a pound lentils.

-Grainlady

Lentil Granola Bars

Mix together:
2/3 c. unsweetened coconut
2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. pecans (coarsely chopped)
1/3 c. cacao nibs
1 c. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Add:
3/4 c. sprouted lentil puree
1/2 c. melted coconut oil
1 egg, beaten
1 t. vanilla

Spread in jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 300-degree F oven 30-minutes, or until lightly browned. Cut with bench knife while warm.
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Sprouted Lentil-Oat Waffles

Soak overnight:
1 c. water + 2 T. whey/kefir/yogurt/buttermilk (your choice)
3/4 c. oats (quick or old-fashioned)

Add:
1/2 c. sprouted lentils and blend.
(I soak the oat mixture in the Magic Bullet Blender container and add the lentils and blend.)

In a bowl add the lentil mixture and:
1/2 T. coconut oil
1 T. vanilla
1/2 T. agave nectar or coconut nectar
1/4 t. salt
2 T. chia seeds (optional)
1/4 c. whey protein isolate

Mix well. I use 1/4 c. of this mixture per waffle (thin, 4-hearts waffle maker) because that's the size waffles that will fit into my toaster for reheating. These are great with peanut butter on them for a high-protein breakfast.

Here is a link that might be useful: 3 dishes from Sprouted Lentils

Red lentil Dahl which I was taught to make by my aunt from India. With pitas for dipping, or alongside basmati rice, it's such a comforting dish.

I'm sooo glad I can chip in. I've already picked up some excellent recipes and tips from this forum, so here's my humble contribution.

My favorurite lentil dish is mujaddara. Here's my true and tried:

2 cups brown lentils - soaked overnight
2 cups rice (I use basmati) - soaked overnight, but separately from lentils
2-3 onions
Olive oil
Salt, black pepper (coarsely ground is best for me)

Place lentils in pan, cover with water by 2 inches, bring to boil, cover partially with lid, turn flame down to simmering. Cook until lentils are tender.

In order to prevent the dish from turning into a mushy porridge (I love mushy porridge, but mujaddara should be dry - not wet) - the amount of liquid in the pot should match EXACTLY the amount of rice. Over time one develops a feeling for this ratio, but the best thing for people who cook this for the first time is simply to strain the lentils, reserve the liquid and measure it. If there's too much liquid - discard all but 2 cups. If there's too little - add some water till you have 2 cups.

Bring pot with lentils, liquid and the drained & rinsed rice (the last two in equal proportions) to the boil, after adding salt and black pepper and mixing well. Once the pot boils, turn the flame down as much as possible and cover pot completely with lid. From this point on I treat it as if I were cooking rice, i.e. I'm familiar with the amount of time it takes me to cook a pot of rice on this particular gas ring & calculate accordingly when to start peeping into the pot.

In the meantime, slice the onions into rings and fry them in the olive oil till they're quite brown & sweet. You heap each plate with mujaddara and plop a nice quantity of fried onions on top.

Note: some people also like add cumin when mixing the lentils with the rice, salt and pepper. I like cumin, but avoid it in this particular dish, in which less is more IMO).

Wow - all of these sound delicious! Thanks!