Lentils, A Superfood for Adults and Kids Alike

I’m always on the lookout for some new ideas for dinner, especially healthy things. My husband, the cook that he is, made a wonderful soup the other night that brought back memories of my foods that I ate when I was pregnant. I ate a lot of lentils when I was pregnant, due to their high vitamin B and folic acid contents. My husband made a big pot of a wonderful lentil and greens soup that we’ve been eating for the past couple of nights. The really cool thing is that I discovered that my kids love lentils. I scooped some out of the soup, and the kids ate them and even asked for more.

After doing some research online about lentils, I discovered that Health Magazine considers them a “superfood.” Lentils, in all their forms, offer lots of protein and cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, twice as much iron as other legumes, and lots of B vitamins and folate, which are especially important for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Lentils can be used in so many different foods, especially Indian food, where they're a staple for a largely vegetarian population. Here is the recipe for my husband’s lentil soup, which I made him write down from memory, since he kind of made it up as he went along. This soup is perfect for a cool fall evening. It contains leafy greens like kale or chard, whose earthy flavor complements the lentils. Plus they’re really, really good for you, too. He made this soup with the regular old brown lentils that can be found in any supermarket, but you can also use the pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe's if you're short on time.

• 1 cup brown lentils, washed and picked over for stones
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 yukon gold or other waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/2 pound pre-cut and cleaned greens mix, like the “Southern Greens Mix” available at Trader Joes, about 6 cups, or equivalent amount of chard, kale, spinach, beet greens, etc.
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage (kielbasa, chicken apple sausage, smoked bratwurst, good quality frankfurters, etc.), or 4 thick slices smoked bacon, diced (vegetarians can omit entirely, but add 2 tablespoons olive oil in which to fry vegetables)
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram

Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add diced sausage or bacon and cook about 10 minutes, or until it gets a little browned and some of the fat renders out. If you’re using lean chicken apple sausage you might want to add a little olive oil first. If you're making this as a vegetarian soup just warm the olive oil in the pot.

Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and greens, cook until the greens start to reduce in size a little, about 2 minutes; they’ll fill the pot, but don’t get alarmed as they’ll cook down a lot. Add lentils and stock, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Add your additional herbs and spices. This time I opted to give it sort of an Austrian flair with the traditional seasonings of caraway and marjoram. It was really good, but equally good are fresh rosemary or thyme, and even a little cumin or fennel seed. It’s all a matter of preference.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about an hour or until lentils or soft. Season with salt to taste and more pepper if desired. A splash of red wine vinegar can be good, too. Serve with good crusty bread. A medium bodied red wine goes well with this soup, as does an assertive beer, like the German and domestically produced Oktoberfest beer showing up in markets now.