I was watching Biggest Loser last night, and one of the tips that the guest cook/chef had was about pink lentils. He said that they were even better for you than beans.
Lentils are pretty cheap food, as well as very nutritious, but I don't think I've ever even seen pink lentils.
The chef also said that they cook up in "just minutes."
Anyone ever hear of pink lentils or know if they really are something that cooks in "just minutes"?
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On Sunday I made a crockpot of 2lbs of pinto beans. Tonight I finally got around to putting the beans in snack size ziplock bags. It made 33 1/2 cup servings! Since I take my lunch to work 99% of the time, that means I have more than 6 weeks worth of beans for lunches! The cost of the beans? $1.39 LOL!
Pink Lentils?
February 7th, 2008 at 03:18 am
February 7th, 2008 at 03:26 am 1202354813
February 7th, 2008 at 03:31 am 1202355087
MASOOR (red lentils): The red split Masoor lentils are most commonly used in many homes. They take the shortest time to cook and require no pre-soaking whatsoever. This type of lentils is usually found in everyday meals and make a quick go-to dish when you%u2019re running short of time.
I saw masoor lentils referred to as "pink lentils" on a different website. (I never heard of them until now, either, so I had to look them up!)
February 7th, 2008 at 04:13 am 1202357637
I wonder if a normal grocery store would have them, or if I'll need to go to Whole Foods?
February 7th, 2008 at 05:37 am 1202362662
February 7th, 2008 at 05:21 pm 1202404892
I am guessing/assuming in my "neck of the woods", pink lentils are going to be very hard to find. Whole Foods is NOT a/the regular grocery store around here.(It is pretty much Kroger and/or Meijer) I would have to drive quite a goodly distance (20 - 30 miles)across town to find a Whole Foods store, I think. (may be even farther)
However, Whole Foods is the grocery store that the contestants on Biggest Loser were shopping at on Tuesday's episode, so . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
p.s. edited to say I just checked, nearest Whole Foods is 37 miles from my house
February 7th, 2008 at 06:03 pm 1202407420
I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area, so I have at least two Whole Foods less than five miles from me (going in two different directions) plus a couple of Sprouts stores (similar to Whole Foods).
I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to Whole Foods for this weeks shopping trip - but definitely for next weeks! Maybe I can call the two I know of and see if either one has pink lentils.
February 8th, 2008 at 04:28 pm 1202488118
Sorry to hear about the root canal! Yikes!
February 8th, 2008 at 04:30 pm 1202488223
February 9th, 2008 at 06:49 am 1202539798
Here is what I found online for some other nutritional content...
One cup of raw pink lentils provides incredible percentage of recommended daily values of many nutrients:
Copper 125 %
Folate 98 %
Iron 81 %
Phosphorus 56 %
Vitamin B-6 39 %
Zinc 50 %
Thiamin 49 %
Magnesium 35 %
Niacin 14 %
Riboflavin 10 %
Calcium 8 %
February 9th, 2008 at 01:19 pm 1202563158
I thought is was interesting that the chef said to use them in place of pasta. Anyone have any recipes like this? All I can find are Egyptian soup recipes using lentils.
Great blog post! Thanks!
February 10th, 2008 at 06:32 pm 1202668341
I believe they grilled steak and put it on top with a honey mustard sauce?
February 21st, 2008 at 06:49 am 1203576570
February 21st, 2008 at 11:16 pm 1203635792
July 1st, 2008 at 01:36 pm 1214919412
I love red lentils, and, actually, the way they dissolve is a benefit, because you can use them to boost the protein and fiber content of all sorts of things without changing them around too much. For instance, I like to throw a handful in with spaghetti sauce. I also grind them up to flour and use them in baked goods. A small amount is a staple of my pancakes.
June 9th, 2009 at 03:31 am 1244518267
July 4th, 2009 at 03:12 pm 1246720325
The first time I ever saw pink lentils whas in a soup a Turkish friend served me. I didn't even know they were lentils at first because to my mind, lentils were a greenish-brown-gray color. But these were a very pretty color, much more appealing. I really liked the soup. I like the idea also of adding some lentils to other dishes like sauces and baked goods. I had no idea they were so nutritious!
November 16th, 2009 at 02:16 am 1258337784
We eat it around 3 times a week and 30 pounds lasts us (family of 3) for a year.
A small family in the Indian subcontinent can survive on 30 lbs of lentils , 50 lbs of rice, 100 lbs of flour per year.