photo from Freepik

Who isn’t trying to save money when preparing meals today? You might want to consider using lentils or split peas more frequently. Chef Nancy Berkoff offers a number of ideas for dishes using lentils or split peas in her Vegan Cooking Tips column that appears in each issue of Vegan Journal.

Nancy says, “Lentils taste great right out of the pot, especially with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or black pepper. Add hot lentils to rice, pasta, and pasta sauce or, when cooled, to salads. Here are some more lentil ideas:

• Combine cooked lentils and chopped bell peppers to make a chilled salad. Season with your favorite Mediterranean herbs and spices.
• Toss cold buckwheat noodles with cooked lentils, small broccoli florets, and chopped scallions. Dress with olive oil mixed with garlic and ginger.
• Create a Moroccan lentil soup by adding diced seasonal vegetables flavored with coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne.
• Make lentil stew with cooked lentils, chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, sliced or chopped fresh mushrooms, diced potatoes or elbow pasta, and seasoned with basil, oregano, and parsley.”

As for split peas, Chef Berkoff offers these suggestions:

• Split pea soup is a classic, as is Purée Mongole (Mediterranean split pea soup), a split pea soup combined with chopped tomatoes.
• Dahl is an omnipresent South Asian side dish, made by sautéing cooked split peas with garlic and onion; then seasoning with ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and lemon juice; and simmering until slightly thickened.
• Preparation for mushy peas varies from family to family and region to region. Sometimes adding baking soda to the soaking water helps soften the peas. The Scandinavian version can include mashing cooked split peas with flour and vegan butter, while the British version may not use additional ingredients, only the mashed peas.
• If you have time to create a snack, crispy split peas can be made by soaking split peas for about four hours, draining, patting dry, and then frying in oil until crispy. Season with cumin or chili powder.

To read the entire column, visit https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_cooking_tips.php

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