The Discovery of Lentils



Find the original Weight Watchers recipe here.

A few weeks back, I found myself looking ahead to three nights of friends coming over for dinner in one week. This was a new one for me. I've had many weeks in my life when I was doing something social every night of the week. However, never in my own home, and never as a wife. When friends come over for dinner, I have to be able to feed at least three people. I want the apartment to look nice, the food to taste really good, and the table to be set. Sure, Kevin and I will often toss bowls of canned chili and green beans into the microwave and eat our dinner on the couch while watching our current TV on DVD obsession; but when I entertain, I want it to be planned fully and executed properly.


Unfortunately, I often end up scurrying around the kitchen, face flushed, stress level rising with each passing minute. My poor, patient husband. Every time, he sweetly pulls me into a hug and reminds me that my friends love me just as much when a few dishes aren't done and the magazines on the coffee table are not splayed symmetrically. Still, those things matter, right? Having friends over for dinner without raising my blood pressure is another goal I can add to my list.


Nonetheless, I was looking at three meals to prepare and decided I would try some new recipes! Actually, I went with one new recipe that I made twice and one of Kevin's favorites, white chicken enchiladas from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (recipe here). The Slow Cooker Lentil Soup pictured above (that's really my soup!) was one delicious new discovery. Lentils are new to me. My husband grew up on them, but I never ate them to my knowledge. SO GOOD!!! Those tasty little devils filled me up in one serving (5 WW points for 1.5 cups). I was satiated, satisfied, warm, and ready for a nap. Now I have made this soup three times, and each time it has been super simple and absolutely decadent.




Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

2 medium uncooked carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks

2 ribs (medium) uncooked celery, cut into large chunks   

1 medium uncooked onion, cut into large chunks

2 clove (medium) garlic clove, minced  (I use a spoonful of the minced garlic in a jar.)

2 cup dry lentils, picked over (I don't actually know what they mean by picked over. It hasn't killed me yet!)  

3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste (I use just a dash because the hubs isn't a huge fan)

8 cups canned chicken broth (Because our Crockpot is only 3.5 qts, I use 6 cups, which I make myself with hot water and Watkins bouillon seasoning - 1 Tbsp for every cup.)

4 oz uncooked Canadian-style bacon, diced (4 or 5 slices) (We couldn't find this in the store, so I've been using 3 slices of regular bacon, diced.)

Instructions

• Place ingredients in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker (it all fits in our 3.5 qts slow cooker if I only add 6 cups of chicken broth) in the following order: carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lentils, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper and broth. Cover slow cooker; cook on low setting for 6 hours. (You can cook it on high in half the time if needed, though the taste/texture does change slightly.) Uncover, stir in bacon and heat for 30 minutes more (I would recommend at least an hour for the bacon, if using regular); remove bay leaves. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

This dish is hearty, healthy, easy, delicious, and cheap. It also makes enough for the two of us to have dinner two nights in a row, or one dinner and two lunches for Kevin.


So tell me: What is one of your favorite quick, budget-friendly, and delicious recipes?