pulses,

[sharisa]

any help I can get regarding the use of pulses I can add to my diet please

what type of lentils to use .

[MW50]

Split red lentils will cook down into a mush in about 20 mins and are good for thickening stews and soups. Whole lentils take longer to cook and hold their form so are good as mince replacements in dishes like shepherds pie and 'meat' loaf. Lentils are particularly good in curry. A word of warning, if you are not used to eating pulses introduce them slowly and add herbs, particularly fennel, lemongrass, cardamon or dill, to your dishes to avoid bloating and stomach upsets.

[slimpickings 2 stone]

I bought some green lentils because I couldn't get red ones. Taste the same and cooked in half an hour too. Xx

[albinohedgehog]

Perhaps go to a healthfood shop and get a couple of different kinds. then you can google recipes for them. ☺ i prefer green or puy lentils to red lentils, but you can make nice soups and curries out of all of them. i like red lentil, butternut squash and coconut curry. ive lost my original recipe but this looks similar:

hemsleyandhemsley.com/recip...

☺

[Cristalmundo in reply to albinohedgehog]

That sounds yummy!

[Hidden]

I recommend cooking things like lentils in large batches and then freezing in 25g portions ready to use whenever you want them. Red lentils and split peas are great for Daal or thickening soups. Green lentils add texture to casseroles, or I use them as a mince substitute for bolognese etc. You can also sprout them. Put some raw green lentils in a jar of water in the fridge. Then drain and replace the water every day. After about 4 days they will have little sprouts and will be a great addition to salads.

There are lots of middle eastern/mediterranean/indian recipes that include lentils. look in the recipes section in your library for mezze cookbooks or Ottolenghi if they have it. Hope that helps

[Cristalmundo]

You can buy green and brown lentils in cans - does anyone know if you can get red lentils in cans. I have never seen any.