Every once in a while, my hubby comes up to me with these dreaded words: "hey can you not spend any money this week? I just spent all our money paying bills. Ok. Time to whip out the famous split pea soup, beans and rice, or lentil curry recipes that I am so well-known for. Lately all I've been cooking for my family has been a feature in the legume family. Legumes are cheap and incredibly nutritious. Health magazine listed lentils as one the top 5 nutritious foods of all time. I have been known to make a big pot of something on Monday and by Friday, we're finishing it up. My kids are too young to complain (much). And my hubby doesn't care if he eats the same thing for lunch everyday as long as it's different from dinner. The best part is that lentils and split peas are cheap cheap cheap. Like 50 to 60 cents a pound cheap.
Now if anybody's husband is like mine, he will eat whatever's in front of him and when the meal's over, look up and ask: "Where's the meat?" This attitude can be so frustrating, especially since legumes are a complete protein. There is no need to put any meat in and meat can be expensive. So my solution is this: I go to Kroger to the 'manager's specials' and choose some small 2 dollar steaks or pork or boneless chicken. I cut up the meat in small bits and cook it in with the lentils/beans/split peas. It's large enough that the men see that there's "meat" and cheap enough that it doesn't kill my budget.
The main protein is the legume. I buy the dried, non-processed cheap kind at the grocery store. (Fiesta is fantastic for this) I stock up so I don't have to continuously be shopping. dried legumes are very easy to store in the cabinets. Green lentils, which contain 31% of fiber, don't have to soak overnight. I rinse them and toss them in a pot of water with a little broth and let them cook for 30 minutes. I add the meat at the same time or I stir fry the meat separately, then add, depending. Then I add spices and flavor. I've been known to use barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce. (Both contain salt so watch the salt level) I've used tomato sauce or paste or even canned tomatoes. Onions are great. I've created some amazing curry lentils. Here's the link where I adopted this recipe from:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/red-lentil-curry/detail.aspx
I served this recipe over brown rice. My husband loved this receipe and I never even added meat to this. In order to tone down the spices for the kids, I added sour cream or yogurt. It absorbed most of the flavor and the kids ate it without complaint.
My split pea soup has now become famous. My family affectionally calls it my "green gruel" Because of how it looks but tastes amazing! I soak green split peas overnight. (Green split peas are cheaper by about 10 cents at the grocery store. That really makes a difference when I buy 10 bags at a time.) Here's my recipe that everyone's just raving about:
Soak split peas overnight
Rinse and cook them with water and a bit of chicken broth. (I make my own broth)
Add a chunk of honey ham. I cut into smaller pieces and cook with the split peas (I buy the small slices at the store for 2 dollars) Make sure to cook the ham with the split peas to give the meal flavor.
Add turmeric, olive oil, (or any oil), 2 TBSP of brown sugar, and fish sauce (or soy sauce) and mix together
Serve with brown rice or whole wheat toast
So have fun rediscovering your legumes! Remember legumes are our friends, especially for our bodies. As a disclaimer, I will warn you that the effects of a legume diet will produce very efficient digestive systems. You might want to invest in air fresheners. Just a suggestion.
