Lentils easy to prepare, inexpensive | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Lentils easy to prepare, inexpensive | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Wednesday, July 4, 2001

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Lentils easy to prepare, inexpensive

Lentils have a big advantage over most other dried legumes: They cook quickly.

Greg Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

These legumes are named for what they are shaped like: a lens. Cultivated as early 2400 B.C. by the Egyptians, this member of the bean and pea family is packed with nutrients, fiber, complex carbohydrates and folic acid. Not only are lentils low in calories and fat, and cholesterol-free, they are protein-rich. On top of that, brown American lentils are inexpensive. Lentils can be fully cooked (simmered in water) in 15 to 20 minutes.

Add them to soups, cook them plain and dress them with a vinaigrette or add savory herbs to serve them as a side dish. You can also experiment with dals (legumes popular in Indian cooking) and French green lentils, available at specialty and health-food stores; these tend to be firmer and more distinctly flavored than the American variety.

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