http://mylifeinapyramid.com/2010/06/lentils-with-zucchini-mint-recipe-from-rhodeygirl/Lentils with Zucchini & Mint (A Tasty Recipe from RhodeyGirl)My Life in a Pyramid

Growing up, I ate my fair share of lentils. The red lentils my mother always made into a stew or soup, called “shorbet ads”, in which she usually added some vegetables like potatoes, carrots, or even apples. It was always delicious. I posted one of my favorite red lentil soup recipes a few months ago – it is particularly great to keep you warm during the cold winter months. The brown lentils, on the other hand, my mother always boiled on their own, and seasoned well with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper and served with a side of chopped green onions and a warm loaf of whole wheat pita. Light and satisfying at the same time!

Lentils are healthy for the body and for the wallet (a 1 lb bag costs under $2!). A few days ago, I decided to make a legume for dinner, and I was especially in the mood for lentils. I also wanted to add some protein from plant origin to our diet, to supplement the generous amounts of grass-fed meats and wild fish we were eating on a regular basis. However, I also wanted to make some zucchini because it was getting a little bit old in the fridge. I had bought the zucchini to core and stuff for some dinner guests and two were left when I ran out of space in the pot. I was going to make the lentils and zucchini separately, but I had a feeling that maybe there could be a way to combine the two in an interesting dish…

Of course, I searched a few of my favorite blogs, and I was excited to see that Sabrina of RhodeyGirlTests was making a lot of lentil recipes because she was participating in a competition. At first I was going to try making her Rustic Lentil Salad, but then I got excited when I found the Lentils with Zucchini & Mint recipe a few minutes later – it had the exact combination I was looking for! I really liked that she used bulgur - I had bought a bag of this crushed wheat from the Arabic store not knowing what to do with it besides tabbouleh, which is what had motivated me to buy it…

When I saw the recipe, I was excited to try it because I also had fresh mint leaves handy! I was at Whole Foods looking for dried mint, but since they didn’t have any in stock, they gave me a complimentary little box of fresh mint to try!

Since I had all the necessary ingredients, I figured fate must have had something to do with me trying this recipe:

For the list of the ingredients and for directions to make this easy and delicious recipe, please visit RhodeyGirl’s page.

Sherif and I absolutely loved this recipe! The organic lentils, bulgur and zucchini flavors blended and complemented each other very well. The fresh mint leaves added a distinct, fresh flavor that made this meal really delicious. I went for seconds twice (I guess that would make it thirds, haha). And now, almost a week later, we’re still enjoying this dish for lunch on some days!

On a side note, I have some good news: I’ve been getting more serious about my workouts! For the past few days (starting last week), I have been burning somewhere between 320 and 370 calories during my workouts every day. I’m still trying to achieve my goal of running a 5K by the end of the summer, so hopefully I’ll stay on track to do so. Bad news: I feel like I’m hungry a lot more frequently on days when I work out. This is a problem especially as I’m trying to lose fat around my waist. If I’m working out more, but also consuming more calories, I’m just maintaining my weight. Challenge of the week: be stricter about the portion size and limit my intake of carbs. I will try to eat smaller frequent meals (6 varied servings), as opposed to three large meals every day. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Thanks to RhodeyGirl for such a great and original lentil recipe If she hadn’t bravely experimented in the kitchen, I wouldn’t have known about this combination of ingredients that were already handy in my fridge and pantry!

What’s your favorite kind of lentil (red, brown, green, etc.), and how do you like them prepared?