Every so often when you are looking forward its also good to look back. Sometimes the universe conspires and what seems like a very little thing is something more monumental and evidentiary of changing … changing in ways you would maybe not otherwise have noticed. I’m having this experience right now in a few ways. Once of which is the looking back at where this blog started some six years ago.
In my CrossFit class this morning I shared some of my lentils. They have been my ‘go to’ over the last few weeks. I’ve been burning off energy at the gym and was looking for something easy and make ahead and healthy to have for an early day meal. I love these lentils. I love the sourness of them and the creaminess of them. My mother used to serve them with a boiled hot dog and egg when I was growing up. I’m not entirely sure why or how those all go together but they do. Though I’ve dropped the ‘hot dog’ portion of this meal I still enjoy the lentils with a side of boiled egg.
But I digress…. after talking to someone in class about lentils and how hard it is to find a tasty way of eating them (for those of us not used to eating much of them) I brought her a container and shared how I love to eat them. I’m not so sure she will love them as much as I do, they are after all part of my history and childhood and so they are more to me that JUST the sour lentils. They are also very comforting. But I shared them and let her know that if she liked them the recipe can be found here…. on my blog… so imagine my surprise when I looked here to see if they showed up on the front page only to find that they were here but six years ago… a version with a photograph so flat and boring it surprised me.
It surprised me that I didn’t have a more recent post featuring the lentils, seems I dreamed the recipe of it… and must have posted the new picture somewhere else. Also it surprised me that my pictures of six years ago were so awful and flat and unappetizing… and it surprises me that I didn’t find the time to delete these awful posts…. 😉 But I didn’t and so my original post remains… with the terrible shots…. and now it’s time for a redo… a new version of a post that was at the beginning of this blog adventure for me.
I’ve been told I should take pics of my physical progress every two weeks as I move my body through CrossFit classes. We see ourselves everyday and so the changes aren’t so readily apparent … we see ourselves everyday and don’t notice the small daily changes… unless of course we have the evidence to look back.
I’ve been taking the pictures.. not religiously but certainly periodically enough to notice that some things have changed…. I always try to look ahead but sometimes without looking back you are not really able to see where you are… and in turn appreciate where you are and how you have been moving forward.
There… that’s my little bit of mindfulness for today… and so you don’t have to go searching back for the lentil recipe… please see below and bon appetite!
- 2 Cups Lentils
- 3 or more Cups Water (add more as needed while the lentils are cooking)
- 10 – 12 Peppercorns
- 2 Bay Leaves
Roux
- Small Onion diced
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Flour (or more, enough to create a thin paste)
Add in
- 2-4 Tablespoons Vinegar (I will generally put a little more)
- Salt to Taste
1-2 Eggs boiled to the desired doneness; I generally like mine just less than hard-boiled with the yolk still very soft (boiled about 8 minutes).
Instructions
Rinse the lentils and add enough water so they are covered. Add peppercorns and bay leaves and cook on medium-high heat until firm but not crunchy. While lentils are cooking dice a small onion and fry in the butter and oil (medium heat) until translucent. Once translucent add the flour and continue to fry on medium heat until the flour is lightly browned.
As soon as the lentils are cooked to the desired firmness add the roux and stir. Bring to a boil and this will thicken the lentils. Once thick you can add the 2-4 tablespoons of vinegar and salt to taste. Remove the peppercorns and bay leaves and serve with hard-boiled eggs.
The lentils refrigerate very well and will store for one to two weeks. If you’ve stored them you might have to add a bit of water when heating up to keep them at a creamy consistency.