Ode to Lentils

Surprisingly enough, the above-written-title of this post, when entered into a google search, returns several results! Where did I get it from, you ask? Well — my wonderful husband and I were at a used bookstore in lovely Saint Paul, Minnesota, this past Monday (yay for federal holidays!), and I came across a collection of Pablo Neruda’s ‘Odes to Common Things’. A beautifully illustrated, lovely collection of poetry written by one of my favorite poets, about his love of everyday things: chairs, desks, flowers, socks, soap… I didn’t buy it, but reading it and smiling in the simplicity of the subject matter made me think of lentils. mmm… So, I thought about writing my own Neruda-style-Ode-to-lentil; but instead I decided to spare you and write prose…

Just one look at the ‘nutrition’ panel on the bulk container of lentils at the co-op gives me a shiver — I imagine mother nature lovingly packing into each lentil loads of protein, fiber, minerals, B vitamins, folic acid, and iron… In creating these little beauties she is making sure that we have the tools we need to avoid afternoon sugar cravings, as she chemically fortified them to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels…  What other bean do you know of that inspires an entire weekend of festivities?

And they taste great. They have their very own little flavor of slightly nutty, wonderfully earthy, goodness. They flavor a soup with their divine fragrance, or can be served as a side dish with a light dousing of rice wine vinegar or tamari. Honestly - eating a plate of lentils makes me feel good and I’m quite sure that no other food on its own inspires such passion in me. Do yourself a favor and make some lentils — that’s one of the best parts! They only take about 45 minutes to boil!  Oh - and feel free, if you feel so inspired, to leave your own odes to legume, vegetable, or chair, in the comments :)

Full Disclosure: I did not receive any free lentils from the lentil goddess for the posting of this information. But if anyone has any to give me, you can email me at kerstin@agrainaday.com.