Swift and Meatless: A Lentil Meal

Nutritionists are urging us to eat more foods low in artery-clogging fats, and beans--black beans, garbanzo beans, cannellini beans and more--are a delicious way to do just that. But for the cook who needs to fix dinner fast, dried beans that need to be soaked and slowly cooked are hardly convenient. Except, that is, for the lentil.

Lentils, mentioned in the Bible and revered by the early Greeks and Romans, are an ancient food. They are also one of my favorite legumes. Inexpensive, versatile and, like other legumes, an excellent nonfat, high-fiber source of protein, lentils are the only dried legumes that need no soaking and are quick cooking.

My lentil repertoire consists of everything from soup to salads to main dishes. In today’s menu, I offer a combination salad and main dish.

The tiny, mud-brown, button-shaped legume will cook in 20 to 30 minutes. Here I combine the just-cooked and cooled lentils with green peas, lots of chopped vegetables and a mustard vinaigrette. Spoon into a bowl lined with lettuce leaves and garnish the platter with mounds of Warm Green Onion-Potato Salad and cherry tomatoes. For dessert, serve Poundcake With Honey-Sweetened Strawberries.

LENTIL-GREEN PEA SALAD WITH MUSTARD-LEMON DRESSING

1 pound brown lentils, sorted and lightly rinsed

8 cups water

1 clove garlic, bruised with side of knife

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 small clove garlic, crushed

Coarsely ground pepper

2 cups tiny fresh or frozen green peas (thawed, if frozen)

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

1 tablespoon chopped celery leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

Lettuce leaves

Cherry tomatoes

Combine lentils, water, bruised garlic and bay leaf in large pan. Cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Uncover and boil, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender to bite, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water. Discard bay leaf.

Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, crushed garlic and pepper to taste in large bowl. Add well-drained lentils, peas, 1 cup chopped celery, carrots, red onion, parsley and celery leaves. Toss to coat. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Line deep platter with lettuce leaves. Spoon lentil salad in center. Leave room for mounds of potato salad at either end. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Makes 4 large servings.

WARM GREEN ONION-POTATO SALAD

1 1/2 to 2 pounds red new or other small waxy potatoes

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or to taste

Coarsely ground pepper

Cook unpeeled potatoes in plenty of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse quickly with cool water (don’t let potatoes get too cool).

Halve potatoes and place in mixing bowl. Mix in green onions and olive oil. Season to taste with pepper. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.

POUNDCAKE WITH HONEY-SWEETENED STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 pint basket ripe strawberries

1 tablespoon honey

Thinly sliced poundcake

Rinse, stem and coarsely chop strawberries. Drizzle with honey and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Serve over thin slices of poundcake. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Sauce is also good served over ice cream or frozen yogurt.