Lentils

I really like lentils. They are like a super food. 1 cup of cooked lentils packs 18g of protein, around 200 calories, and around 40 carbs with about 20g fiber.

I cook my lentils in the slow-cooker like I would any other beans. My slowcooker is my bean pot. It is the easiest way to get fantastic beans that are perfectly tender without being overdone.

Ingredients:

1lb bag of lentils, stock (chicken, vegetable, you can even just use water), onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper.

You can skip this next step and just add the raw onions and garlic to the slow-cooker. I like the extra flavor of browning them together in a pan with a touch of olive oil. It sweetens the onions and mellows the garlic just a bit.

Now toss all of your ingredients into the slow-cooker. Make sure you have enough liquid to cover about 1 inch above your lentils. You don't really need more than that, you don't lose water if your slow-cooker seals properly.

Set them on high and cook them for about 2 hours.

I like to serve them as a side dish for dinner, and eat the leftovers over rice for lunch.

Cooking lentils used to scare me. But in the slow-cooker, they cook just right. They should be soft but still hold their shape when you dish them up.