Super Food Side Dish

Lentils with Kale & Andouille Sausage

It is difficult for me to believe these days that I went most of my life, 36 years to be exact, without ever having tried lentils.  It's not because I thought I wouldn't like them,  I simply did not really know what they were.  Now, lentils are a regular part of my diet and so common place for me to serve that I hesitated to blog about them for fear that it would be a boring recipe.  Then it occurred to me that if I had gone most of my life not eating them, there's a good chance there are a number of people reading this blog that also have never had them or do not consider eating them on a regular basis.  If you are one of those people, you are about to find out what you have been missing.

Lentils are part of the legume family and an excellent source of protein, fiber, iron, vitamins and minerals.  They are known to help lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, increase energy levels and aid in digestion. They have been referred to as a heart healthy food and in my opinion, they are the unsung hero of the legume world!

While lentils are the star of this dish, I would be remiss not to acknowledge it's co-star kale.  Kale, like brussel sprouts, have very recently gained an overwhelming popularity as a super food. Previous to this sudden interest in it's amazing nutritional value, it had only ever graced a dinner plate as a stale and seemingly inedible garnish.  To the contrary, not only is kale edible but it is a delicious addition to almost any meal.  Like the rest of it's family members; brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and collard greens, kale is extraordinarily high in vitamins and minerals.  The combination of lentils and kale in this recipe, make this a double super food side dish!

Here are the ingredients

I have a 15.5 onces of lentils, a cup of crushed tomatoes from a can, two cloves of garlic, two to three stalks of celery, two medium carrots, about two cups of kale, two andouille sausage links, a lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Preparing the ingredients

First I start by dicing the celery and carrots into small square pieces, I do a fine mince on the two cloves of garlic and a rough chop on the kale.  Be careful to remove any of the larger ribs from the middle of the kale leaves. These tend to be tough, do not cook down well and are not pleasant to bite into. I do this by holding the kale lengthwise on the cutting board in front of me and run a sharp knife down either side of the rib shaving off the leafy part of the green.

Next I dice the andouille sausage into small bite size pieces. Andouille sausage adds a really nice smokey and mild spicy flavor to this dish.  If you are not fond of those flavors, you can replace the andouille with ham, ham hocks, or any kind of sausage that you prefer.  If you are just using ham, you may also want to add some onion powder, garlic powder, paprika or any other spice that you like to heighten the flavor.  

In a large pot over medium heat, add about two tablespoons of olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the celery and carrots, season with salt and pepper then saute until the carrots have softened and the celery is somewhat translucent.  At this point add the garlic and continue to saute being careful not to let your garlic sit too long and burn in the pan.  After about a minute, add 8 cups of water, or 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and 4 cups of water.  I like to use the stock for added flavor.

Add the lentils to the pan immediately after adding the 8 cups of liquid, turn the temperature to high and bring to a boil.  Once you have brought the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes,  remove the cover and stir in the crushed tomatoes and kale.  Place the cover back on the pot and continue to simmer for another 10 to 15  minutes.  

With about 5 minutes of cooking time left, add the andouille sausage and the juice of a lemon.  The andouille sausage that you are likely to find around here will be a cooked product so you do not want to add this to the pot too soon or it will become rubbery and tough. 

Place the cover back onto the pot and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes or

 until the lentils are al dente and remove from the heat.  The lentils will continue to cook in the broth after being removed from the heat so be careful not to simmer for too long or you could end up with a large pot of lentil mush.

To serve, ladle a good helpling of the lentils into a bowl or small crock, add salt and pepper to taste and the juice of a small lemon wedge.  I also love to add a few dashes of hot sauce for a little extra heat.

Not only do I consider lentils to be a super food side dish, it has become one of my favorite comfort foods of all times.  I can sit down with a nice big bowl of lentils and eat them as a meal but they are also a great side to any number of chicken, beef or pork dishes.  I have even made a baked dish with lentils but that is another recipe altogether; which I will be sure to post in the future.  

If you have never tried lentils, this is a great and easy recipe to start with.  It might just become one of your favorite comfort foods and a regular at your dinner table before you know it.  

Enjoy!