I know a lot of people aren't familiar with lentils, but if you like beans, lentils are great. They cook fast, they're a little healthier than beans since they have all the fiber plus some extra vitamins, and they're extremely cheap. You can get a 1 pound bag for around 35 cents.
1 lb lentils
chopped cooked pork (ham or bacon are best, I like about 1/4 cup honey baked ham, but if you like bacon, 2 or 3 strips would be good)
1 to 2 bouillon cubes, vegetable or chicken
1/4 cup each ketchup, mustard, molasses, and brown sugar
Rinse lentils and put in large saucepan or Dutch oven with 5 cups water. Also add meat and bouillon. (You don't have to soak lentils before cooking like other kinds of beans.) Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. If water starts to cook too low, add very hot tap water, about 1/2 cup at a time.
Heat oven to 350. If saucepan and lid are oven-proof, stir in remaining ingredients plus about 3/4 cup hot water. (If there is a lot of liquid still in there, leave this out. Water level doesn't get much lower while baking.) Otherwise, pour mixture into a 11 X 7 and 13 X 9 pan. Cover tightly and bake about an hour.
These beans are sooo good, especially after they've been refrigerated over night. I like to ladle them into freezer bags and then put a bag in the fridge at night, dump the contents into a microwavable container in the morning, and then warm them in the microwave at lunch. Eat them with nuts or a complex carbohydrate (whole grain bread, rice, etc) for a complete protein.
1 lb lentils
chopped cooked pork (ham or bacon are best, I like about 1/4 cup honey baked ham, but if you like bacon, 2 or 3 strips would be good)
1 to 2 bouillon cubes, vegetable or chicken
1/4 cup each ketchup, mustard, molasses, and brown sugar
Rinse lentils and put in large saucepan or Dutch oven with 5 cups water. Also add meat and bouillon. (You don't have to soak lentils before cooking like other kinds of beans.) Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. If water starts to cook too low, add very hot tap water, about 1/2 cup at a time.
Heat oven to 350. If saucepan and lid are oven-proof, stir in remaining ingredients plus about 3/4 cup hot water. (If there is a lot of liquid still in there, leave this out. Water level doesn't get much lower while baking.) Otherwise, pour mixture into a 11 X 7 and 13 X 9 pan. Cover tightly and bake about an hour.
These beans are sooo good, especially after they've been refrigerated over night. I like to ladle them into freezer bags and then put a bag in the fridge at night, dump the contents into a microwavable container in the morning, and then warm them in the microwave at lunch. Eat them with nuts or a complex carbohydrate (whole grain bread, rice, etc) for a complete protein.
