Lovely Legumes

hmmm... it's Friday, where has my week gone?

I cooked with two different legumes this week and made several meals for very little expense. Legumes are a great way to extend the protein available in your diet while keeping meal costs affordable. This week I used lentils and pinto beans.

I only used one cup of lentils and have plenty left for other meals. I chose to sample a new recipe shared on Frugal Village, a frugal living message board, Sloppy Sam's. The Sloppy Sam recipe was quick and easy. The result was delicious. Though, I wouldn't exactly compare it to the meaty Sloppy Joe version. This dish is very good served in a warmed wheat pita with shredded cheddar cheese.

Sloppy Sams 4 servings so says the official recipe, but I got closer to 8 servings from this... it's very filling!

3 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
salt to taste (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped tomato [I used 1 can diced stewed tomatoes]
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons molasses
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns, split

Combine water and lentils in a saucepan; season to taste with salt if desired. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook onions with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, ketchup, mustard powder, chili powder, molasses and Worcestershire sauce; simmer 5 to10 minutes until thickened. Drain lentils and reserve cooking liquid. Stir lentils into sauce mixture, adding cooking liquid or water as needed to obtain the desired "sloppy joe" consistency. Serve on buns. It's even better after sitting in the fridge over night... one of those recipes that actually tastes better when served the next day!

I also chose to prepare an entire bag of pinto beans. This makes much more than my small family (three at home) can reasonably consume before spoiling. So, at least half of the batch will be used to prepare refried beans, which will be frozen for later meals. A batch of cornbread, rice and fried potatoes will accompany those not mashed and refried!

The lentil recipe was a bit more spendy than just preparing the pinto beans, but overall I saved significantly versus using other available protein sources. Beef, chicken, pork, fish are all rather high in cost right now and I doubt the price will drop.

One way to cope is to stretch the weekly food budget by adding more meals featuring lovely legumes. There are many recipes available through searching the internet. Preparing legumes is simple and the instructions are usually very plain. Lentils are wonderful because they can be prepared quickly and do not require soaking. They also last in your pantry forever.

In order for legumes to act as complete proteins, they must be combined with other foods. The sloppy sam's need to be served with grain in order to be complete. Once placed inside a pita with some cheese or on a bun, you have a complete protein and a healthy meal. Other examples of legume combinations resulting in complete protein are: red beans and rice (or any legume and rice), pinto beans and cornbread, hummus and pitas, peanut butter sandwich (any legume and grain).

My husband is an avid gardener, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the agricultural aspect of legumes. They are easy to grow and can grow (but not as productively) in poor soil. The plants are high in nitrogen and are beneficial biomass to improve the soil. Simply till them into the soil. By growing your own legumes you have a very inexpensive protein source and an equally inexpensive organic fertilizer for your garden!