Reprinted from The Blood Type Diet Website (www.dadamo.com)

Tomatillo Red Lentils

Description:

This is a recipe which came about one day after experimenting with adding green salsa (tomatillo variety) to a batch of cooked red lentils. Well, that's the lazy way to make it. Here I achieved the same flavour without making it spicy as the salsa is bad for my Type A friend. After he tried these lentils he was nearly begging for me to make them every day! This is great as a side dish, appetizer, or a hearty meal on its own. Please note that I normally use canned tomatillos in this recipe as fresh are hard to find in my area, therefore I cannot guarantee that fresh tomatillos will provide the same result. Serves 2.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
  • 8 - 10 tomatillos, canned or fresh, quartered
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 stalk of celery or 1/4 tsp celery seed
  • 6 crimini mushrooms (optional)
  • 1 tbsp store-bought crushed garlic (or 1 clove if fresh)
  • lemon juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 2 - 3 dashes of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • salt, to taste (Herbamare season sea salt works well)
  • olive oil
How to make it:
  1. In a medium size pot heat 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil and fry onion, celery, and mushrooms on low for 5 minutes. (If using fresh tomatillos then add them as well.)
  2. Add garlic and fry another minute.
  3. Add about 2 - 3 tbsp lemon juice (or adjust amount to your preferance) and turn heat up a little. Allow to simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.
  4. Add water, seasonings, and canned tomatillos.
  5. Bring water to a boil and add red lentils.
  6. Turn heat down to low and cover. Cook for 25 minutes.
  7. Remove lid. If there is too much water left then turn up the heat a little (not too much!) and stir constantly until desired consistency is reached. Whether you like it soupy or dry is up to you. However, neglecting to stir constantly can produce explosive results!
  8. Once enough liquid is gone remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes. If too dry then add extra olive oil. Serve.