Lentils…

I eat lentils about twice a week. I use the sachets of French lentils from Aldi. They are delicious. Add some cherry tomatoes, spinach and shallots previously cooked to them and a poached egg on top....yummy.

Merchant Gourmet lentils are pre cooked and fab. I use them in lots of things.

I always use lentils from a tin added to shepherd pie, spaghetti, stews etc. because I’m always trying to cut down on the meat content and lentils add more protein to any dish.

Also I have sometimes added half a tin of white bean which I’ve puréed to soups, gravies etc., again to ensure maximum goodness without adding carbohydrates.

There’s so much goodness in beans and so many ways to add them to any dishes in a ‘disguised’ way.

a tin of green, brown or puy lentils. They will keep their shape and texture if added late. I could not abide mushy mince with red lentils

Yes I’d probably use green or black lentils, the ones from tins or sachets are fine and don’t disintegrate into slush like the orange ones.

With lentils they go through me immediately like little rockets and make me feel ill with wind and diarrhoea .

Love Indian dhal. Delias recipe for mashed potato, celeriac and garlic is a big favourite.

debbiemon123

Definitely quorn ( or Aldi soya mince) added to ordinary mince , or even just soya mince . I use it for cottage pie , chilli , spaghetti Bol etc and nobody ever knows ….. it’s always delicious and slightly healthier!

It isn't healthier for diabetics, which is what the OP's husband is. Quorn has at least 6g of carbs per 100g (depending how it's been prepared). Meat has NO carbs.

I expect people know this, but diabetics' problems are caused by having too much glucose in the blood stream, which is mainly caused by the liver releasing too much or from eating too many carbs. Diabetics respond differently, but even the NHS is now recognising that low carb diets are beneficial. It's almost impossible to have a healthy diet without carbs because fruit and vegetables contain mainly carbs. There are some foods without carbs - meat is one of them. Obviously meat has its own problems, but replacing it with carbs is not a good idea for a diabetic.

We prefer black lentils, seem to hold together better.

Definitely quorn ( or Aldi soya mince) added to ordinary mince , or even just soya mince . I use it for cottage pie , chilli , spaghetti Bol etc and nobody ever knows ….. it’s always delicious and slightly healthier!

I'd forget the lentils. They always taste of singed hair to me.

Frenchgalinspain Please could you explain what you mean by "can obtain no sugar". Every ingredient you've mentioned contains sugar.

I am so sorry to hear about your husband but please don't reduce the meat content in his food. Meat is needed to provide enough protein, iron and vit B12; iron and vit B12 are not available in adequate concentrations in vegetables. We usually find vegans can probably reach 2 years without meat but even with supplements (very carbon negative) and eventhough the pea / bean/ family are the best for protein, they usually return to at least some dairy / fish after that.

Lentils (soaked overnight - in water covering the tiny morsels)

I prepare a Vegetarian version:
Carrots
Celery
Turnip
Leek
Onion
Garlic
2 De-seeded and peeled large tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Parsley - dry and fresh
Provençe 5 Herbs ( oregano, thyme, basil, savoury & rosemary)
A pinch or 2 of Spanish paprika / piménton
1 Stock Cube -vegetable or vegetable stock strained

And place all finely chopped / sliced in a pressure cooker.
Served with a crusty loaf of bread - can obtain no sugar

We enjoy it for 2 days.

Delicious & healthy.

I've only ever cooked with Puy lentils so can't advise you Mamma66 but I do grate courgette into mince when making cottage pie, chilli or bolognaise and it thickens the mix. I also add carrots, peppers, celery etc. Mixed roots mash is lovely, potatoes, swede, turnip, parsnips, celeriac, butternut squash - whatever I've got in usually.

Lentils are great, but my suggestion is for the mash on the top of a shepherd or cottage pie.
You may like to try celeriac in th mash instead of swede. I thinks it's better.

Also Celeriac mashed with a smaller amount of potato is lovely.

Since doing the Zoe plan I have used lentils a lot following their recipes. I’m not a fussy eater and like most things. Also use a lot of beans now. Veg chilli etc. Lentils just need time to absorb the liquid so make sure there’s more liquid than normal when you add the lentils. I know the yellow lentils need cooking for longer than the green or brown if that’s of any help?

Used tinned, then not a problem.
Also, try sweet potato mash instead of white or a mixture of both which is what I do.

There are now various pastas made from lentils and other pulses if you want a change from potatoes. They're red, green or yellow in colour.

I think you’ll find brown lentils will be less obvious than the red which are split and tend to be more ‘pasty’ as opposed to being whole and will blend with the mince. Just drop them in halfway through cooking.

Jan135

I know nothing about what a diabetic can eat - sorry, but I use soya mince (Holland & Barrett) mixed 50/50 with normal mince from when making shepherds pie or bolognese. My DH doesn’t notice the difference. Would this help at all?

Just looked it up. Holland & Barrett soy mince has 33g of carbs per 100g. Compare that with NO carbs in meat mince. For a diabetic, that's not a good option, although I'm sure soy has some advantages over meat for non-diabetics.

Same as Mel 1947, I add tinned green lentils to mine and they don't seem to affect flavour or texture

I know nothing about what a diabetic can eat - sorry, but I use soya mince (Holland & Barrett) mixed 50/50 with normal mince from when making shepherds pie or bolognese. My DH doesn’t notice the difference. Would this help at all?