Pulses....... so uninspiring

Get some really big tasty sausages from a butcher or farm shop.

Fry an onion with a finely chopped rasher or two of smoked bacon (also from a butcher or farm shop), add a tin of lentils, beef stock cube and a dash of red wine. Cook sausages, place on lentil mix for a couple of minutes then serve with a green vegetable. Delicious!

I also toss in a tin of lentils when cooking anything based on mince. It makes the mince go further, reduces the amount of meat you are consuming and has little or no effect on taste or texture. I use tins of mixed beans to bulk out a meat stew for the same reason.

Then there is cassoulet..........................heaven on earth.

Fennel I freeze lentil and bean dishes in the same way I freeze a meat dish

A very easy slow-cooker recipe using the larder & freezer:

1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained
Bag of frozen spinach
Packet of frozen onions, or soffrito
1/2 jar Patak's spice paste
Big squeeze tomato puree

Result is a lovely, thick & very tasty vegetarian curry - serve with a big dollop of thick minted yoghurt, and various other tasty bits and bobs!

I have no wish to add nasturtiums on your cooking River....but don't you just end up with a beany gloop?

Mind you, I could see it working with Naan.

Don't you be casting nasturtiums on my recipes batty

Any one-dish recipe could be gloopy but it's how you present it that matters! Canned beans are surprisingly sturdy and don't turn to mush.

A nice sprinkling of chopped coriander, and side dishes of yoghurt, lime pickle etc. A vegetarian feast!

Yes, its those tasty little extras that elevate the dish.

I love Aduki beans - they are full of healthy antioxidants and minerals and make a great cottage pie base mixed with onions, carrots and mushrooms. I usually top with a mixture of plain and sweet potato mash, and a grated cheese and breadcrumb topping if I have visitors.
If you want to ease up on meat, you can experiment with going half and half with pulses - almost anything goes with mince, lentils go well with chicken, chick peas in a spicy red sauce goes well with white fish etc. lentils and black eyed beans go well in rice dishes too. If you keep a variety of tinned pulses handy, you can knock up a spaghetti or Chile con Carne dish in less than half an hour.

They can be utterly delicious. My suggestion is, look up recipes online. There is a huge variety. I like the middle-eastern ones best, usually. Or borrow a couple of vegetarian cook books from the library. I love the green and brown lentils particularly, though I do avoid recipes with long lists of ingredients.

A nice soup -
A tin of butter beans, tin of tomatoes, juice of a lemon, s&p.
Simmer for 15 mins or so then liquidise.

wow some great ideas. Pulses are my friends!

Rose Elliot's "The Bean Book" is a brilliant guide to pulses and how to use them. It's a vegetarian book, though, and doesn't explore the uses of pulses in combination with meats.

Drain a can of chickpeas, rinse, pat dry. Lay them on a baking sheet and spray over some of that oil spray stuff (can't think what it's called ......!). They make a lovely nibbly snack - a bit like peanuts. You can flavour them with whatever you like - just salt, or paprika, curry powder, etc etc

I meant to say - bake in a not too hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes!!!

Just had half an aubergine stuffed with lentils, tomatoes and garlic for dinner with potato wedges and stir fried veg.. Delicious, but I'll try not to breathe near anyone else for a while.