I found some pre-cooked black beluga lentils at TJ’s and love their nutritional punch! Chrysta had posted a killer looking lentil and beet salad a little while ago, and ever since then I’ve been thinking I need to make some lentils! 🙂
Lentils are great for a filling, fiber-rich protein source. These ones were great because they were already cooked too! I had a local kabocha squash on hand from the farmer’s market, so I wanted to incorporate them somehow. When I saw that I still had some of TJ’s Harvest blend and some quinoa in the pantry I knew just the thing to do . . . stuff it! oh yeah
Beluga Lentil & Quinoa-Stuffed Kabocha
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized kabocha, cut in 1/2; seeds removed
- 1 3/4 cups water or low-sodium broth
- 3/4 cup TJ’s Harvest Grain blend + 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup TJ’s soycutash mix (or any frozen veggies mix)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup beluga lentils, cooked
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- spices: garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, salt, pepper, pinch of cinnamon & cayenne
Directions
Roast kabocha halves, cut side down & covered with foil at 375 F until soft, or about 30 minutes.
I always get munchy while making dinner so I decided to grab a carrot with roasted red pepper hummus 🙂
While they are roasting, after a little snack, heat the water or broth in a pot until boiling; add harvest blend, quinoa, raisins, soycutash mix, spices, and olive oil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Once liquid is absorbed, turn off heat and add the walnuts, lentils, and parmesan.
Stuff the grain mix into each kabocha 1/2 and serve! Easy and very filling!
Beans and lentils always fill me up and I didn’t even crave anything ‘sweet’ after dinner 🙂
What are some other ways you use lentils???
Today was my rest day from training and I could tell my legs were a little winded going up stairs after the big ride to work yesterday, but I’ll be good to go for body pump weights tomorrow!
Have a great night 🙂 A little birdie told me there may be a giveaway tomorrow too . . .
Looks delish I use lentils in soup or curry, love um! x x
Comment by Tamizn — March 4, 2010 @ 12:01 am
I love lentils but am a little intimidated to cook them from their dried state. I’m going to look for those on my next Trader Joes run!
Comment by Shannon — March 4, 2010 @ 3:28 am
that meal looks delicious~~~ Love lentils combined with grains! other use of lentils? use them instead of beans to make chilis.
Comment by coco — March 4, 2010 @ 4:06 am
Love those lentils from TJ’s! I like to use lentils by making a lentil loaf. Makes for great leftovers too!
Comment by BroccoliHut — March 4, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
I love stuffed squashes and keep trying to find kabocha but just can’t get my hands on it 🙁
Comment by Heather @ Get Healthy WithHeather — March 4, 2010 @ 7:09 pm
This looks superb! I wanted to try something similar and been looking for recipes. I use lentils all the time. I’m from the Middle East and they are a staple. I use brown and red, in soups, with rice, and appetizer-style dips. I have a red lentil soup in my blog if you’re interested. I still haven’t cooked with quinoa, but I’ve got some in my pantry already. This is inspiring.
oh, found you through prevention RD (Nicole). Happy RD day!
Comment by Nour El-Zibdeh — March 10, 2010 @ 2:20 pm