You're a Vegan, What Do You Eat (Mediterranean Lentil and Chickpea Edition)

For several weeks now, the first hour of my morning run has been in the dark, but yesterday I actually had to wear long sleeves for the first time.  It sucked.  I will not feel warm again for another seven months.  I miss July.

In defiance of the impending winter, we had another one of our favorite summer dinners tonight: Mediterranean Lentils and Chickpeas, my version of a recipe from the fantastic people of Plant Based on a Budget.

 

 

 

Like most meals that I make, it requires foresight and planning ahead but comes together pretty quickly in the end.  

It started off on Sunday, when I soaked both lentils and chickpeas, then boiled them, skimmed the foam, and boiled them some more.  You could probably avoid this by using canned beans if you don't have the time to soak and boil (but really, it is pretty easy to do and only takes a few minutes of real, actual effort).

I put the cooked beans in the fridge, and then on Monday when I got home from work, I chopped up tomato (from my sister's garden!), red onion, cucumber, and parsley (note: the original version calls for dill).  Then I drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar, shake on some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix it all up.

This dish is really easy, fresh, and filling.  I usually use only half the batch of chickpeas and lentils to make this, and I freeze the other half for the next time.  Sometimes I make couscous to go along with it.  The couscous kind of soaks up the olive oil and red wine vinegar, which tastes really good.  We eat this for 2 nights, and I still have some left over to take to work for lunch.  It is one of the few things that actually fills me up when I am running 50-60 miles per week, and that is a plus.  Oftentimes when I am training so hard, I have trouble bringing enough food to work to keep me from feeling like I will keel over due to hunger during the day, but these lentils and chickpeas seem to do the trick.  

One drawback to this dish is that William will not eat it.  I told him he absolutely had to take a bite of it before he proclaimed that he didn't like it (otherwise, how would he know?), and he made a big production about how horrifying the process was for him.  He at least ate some of the couscous, along with some raw broccoli and an apple, so I guess that is better than nothing.  Here's to hoping that the next time I make this, he will eat more than one bite.

Thanks for reading.