French lentil Cakes

 

Happy Monday friends,

Ah les lentilles françaises, un vrai délice! If you’re French is a bit rusty, that means: Ah French lentils, how delicious!

French lentils, sometimes called Puy lentils (from the Puy region in France where they are cultivated) are often my go-to bean when I need to make a soup, a salad or in this case, a patty cake. One of the reason is that those little gems are slightly smaller in size then their cousins the brown and green lentils and they also hold their shape much better. The taste is also slightly different. The French lentils tend to taste earthier, in contrast to the brown and green lentils that I find taste a bit more…peppery.

I also choose lentils over other beans, generally speaking, because of their nutritional makeup. These little guys are serious power houses. According to a great article written by Dr.Axe, lentils have been found to lower bad cholesterol and prevent heart disease, improve digestive health, help alkalize the body and regulate the pH level, help manage blood sugar levels, are high in protein and improve immunity. Not bad for such a little pod!

The nutritional data of one cup of cooked French lentils breaks down like this:

  • 230 calories
  • 18 grams protein
  • 15 grams of fiber
  • 3.5 grams sugar
  • less than 1 gram fat
  • 358 milligrams folate (90 percent DV)
  • 1 milligram manganese (49 percent DV)
  • 6.6 milligrams iron (37 percent DV)
  • 356 milligrams phosphorus (36 percent DV)
  • 0.5 milligrams copper (25 percent DV)
  • 0.5 milligrams thiamine (22 percent DV)
  • 731 milligrams potassium (21 percent DV)
  • 71 milligrams magnesium (18 percent DV)
  • 0.4 milligrams vitamin B6 (18 percent DV)
  • 2.5 milligrams zinc (17 percent DV)
  • 1.3 milligrams vitamin B5/pantothenic acid (13 percent DV)

I told you it was good stuff!

Fiber and protein are the two big winners for me here (along with folate, manganese, iron…but let’s stick to the basics).

When eating a plant based diet and living a very active lifestyle, you want to make sure your body is getting enough protein. The average recommended intake is 42 grams of protein, give or take a little depending on your lifestyle. So lentils here are a no brainer, providing 43% of your daily protein intake in just one cup! But fiber plays just as vital a role and is not nearly as talked about as protein. Sadly, very few people here in North America still meet their minimum daily fiber requirement.

According to Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM over at NutritionFacts.org, “less than 3% of Americans get even the recommended minimum adequate intake of fiber. On average, we get only about 15 grams a day. The minimum daily requirement is 31.5 [grams], so we get less than half the minimum. Men are particularly deficient. If we break down intake by age and gender, after studying the diets of 12,761 Americans, the percent of men between ages 14 and 50 getting the minimum adequate intake is zero.”

“This deficit is stunning in that dietary fiber has been protectively associated in population studies with the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and various cancers as well high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugars. Therefore, it is not surprising that fiber is listed as a nutrient of concern reported by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.”

 

This is not good news my friends! But with just one cup of cooked lentils, you reach half your daily fiber intake goal. Add a pear, a banana and a nice oat muffin and you’ve easily met your total daily goal. Heck, you could even combine all of those in one meal. And you’ll feel so much better when you do!

This recipe for French lentil cakes easily allows you to meet your total daily fiber intake. I don’t normally calculate nutrition information for my recipes because I believe you should eat intuitively (promise I will write a post on that very soon) but I did calculate the fiber content per serving of this recipe and it adds up to 34 grams of fiber ( I used this calculator).

I hope you and your family enjoy these power house French lentil cakes. Leave me a comment and let me know how you make sure you have enough fiber in your diet.

xx

French lentil Cakes
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 portions
These lentil cakes are easy to make, gluten-free and very versatile. You can eat them as is, served with a side salad or in a bun, sandwiched between some lettuce leafs, pickles, tomatoes and avocado slices! They also freeze well for up to three months.
Ingredients
  • 2 Cups cooked French lentils, canned
  • 1 Cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
  • 2 Cups parsnips, peeled and cubed
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tsp olive oil – divided
  • 1 tsp Italian herb mix
  • 1 tsp roasted garlic, ground
  • 1/4 Cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 Cup brown rice flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Add your root vegetables to a steamer basket and set over a pot of water. Make sure you’ve peeled and cut your root vegetables about the same size so they’ll steam in the same time.
  2. Bring the water to a boil and allow the vegetables to cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender.
  3. In the meantime, in a pan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil over medium high heat.
  4. Add the onion and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the Italian herb mix and stir.
  6. Remove from heat and add to a mixing bowl.
  7. Add the French lentils and the root vegetables once cooked.
  8. With a potato masher, mash the mixture until you reach a thick but smooth consistency.
  9. Add the brown rice flour, salt and pepper. Mix well.
  10. The mixture will get thick.
  11. Add the parsley.
  12. If you have a few extra minutes to spare, put in the fridge to set for 10-15 minutes. The cakes will be easier to form.
  13. Spray a plate with some oil.
  14. With an ice cream scoop, scoop out portions of the mixture and flatten with a spatula on the plate.
  15. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
  16. Place the patty cakes in the pan and cook 3 minutes on each side until lightly brown.

 

Lentil spinach pasta sauce

 

Good morning beautiful people,

What a week this has been so far. I won’t lie, I’m happy we are Thursday morning and there is only one day left before the weekend. This week has been quite the roller coaster ride. I’m still figuring out the “blogging” thing, while trying to be more active on social media to get my blog more traffic and exposure, while creating awesome recipes (some of epic failure! loll) for you guys to enjoy. All that, while working my regular job, getting my workouts and yoga practice in, being a mom to a 13 month baby and a wife. Need I say that my plate is full! Lol

But I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone in this. So many other parents out there work there tails off to provide for their family while still creating a life for themselves they are proud of. And it’s with you in mind that I create my recipes. They are family friendly, easy, nutritious and naughty enough for you to enjoy without feeling guilty. They will even satisfy picky eaters!

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you know that this week has been all about people that have inspired me along my journey. Be it as a mom, a food blogger, a recipe creator, a fitness enthusiast or a vegan. All the people I mention in my posts this week are inspirational in what they share with the world. Tonight’s dinner is a salute to those in the fitness/bodybuilding community that live a vegan and plant based lifestyle.

If you read the About me page, you know I’ve been involved in the fitness/bodybuilding community for a long time. Unfortunately, one of the most prevalent misconception in that industry is that you need to eat very animal heavy meals and supplements, 5-6 times a day, to keep your metabolism at high speed and your physique lean, hard and muscular. These vegan athletes put themselves out there and show the world you can look smokin hot on beans, broccoli and brown rice! For those of you still skeptical about being an athlete and maintaining that hard earned physique on a plant based diet, there are plenty of science based articles written about the benefits of a plant based diet as an athlete. Matt Frazier over at No Meat Athlete runs an amazing blog for endurance athlete. Torre Washington, Jordan David and Crissi Carvalho are all vegan physique athletes that can show you the ropes of building an amazing body on plant foods.

(BTW, none of these links are affiliated. These are all people I simply admire, that have the necessary knowledge on how to structure a proper vegan diet and have the physiques to prove it.)

For me personally, as a former competitive athlete and one that still keeps very fit and active, adopting a plant based lifestyle has brought amazing benefits. Amongst all the benefits, recovery time has to be the one with the biggest impact and the greatest benefits. I recover a lot faster from heavy workouts and my body feels a lot less heavy so I’m able to move more freely and with greater ease during my yoga practice. And because my food is so nutrition dense and easily absorbed by my body, my sleep is so much better, which boils back down to my recovery being so much better. And by my recovery being so much better, I’m able to push harder in my workouts and my practice. And by pushing harder, I get greater results. And by getting greater results… well you know where this all circles back to.

And so for all my plant based and wanna-be plant based followers that make fitness an integral part of their lives and want to make sure their bodies get all the nutrients it needs, I created this protein packed pasta sauce. You can enjoy it over spaghetti like we did for dinner or over any other type of coarse grain you like or over vegetable noodles like zucchinis, for a gluten-free meal. It’s a pretty thick sauce so if you like your sauces a little thinner, just add more passata (italien tomato sauce). You can also substitute the spinach for kale or other leafy green vegetable you happen to have on hand. You can also swab lentils for other high protein beans like white kidney beans or edamame beans if you eat soy.

I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe. Let me know how you’ve eaten the sauce!

xx

Lentil spinach pasta sauce
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 portions
This lentil pasta sauce is hearty and super nutritious. It packs a great protein punch that will help your body recover from those hard workouts.
Ingredients
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. palm oil
  • 2 Cups frozen spinach (if using fresh, use 4 cups)
  • 2 Cups passata (Italian tomato sauce)
  • 1 cup lentils, cooked
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dired rosemary
  • 1/4 dried nutmeg
  • 1 tsp chili flakes (optional – we like heat in our family but adjust according to taste or omit)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
  1. On medium high heat, melt the palm oil in a pan.
  2. Add the onions and garlic. Stir and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the spices and coat the onion and garlic mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir frequently so the spices don’t burn.
  4. Add the frozen spinach and coat with the spicy mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir. The spinach should have wilted down. If not, add a little water. Do not cover the pan again. Simply stir until the spinach is wilted down and the water has evaporated.
  5. Set aside.
  6. If using canned lentils, rinse them.
  7. In a blender or food processor, add the lentils, spinach mixture and passata. Blend or process until you get a creamy textured sauce.
  8. Serve warm over pasta or zucchini noodles.

 

Sweet Lentil Beet Loaf

As I’m sitting here, in the kitchen, in front of my computer, getting ready to type this post, I can’t help but notice that it is only 8pm and it is completely dark outside. Not only is it completely dark outisde, as in, if no lights are turned on in the house you will hit your big toe on something, but the air is cool. It’s got that breezy, cool, humid feel of…Fall. Yes, there, I said it, it feels like Fall. And I’m totally loving it! Now don’t get me wrong, I adore summer. I love to wake up early to enjoy the warm sunrise and feast on all the magnificent fruits and vegetables the season allows to harvest. I worship the hot sun and look forward to BBQs around the pool and the endless ways to be active outdoors. I cherish it all, especially because here in Montreal, summers seem very short. But Fall has always been my favourite season. There’s something about the crisp morning air, the changing colours of the leafs and of course, football!

During the summer, I rather not spend a lot of time in the kitchen or indoors for that matter. Hence, there is a lot less baking and labour intensive meals being prepared. Summer is the time when I want to give my oven a well deserved break. Bring on all the delicious raw fruits and vegetables or anything that can be grilled on a BBQ. But when Fall arrives, I happily nestle back into my kitchen, well rested and ready to prepare heart warming meals that spread their delicious aroma around the house.

This recipe is exactly that. A heart warming hearty meal that lovingly bakes in the oven for at least 45-50 mins and makes your house smell oh so so good! The best part is, other then a few extra steps, like grating beets and turnips, everything is tossed into one bowl, mixed around with your hands and patted down into a loaf pan. I also used canned lentils for this recipe. Truth be told, I used to always buy dry beans in bulk and soak/cook them when needed, but being a busy working mom with a 1 year old, I’m just short on time and will take whatever shortcut I can. But feel free to substitute freshly cooked lentils.

Another thing I love about this this loaf, is that it’s hearty and already loaded with vegetables so you don’t have to fuss over the side dish. You can serve it with a nice mixed green salad or like I did, with some lemon and garlic rapini that I roasted in the oven during the last 10 mins of baking. This loaf is also really good served cold. I’ve used the leftovers in a sandwich with some mixed sprouts, vegan mayonnaise and juicy tomatoes. It makes a great lunch you can easily pack for yourself or for your kids.

I truly hope you’ll enjoy this loaf and let me know what side you served it with!

xx

Sweet Lentil Beet Loaf
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
This hearty lentil loaf is sure to be a family favourite. The beets and turnips lend their sweet taste to the loaf but can’t easily be detected, so it’s perfect for picky eaters. I choose not to glaze the loaf, as is commonly seen in other recipes. I personally like a nice crispy crust on top of my loaf so I serve it with a sauce on the side. Here, I’ve served it with a mixture of Dijon mustard, vegan mayonnaise, fresh cilantro and a tablespoon of lime juice.
Ingredients
  • 2 X 14oz cans of brown lentils
  • 3 Tbs ground chia seeds
  • 6 Tbs water
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic gloves, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2/3 cup grated raw beets
  • 1 cup grated raw turnips
  • 3/4 cup instant oats
  • 1/2 cup oat bran
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the ground chia seeds and water. Stir with a small whisk or fork and set aside for at least 5 minutes.
  3. In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the garlic, onion and spices. Cook until the onions are translucent and the spices are fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the garlic or spices so stir frequently.
  4. Drain and rinse the canned lentils and add to a mixing bowl. With a fork, mash approximately half of the lentils. No need to be precise but do keep some whole.
  5. To the mixing bowl, add the onion, garlic and spice mixture, the grated beets and turnips, the oats and oat bran and the chia mixture.
  6. Taste and add salt and pepper.
  7. Coat a loaf pan with coconut oil spray or line with parchment paper and pour the lentil mixture.
  8. Pat down to make an even loaf.
  9. Pop in the oven and check after 45 min if a nice crust has formed on top. If still too spongy to the touch, ass another 5 mins.