I prepack my lunch on most days and made this last week in no time. I have missed a good green lentil dish and thought it would remind me of the flavours from home, since they form part of traditional Mauritian cuisine.
Ingredients :
Green Lentils, 2 gloves of garlic, 1 medium onion,fresh thyme, 1 Celeriac, herbes de provence or other herbs of your choice, salmon, olive oil, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper
Method
Rinse your green Lentils and boil them with just enough water to cover them. Once cooked, remove the excess water. Add coconut oil or olive oil to a pan, 2 cloves of garlic, an onion, and fresh thyme .I usually prefer adding my herbs last as this is how they retain the most nutrients. Season to taste. In Mauritius, they occasionally cook the lentils with bacon, and if that’s your wish to do so, then add a few pieces of good quality bacon with the herbs/onions/garlic combination after stripping off the fat.Keep those additions as a reward for eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle at least 80 % of your time and allowing yourself to have treats 15-20% of the time
While the lentils cook, strip the skin off the celeriac with a sharp knife) and cut into pieces, and steam or boil them until soft.Mash the celeriac and set aside. Cook the garlic for a few seconds in a teaspoon of olive oil and toss the mashed celeriac with the garlic, herbes de provence and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
The salmon was simply roasted in the oven with salt and pepper.
Nutritional INFO
Lentils are wonderful, free from gluten, full of dietary fibre, high in protein (26% of lentils calories are attributed to protein). Being free from gluten they give a break to your digestion especially if you eat them as part of a vegetarian meal, or accompanied with fish instead of animal based protein (since those require longer to be processed by the body). They help keep your blood sugar levels at bay, and therefore are ideal if you are diabetic or suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) for example. The Fibre content helps to relieve constipation of course, but also other digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome.
Lentils for lunch are great since they sustain your hunger until the evening, giving your pancreas a rest since you won’t be snacking for a change. Good source of iron, hence help in transporting oxygen throughout the body and is key to energy production and metabolism.
Low in calories with no fat, they can be used to manage your weight.
Celeriac root is my chosen vegetable as a side dish and gives it body and depth.It is far more nutritious and tasty than the standard potatoes and I have mostly enjoyed it in the past at restaurants. Be adventurous and use it in your dishes. It has a nutty, creamy and sweet flavour and is a lovely seasonal vegetable !Eating seasonally allows you to benefit from the nutrients to the maximum !Wonderful alternative to use as a mash for children but you can also opt for sweet potato instead. What else can it bring you ? manganese, vitamin K, phosphorous, vitamin B complex, dietary fibre, calcium, potassium , sodium and magnesium. It high in anti-oxidants and research has shown it may have beneficial effects against colon cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It is a diuretic ! just like it’s related vegetable, celery, and helps you to get rid of the excess water and can relieve muscle stiffness.Vitamin K, helps to increase bone mass whereas the copper and phosphorus help in bone metabolism.
We can often be deficient in minerals because of the quality of the soil in which our vegetables grow, the medications that we take, or how we cook or combine our foods. Obtaining these minerals through organic/home grown/ or fresh vegetables definitely helps.. Celeriac has been found to be good for mental health, increasing blood flow to the brain and can be of use in conditions like Alzheimer’s, insomnia or stress.
The dish is complemented with Salmon giving you a good dose of protein, omega 3, and brain boosting nutrients to keep our mind clear and focussed !
enjoy xxx
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