Hello, my lovely readers today I have for you another nice and yummy dish which came to me one morning in the gym. I’m sure it’s perfect for this winter time, and I think lentils are very powerful for our bodies, good circulation, keeping the stomach full and in fact, the high fiber and protein are definitely added benefits.
So when exactly did I get this inspiration? I’m working closely with my personal trainer Gilberto and one day I was listening carefully as he told me about his clients, about nutrition and protein in particular. I got a simple vision in my mind and I could clearly see this recipe in my kitchen. I’m repeating myself, but it is really easy to make and another important thing is that it’s completely up to you guys which side dish you would like to serve with these balls. It could be a small salad with dressing, tomato sauce or just a light herb dressing. Seriously, just follow your intuition, but of course, I’ll tell you what I made it with, I chose smoked garlic, roasted red peppers and tomato puree sauce with salt, pepper, and a little bit of maple syrup.
I made each ball around 50g but if you prefer bigger ones, go for it.
Recipe:
150g dark lentils
340g baby spinach leaf
1 clove of garlic
120g carrots
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika powder
½ teaspoon of mixed sesame seeds
10g of hemp seeds
65g gluten-free breadcrumbs
40g buckwheat flour
oil
salt & pepper
Method:
I would recommend you soak the lentils for around 4 hours. In this time you can prep and peel the carrots, grate them and put them into your large salad bowl. Add the already prepped garlic (peel and chop the clove) and also the breadcrumbs, flour, seeds, and paprika.
The next step is to use a colander to wash the spinach. Shake the excess water off and then cook with olive oil in a pot for 6 mins ’til soft. Remove the liquid from the pot and add the spinach to the salad bowl.
The last step is to dry the lentils after having soaked them for 4 hours and cooked them until soft. They will not take long to cook once the water is boiling but keep an eye on them. Once they are done, either let them cool down or cool them down with cool water, before adding to your salad bowl. Mix the mixture very well, add salt and pepper, and you are ready to make it into balls. Once the balls are ready, heat your oven to gas 4 or 180C and fill your nonstick pan with quite a bit of olive, or any oil for cooking. Sear the balls in the pan for 6 min before moving to your gastro pot. Finally, cook these in the oven for another 18- 20min and they’re ready for your stomach.
