Cous Cous/lentil recipes

[Caenea]

My OH and I have been wanting to eat more beans/pulses etc for a while, so I brought a bag of plain, unseasoned cous cous and a bag of red lentils at the weekend.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any good recipes for them?

We aren't vegetarian and like good, hearty meals (so soup probably won't cut it). Anyone got any good tips?

Roasted veg with couscous and salmon/chicken/protein of your choice. Couscous is just carbs though.

Lentils - really thick lentil soups - good for lunch and taking to work.

Dhal as a side to another curry. Or dhansak.

Puy lentils are lovely in salads with goats cheese and roasted veg or as a side to protein of your choice.

I really like lentils! There's various versions of spag bol using lentils - that aren't classy but are v tasty.

www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/middle-eastern-lentils-and-rice-with-blackened-onions-20111018-29x4j

This is quick and tasty cous cous

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/cous-cous.html?

lentils are great in with mince for cottage pie. Otherwise dhal, soup with a ham bone.

Look up BBC good food recipes loads on there. The chicken dansak is lovely

Cous cous is a kind of wheat, so not a bean/pulse (welcome to pedants corner ), but lentils are so versatile and good for you, you can use them in just about anything.

I make a simple vinaigrette (shallots, sherry vinegar, lemon, oil, herbs) and dress green or brown lentils in it, add some parsley or basil. It's a great summer side dish with meat/fish and salad. Red lentils are great in middle eastern lemon/lentil soup or tarka dhal.

We are not classy people, and loads of the recipes I've found seem to assuming that I have a stock cupboard of things like fancy cheeses or exotic fruits.

And pardon my ignorance, but what actually is Dhal?

dhal...spicy thick lentil goop!

I've just googled... Dhal looks AMAZING.

Might need to be toning down the spice though because I am the world's biggest pansy a delicate flower.

cous cous needs lots of seasoning too, i usually sautee some onions in oil, then maybe some sliced peppers, plenty of S&P and then when they are about half done add in some water/stock, stir in the cous cous and let it sit as per instructions.

often add in apricots or sultanas too, good spritz of lemon juice and serve it with griddled chicken, or chicken stripped off a roast...and you can shove it all into pitta breads too

Carrot and lentil soup is super easy and very filling, promise - I have a meet and 2 veg type OH but he loves it, with some ham and crusty bread.

I also add lentils to spag bol and lasange, to bulk it out a bit.

Yes, the soup thing is mostly him to be honest - I quite enjoy a soup meal as long as it isn't 90% water with things floating in it.

With my pedantic hat on,
couscous is actually a type of pasta. It's completely lovely though and a great vehicle for roasted veg and feta. We are actually having couscous tonight! My Vaguely Middle-Eastern Couscous with lamb, almonds and sultanas.

http://ohsheglows.com/2016/04/03/glowing-spiced-lentil-soup/
it's heavenly

Mary Berry lentil and aubergine moussaka. It's proper comfort food
(And we're not vegetarian and I have served it to plenty of meat eaters and they always want the recipe.)

Forgot to say I often add lentils when I make spaghetti sauce. I also make a soup that is basically the usual veg (onions/leeks/shallots, garlic, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, fennel, chicken stock) plus some smoky bacon plus a load of green or brown lentils. It's tasty and warming.

Beetroot and Lentil burgers

Weirdly I was just recommending this recipe to my sister: lentil pie sounds disgusting but it's bloody gorgeous, and proper comfort food. You'll probably need to buy the ingredients, but there's nothing weird - you can get it all in Tesco. It’s my ten year old's favourite dinner (and she's normally a ketchup on everything kind of kid). www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/food/recipes/moroccan-lentil-pie