- My mom used to make this hearty entrée in the winter. I loved the texture of the beans. In high school, I renamed it "Chalky Beans," and that's what my family has called it ever since.
- I modified the ratio of beans to meat so that it uses less meat. In fact, you could add even more beans.
- This recipe tastes even better the second day. Consider making it a day in advance.
- I love this recipe from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook, and have been making it since forever, but this week, I was having a hard time following the directions. I decided to put the instructions in a format that works for me: listing the ingredients in the order used, and adding instructions for the tamari (which seem to be missing). I also upped the garlic, and used canned diced tomatoes.
- This is almost a stew rather than a soup because it's so loaded with veggies.
- The recipe makes about 4 servings depending on what else you are serving with it.
- Note: you want a mix of orange and green veggies -- consider trying the alternates listed in [brackets].
- This is a great summer recipe -- it can be made in advance and served cold.
- Spiced lentils can be served as a side dish, a sandwich filler, or in a salad.
- I like the way the salt brings out the sweetness of the wine vinegar.
- I only use French lentils for this recipe, because they hold their shape and have a nice color. Some say they also have a different flavor. I imagine you could use ordinary lentils for this recipe but you need to watch them closely so they do not become mushy. Read about lentils and see photos of different varieties here.
- Bison (buffalo) is very lean meat and that makes it a great choice for chili. See nutrition facts and cooking tips here.
- This chili was thrown together with less planning than usual, hence the mixture of beans and the absence of green pepper. I'm going to modify the written recipe to reflect what I recommend (over what I did).
