Today I had the great fortune to attend the Hands-On Cooking Workshop with Canadian Lentils. I have been going this dietitian invite-only event for the past two years and every year I learn something new. This year, Chef Christine Farkas, Manager, Food Product & Culinary Innovation from Pulse Canada and Gloria Tsang, Vancouver-based dietitian and founder of HealthCastle.com were back in the kitchen demonstrating lentil recipes that we would later have the opportunity to make ourselves.
The event started with a refreshing green lentil power smoothie made with apple, kale, cucumber, green lentils and kefir. I never would have thought to include lentils in a smoothie but they pureed nicely. This is a great way to add some extra protein in the morning (and is a good alternative to using soft tofu which is also commonly used).
Chef Christine demonstrated a delicious lentil baked eggs recipe with peppers and tomatoes which would be appropriate to serve for brunch on the weekend or dinner.
We also made a sweet treat using lentils – coconut banana lentil bites. These are the perfect snack if you are craving something sweet (or a great portable snack to bring on your workouts). I wasn’t sure if I would like them since my usual workout snack are the ever so popular dark chocolate and cherry energy bites that my workout buddies all seem to make.
However, I have to admit, that these tasted as good as the dark chocolate and cherry energy bites that I usually make (and are even cheaper to make since lentils and bananas are the main ingredients versus nuts and dried fruit which can be pricey). I will definitely be making them again. Mind you, you have to like coconut.
I really enjoy this event each year. Not only does it inspire me to step out of my comfort zone and try new recipes, but it’s also a great way to catch up with many of my colleagues that I don’t get to see that often.
Everyone walked away with a lentils cookbook, apron, recipe cards and a magazine full of recipes using lentils. I can’t wait to try out some of these recipes! For more lentil recipes, check out the Canadian Lentils website.