As a lifelong vegetarian and seeker of flavorful and easy recipes, I know the power of lentils and have embraced the versatility this little bean packs in many vegetarian recipes. From the beginning of time, humans have consumed this protein packed legume (bean) in all its colorful glory. Whether it hits your plate in shades of red, yellow, white, brown, green, black or orange, you can be assured that this will satisfy your hunger due to its 25% of protein content! Plus, these little vibrant jewels welcome an array of spices and flavors so that you can travel the world through your mouth, bite by bite.

Lentils are incredibly versatile. You can use them in stews, soups, fillings, and pies. Or, they can be mashed, boiled, sautéed, blended, and purred into your preferred vegetarian recipes. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the power protein punch of lentils is in a Cayenne Lentil Roll.

I created this dish after my first trip to Texas. There was something about cowboy hats, country music and that overall southern feel that brought out this bold and spicy dish loaded full of lentils. After all, they say everything is bigger in Texas, so why not apply that to little lentils too!

Cayenne Lentil Roll

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of olive oil
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
½ green pepper, diced
1 cup red lentils (or any other color)
2 ½ cup water
2 large garlic cloves, slightly crushed
2 bay leaves
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper, adjust to taste
3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
2 tbsp Liquid Amino Acids (Mrs. Braggs)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Hass avocados , sliced
5 Whole Wheat Tortillas

Sautee carrots, peppers and onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add lentils, water, garlic, bay leaves.

Cover and simmer until lentils are tender, approx. 20 min.

Stir occasionally.

Take off heat and stir in cayenne pepper, nutritional yeast, liquid amino acids, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture and place in tortillas.

Top with sliced avocado and roll tortilla.

This mixture would also be fantastic as a side dish next to a Cajun style portabella burger
or other a like recipes! Lentils can be a vegetarian’s best friend as they provide tons of protein
and B vitamins in every vegetarian recipe it stars in. Start experimenting with them
in all of your vegetarian recipes and enjoy

Have you ever noticed how meat-centric our culture is in America?  From the Thanksgiving turkey to Easter ham to hamburgers and hot dogs on the 4th of July!  Plus, most American families have house hold favorites when celebrating any significant event such has homemade fried chicken, meatloaf and potatoes or steak and french fries.  It seems that every where I turn, if we are celebrating we must do it at the expense of an animal’s life.  To me it seems so contradictory.  Death is sad, dark and depressing.  These qualities are the exact opposite of what we should be emphasizing.

Of course, it makes sense historically.  Meat used to be a highly sought commodity.  It was rare to eat meat and thus, in times of celebration the extra expense was spent to indulge in a large feast.  Of course, since the early 1900′s, the availability of meat, seafood and poultry has steadily grown.  Meat is no longer a rare extravagance; it is viewed as a necessity during each meal…that’s 3 times a day for most Americans!

So, as a vegetarian and someone that is uncomfortable  just being around dead animals (even if they are carefully presented on a plate), how do I handle this?  How am I able to still participate in celebrations such as holidays and family get togethers?  Well…to put it easily (and very honestly), it’s really hard.  I wish I had a better answer, but at the end of the day, we all have to choose our battles.  During times of celebration, I tend to talk to the host ahead of time to see what type of accommodations could be made that would make the event more comfortable for me and other vegetarians.  I have always found that the host is more than happy to make adjustments.

Just this past Thanksgiving, I spent the day with my family. The host was my cousin and she took it upon herself to prepared the turkey the day before and carved it ahead of time.  I didn’t even have to ask !   Plus, she suggested that I bring over my toaster oven so that we could heat up dishes in a vegetarian-friendly space.  This made it much more comfortable for me!  When it came time for dinner, she set up a buffet which was wonderful because I didn’t have to deal with passing large plates of turkey.  It was the best Thanksgiving celebration that I have had in terms of veggie-friendly.  In gratitude, I brought several vegetarian dishes to share and was happy to see everyone enjoying them.  In fact, I was asked for the recipes from most of the guests!!!

Until the world goes vegetarian (fingers crossed), meat-centric celebrations will remain to be a difficult time for vegetarians.  The thing to remember is that if done with kindness and honesty, accommodations are usually welcomed and you can promote kindness to animals by offering vegetarian-friendly dishes.

Have you ever noticed how meat-centric our culture is in America?  From the Thanksgiving turkey to Easter ham to hamburgers and hot dogs on the 4th of July!  Plus, most American families have house hold favorites when celebrating any significant event such has homemade fried chicken, meatloaf and potatoes or steak and french fries.  It seems that every where I turn, if we are celebrating we must do it at the expense of an animal’s life.  To me it seems so contradictory.  Death is sad, dark and depressing.  These qualities are the exact opposite of what we should be emphasizing.

Of course, it makes sense historically.  Meat used to be a highly sought commodity.  It was rare to eat meat and thus, in times of celebration the extra expense was spent to indulge in a large feast.  Of course, since the early 1900′s, the availability of meat, seafood and poultry has steadily grown.  Meat is no longer a rare extravagance; it is viewed as a necessity during each meal…that’s 3 times a day for most Americans!

So, as a vegetarian and someone that is uncomfortable  just being around dead animals (even if they are carefully presented on a plate), how do I handle this?  How am I able to still participate in celebrations such as holidays and family get togethers?  Well…to put it easily (and very honestly), it’s really hard.  I wish I had a better answer, but at the end of the day, we all have to choose our battles.  During times of celebration, I tend to talk to the host ahead of time to see what type of accommodations could be made that would make the event more comfortable for me and other vegetarians.  I have always found that the host is more than happy to make adjustments.

Until the world goes vegetarian (fingers crossed), meat-centric celebrations will remain to be a difficult time for vegetarians.  The thing to remember is that if done with kindness and honesty, accommodations are usually welcomed and you can promote kindness to animals by offering vegetarian-friendly dishes.

Have you ever noticed how meat-centric our culture is in America?  Most American families have household favorites when celebrating any significant event such has homemade fried chicken, meatloaf and potatoes or steak and french fries.  It seems that every where I turn, if we are celebrating we must do it at the expense of an animal’s life.  To me it seems so contradictory.  Death is sad, dark and depressing.  These qualities are the exact opposite of what we should be emphasizing.

Of course, it makes sense historically.  Meat used to be a highly sought commodity.  It was rare to eat meat and thus, in times of celebration the extra expense was spent to indulge in a large feast.  Of course, since the early 1900′s, the availability of meat, seafood and poultry has steadily grown.  Meat is no longer a rare extravagance; it is viewed as a necessity during each meal…that’s 3 times a day for most Americans!

As a vegetarian, how do I handle this?  How am I able to still participate in celebrations such as holidays and family get-togethers?  Well…to put it easily (and very honestly), it’s really hard.  I wish I had a better answer, but at the end of the day, we all have to choose our battles.  During times of celebration, I tend to talk to the host ahead of time to see what type of accommodations could be made that would make the event more comfortable for me and other vegetarians.  I have always found that the host is more than happy to make adjustments.

Until the world goes vegetarian (fingers crossed), meat-centric celebrations will remain to be a difficult time for vegetarians.  The thing to remember is that if done with kindness and honesty, accommodations are usually welcomed and you can promote kindness to animals by offering vegetarian-friendly dishes.

Have you ever noticed how meat-centric our culture is in America?  From the Thanksgiving turkey to Easter ham to hamburgers and hot dogs on the 4th of July!  Plus, most American families have house hold favorites when celebrating any significant event such has homemade fried chicken, meatloaf and potatoes or steak and french fries.  It seems that every where I turn, if we are celebrating we must do it at the expense of an animal’s life.  To me it seems so contradictory.  Death is sad, dark and depressing.  These qualities are the exact opposite of what we should be emphasizing.

Of course, it makes sense historically.  Meat used to be a highly sought commodity.  It was rare to eat meat and thus, in times of celebration the extra expense was spent to indulge in a large feast.  Of course, since the early 1900′s, the availability of meat, seafood and poultry has steadily grown.  Meat is no longer a rare extravagance; it is viewed as a necessity during each meal…that’s 3 times a day for most Americans!

So, as a vegetarian and someone that is uncomfortable  just being around dead animals (even if they are carefully presented on a plate), how do I handle this?  How am I able to still participate in celebrations such as holidays and family get togethers?  Well…to put it easily (and very honestly), it’s really hard.  I wish I had a better answer, but at the end of the day, we all have to choose our battles.  During times of celebration, I tend to talk to the host ahead of time to see what type of accommodations could be made that would make the event more comfortable for me and other vegetarians.  I have always found that the host is more than happy to make adjustments.  In fact, just this past Thanksgiving, the host took it upon herself to prepared the turkey the day before and carved it ahead of time.  I didn’t even have to ask !   This made it much more comfortable for me!  In gratitude, I brought several vegetarian dishes to share and was happy to see everyone enjoying them.  In fact, I was asked for the recipes from most of the guests!!!

Until the world goes vegetarian (fingers crossed), meat-centric celebrations will remain to be a difficult time for vegetarians.  The thing to remember is that if done with kindness and honesty, accommodations are usually welcomed and you can promote kindness to animals by offering vegetarian-friendly dishes.

Social pressures can be really hard to deal with, especially as a vegetarian.  When you become a vegetarian, you immediately open yourself to love, generosity, independence and sharing! On the flip side, you also open yourself up to doubt, insult and some really uncomfortable situations.  It can be really hard to know how to handle specific situations.  To help prepare you, I’d like to share a story about how I responded (or wished I had responded):

1. Being a guest at a meat-based dinner:

Oh boy!  This is one of the worse in the books.  It wasn’t so horrible because of the situation, but because of how I reacted.  It’s one of those times that I wish I could do over.  Here’s what happened…

My husband (boyfriend, at the time) went to Germany so I could meet his family friends for the first time.  My husband is very close with this family and it was a really big deal that we were there.  One evening, the family prepared a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette .  A Raclette grill is placed in the center of the table.  The top is reserved for grilling meats (mostly) and then each person gets an individual dish filled with Raclette cheese and veggies that sits under the grill for warming.
The family went to great (and very generous) lengths to accommodate my vegetarian diet by providing many vegetable (instead of meat) that I could put in my dish.

We all gathered around the hot Raclette and a various meats were placed on the top.  It started grilling and fizzling and put off a large amount of  steam and smoke.  Since we were inside and sitting around a table, it became very overwhelming and uncomfortable for me.  Now, someone that doesn’t have an emotional sensativity to meat grilling would have never thought this to be a problem.  However, for me, it was just too much.

I tried not to breath and of course that didn’t work.  I tried turning my head away from the table but this was just awkward.  Next, I excused myself from the table!  Can you believe that?!?!  This was a wrong choice! I still feel horrible about it today.  This wonderful family went to the trouble of opening their home to me, prepared me a meal and I had the audacity to leave the table!  I absolutely should have handled this differently!

Instead, here’s how to handle a situation like that.  PREVENT IT!

You see, before the visit, I was nervous about telling the family about my diet restrictions and more importantly, the things that make me uncomfortable.  I thought that if I told them that I would come across as persnicky or troublesome.  However, instead, I came of rude!

The lesson?  Always feel proud of who you are and what you believe in! Don’t be ashamed of it or feel like you are a pain for anyone else.  If it is an issue important to you then it will be important for someone that cares for you. If you are going to a dinner party, let the host know ahead of time what works and doesn’t’ work for you.  Believe me, they would much rather know ahead of time and prepare something that everyone enjoys!

Oh…and don’t worry.  My husband smoothed everything over and explain my position.  They were very understanding and I am so thankful for that!

Social pressures can be really hard to deal with, especially as a vegetarian.  When you become a vegetarian, you immediately open yourself to generosity, independence and sharing! On the flip side, you also open yourself up to doubt, insult and some really uncomfortable situations.  It can be really hard to know how to handle specific situations.  To help prepare you, I’d like to share a story about how I responded (or wished I had responded):

1. Being a guest at a meat-based dinner:

Oh boy!  This is one of the worse in the books.  It wasn’t so horrible because of the situation, but because of how I reacted.  It’s one of those times that I wish I could do over.  Here’s what happened…

My husband (boyfriend, at the time) went to Germany so I could meet his family friends for the first time.  My husband is very close with this family and it was a really big deal that we were there.  One evening, the family prepared a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette .  A Raclette grill is placed in the center of the table.  The top is reserved for grilling meats (mostly) and then each person gets an individual dish filled with Raclette cheese and veggies that sits under the grill for warming.
The family went to great (and very generous) lengths to accommodate my vegetarian diet by providing many vegetable (instead of meat) that I could put in my dish.

We all gathered around the hot Raclette and a various meats were placed on the top.  It started grilling and fizzling and put off a large amount of  steam and smoke.  Since we were inside and sitting around a table, it became very overwhelming and uncomfortable for me.  Now, someone that doesn’t have an emotional sensativity to meat grilling would have never thought this to be a problem.  However, for me, it was just too much.

I tried not to breath and of course that didn’t work.  I tried turning my head away from the table but this was just awkward.  Next, I excused myself from the table!  Can you believe that?!?!  This was a wrong choice!  I absolutely should have handled this differently!

Instead, here’s how to handle a situation like that.  PREVENT IT!

You see, before the visit, I didn’t want to tell the family about my diet restrictions and more importantly, the things that make me uncomfortable.  I thought that if I told them that I would come across as persnicky or troublesome.  However, instead, I came of rude!

The lesson?  Always feel proud of who you are and what you believe in! Don’t be ashamed of it or feel like you are a pain for anyone else.  If it is an issue important to you then it will be important for someone that cares for you. If you are going to a dinner party, let the host know ahead of time what works and doesn’t’ work for you.  Believe me, they would much rather know ahead of time and prepare something that everyone enjoys!

Oh…and don’t worry.  My husband smoothed everything over and explain my position.  They were very understanding and I am so thankful for that!

Social pressures can be really hard to deal with, especially as a vegetarian.  When you become a vegetarian, you immediately open yourself to love, generosity, independence and sharing! On the flip side, you also open yourself up to doubt, insult and some really uncomfortable situations.  To help prepare you, I’d like to share a story about how I responded (or wished I had responded):

1. Being a guest at a meat-based dinner:

Oh boy!  This is one of the worse in the books.  It wasn’t so horrible because of the situation, but because of how I reacted.  It’s one of those times that I wish I could do over.  Here’s what happened…

My husband (boyfriend, at the time) went to Germany so I could meet his family friends for the first time.  One evening, the family prepared a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette .  A Raclette grill is placed in the center of the table.  The top is reserved for grilling meats (mostly) and then each person gets an individual dish filled with Raclette cheese and veggies that sits under the grill for warming.
The family went to great (and very generous) lengths to accommodate my vegetarian diet by providing many vegetable (instead of meat) that I could put in my dish.

We all gathered around the hot Raclette and a various meats were placed on the top.  It started grilling and fizzling and put off a large amount of  steam and smoke.  Since we were inside and sitting around a table, it became very overwhelming and uncomfortable for me.  Now, someone that doesn’t have an emotional sensativity to meat grilling would have never thought this to be a problem.  However, for me, it was just too much.

I excused myself from the table!  Can you believe that?!?!  This was a wrong choice! I still feel horrible about it today.  This wonderful family went to the trouble of opening their home to me, prepared me a meal and I had the audacity to leave the table!  I absolutely should have handled this differently!

Instead, here’s how to handle a situation like that.  PREVENT IT!

The lesson?  Always feel proud of who you are and what you believe in! Don’t be ashamed of it or feel like you are a pain for anyone else.  If it is an issue important to you then it will be important for someone that cares for you. If you are going to a dinner party, let the host know ahead of time what works and doesn’t’ work for you.  Believe me, they would much rather know ahead of time and prepare something that everyone enjoys!

Oh…and don’t worry.  My husband smoothed everything over and explain my position.  They were very understanding and I am so thankful for that!

Social pressures can be really hard to deal with, especially as a vegetarian.  When you become a vegetarian, you immediately open yourself to love, generosity, independence and sharing! On the flip side, you also open yourself up to doubt, insult and some really uncomfortable situations.  It can be really hard to know how to handle specific situations.

1. Being a guest at a meat-based dinner:

To prevent uncomfortable situations the thing to do is PREVENT THEM in the first place!

Before the dinner party,  let the host know ahead of time what works and doesn’t’ work for you.  Believe me, they would much rather know ahead of time and prepare something that everyone enjoys!

Social pressures can be really hard to deal with, especially as a vegetarian.  When you become a vegetarian, you immediately open yourself to love, generosity, independence and sharing! On the flip side, you also open yourself up to doubt, insult and some really uncomfortable situations.  It can be really hard to know how to handle specific situations.  To help prepare you, I’d like to share a story about how I responded (or wished I had responded):

1. Being a guest at a meat-based dinner:

Oh boy!  This is one of the worse in the books.  It wasn’t so horrible because of the situation, but because of how I reacted.  It’s one of those times that I wish I could do over.  Here’s what happened…

My husband (boyfriend, at the time) went to Germany so I could meet his family friends for the first time.  My husband is very close with this family and it was a really big deal that we were there.  One evening, the family prepared a traditional Swiss meal called Raclette .  A Raclette grill is placed in the center of the table.  The top is reserved for grilling meats (mostly) and then each person gets an individual dish filled with Raclette cheese and veggies that sits under the grill for warming.
The family went to great (and very generous) lengths to accommodate my vegetarian diet by providing many vegetable (instead of meat) that I could put in my dish.

We all gathered around the hot Raclette and a various meats were placed on the top.  It started grilling and fizzling and put off a large amount of  steam and smoke.  Since we were inside and sitting around a table, it became very overwhelming and uncomfortable for me.  Now, someone that doesn’t have an emotional sensativity to meat grilling would have never thought this to be a problem.  However, for me, it was just too much.

I tried not to breath and of course that didn’t work.  I tried turning my head away from the table but this was just awkward.  Next, I excused myself from the table!  Can you believe that?!?!  This was a wrong choice! I still feel horrible about it today.  This wonderful family went to the trouble of opening their home to me, prepared me a meal and I had the audacity to leave the table!  I absolutely should have handled this differently!

Instead, here’s how to handle a situation like that.  PREVENT IT!

You see, before the visit, I was nervous about telling the family about my diet restrictions and more importantly, the things that make me uncomfortable.  I thought that if I told them that I would come across as persnicky or troublesome.  However, instead, I came of rude!

The lesson?  Always feel proud of who you are and what you believe in! Don’t be ashamed of it or feel like you are a pain for anyone else.  If it is an issue important to you then it will be important for someone that cares for you. If you are going to a dinner party, let the host know ahead of time what works and doesn’t’ work for you.  Believe me, they would much rather know ahead of time and prepare something that everyone enjoys!

Oh…and don’t worry.  My husband smoothed everything over and explain my position.  They were very understanding and I am so thankful for that!