The Great Lentil Experiment

If you are a reader of this little hiker blog, you will know that Jenna is gluten-free (and a vegetarian) and I am a preachy vegan (is there any other kind?). This is forcing us to be rather creative when planning meals for the trip. For breakfasts, this means countless variations of instant oatmeal and dried fruit. Dinners are some sort of cooked then dried beans, spices and minute brown rice. Lunch, however, has at least me stymied. How can we have a gluten-free vegan lunch that is full of calories and we don't have to cook? My typical hiking lunch of smashed bagels and peanut butter won't cut it for Jenna and I refuse to eat only gorp for lunch for five straight months. With this in mind, let me introduce you to the "Great Lentil Experiment."

"What if," I thought, "I soaked lentils for a couple of hours. Could this be the lunch I am looking for?" Lentils cook quickly, are rich in protein and are super delicious. I really enjoy cold Indian food. With visions of dahl dancing in my head I set up two different soaking experiments. In one container I soaked half a cup of red lentils in room temperature tap water. In another container, I soaked half a cup of lentils in boiling water (with spices). I let them sit for 4 hours while Jenna and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo (which is, I know, not a very vegan activity) and went to the Ave. for some pho chay (Vietnamese veggie noodle soup).

When I came back I tried both lentils, and to my surprise, they both had sprouted! They were soft enough to eat, but both tasted earthy and nutty. Now, I don't mind that "sprout" taste, but only in salads and sandwiches, not when I am trying to make no cook lunchtime dahl.

So the "Great Lentil Experiment" has not yet succeeded in producing what I want: a no cook, delicious, nutritious, gluten-free, and vegan meal. Any lunchtime suggestions, now that I think of it?

Okay, so all is not without hope. Here are the future plans for the Great Lentil Experiment, Party Two: 1) Boil the lentil for a very short time and then soak them (in hopes of killing whatever enzymes that start the sprouting process). 2) Make a delicious dahl and then dehydrate and see how it re-hydrates in cold water.

More to come...