Summer is here...and it sucks.

Ok...it is official i hate summer. It is a strong word to be used, but there is nothing fun about feeling hot and sticky and sweating like a ...oops..glowing like a..i don't know what. It is also the season where Jeeves and me have regular arguments..coz i love the air to be kicked upto 65..and he thinks 70 is good...and i am also in a foul mood most of the time, coz hot weather puts me in a bad mood. But, note to the fellow food blogger whom i am planning to meet.....i promise, i will be nice ;)...don't want to scare you :D.
I usually do not spend a lot of time in the kitchen...honestly in the past year..i have hardly been spending time in the kitchen on account of my weird eating habits and jeeves travelling..but summer gives me an excuse not to go and vent when i am in there.
This lentil salad is super easy and can be eaten warm, cold or wrapped up in pitas or rotis for a quick and easy meal.





Ingredients:

brown lentils -1.5 cups dry. Soak it in water for about 2 hours (can omit this step, but it helps in cooking faster)
vegetables - 2 cups (i used mushrooms- 3 cups, as they shrink, carrots and peas - 1 cup)
onions - 1 large, diced
garlic - 4 pods, 3 sliced thin and 1 crushed
salt - to taste
fresh ground pepper - 6 twists
red chilly flakes - 1 tbls.
oil - 1 tbls (i.e - 3 tsp. of oil)
rosemary - 2 tsp. (dry, use more if fresh)

Method:

1. Cook the lentils in water with reqd. salt and the crushed garlic. The lentils should be completely cooked but not turn mushy. Usually you have to be really abusive to the brown lentil to render it to a mush ;)

2. In a non-stick pan,add 2 tsp. of oil (reserve the 1 tsp. for later), add the onions and garlic and saute till soft. Now add the peas and carrots (i used frozen) and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms to the above with the rosemary,chilly flakes,pepper and salt (just for the veggies, as we are cooking the lentils with salt too) and cook till the mushrooms are softened.

4. Add the cooked lentils to the above, let the crushed garlic be, add the remaining tsp. of oil..and mix it gently but well.

Ta-da...it is ready to eat. Easy right...