Lentil Croquettes

I wish I could say that I have been eating perfectly, but the truth is I am adapting to this way of eating a little at a time. I am really enjoying it though and already feel better. It's neat to come across a favorite recipe that is already in line with what the book is wanting me to do. One of those recipes is for Lentil Croquettes. I love this recipe and I thought I would share it here with all of you! I have these in my freezer at all times for a quick and healthy go-to meal. Here it is:

1 cup split red lentils, washed really well
1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and chopped finely
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons peanuts, toasted without salt and coarsley chopped
2 1/2 cups water

1 egg, beaten
salt
pepper

3 tablespoons chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1 teaspoon turmeric
4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place the first 10 ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer slowly, about 30 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. (I put the heat down to about 3 and stirred about every 7 min. or so. If you turn the heat down lower and don't stir, this could cook for well over an hour.)
3. Note that the above steps can also be done in a pressure cooker if you have one-it's much faster.
4. Remove the mixture from heat and cool slightly.
5. Now beat in the egg and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Let the mixture cool completely. (I find that the mixture holds its shape better if it has been refrigerated for a couple of hours.)
7. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture and place on parchment paper. At this point you may freeze the mixture and then once it's frozen you can place the croquettes in freezer bags for future use. Or, you can actually cook them on the parchment paper at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Or, you can go ahead and pan fry them.
8. If pan frying now, combine the flour and turmeric in a small plate.
9. Place the croquettes in the flour mixture (they may be a little difficult to work with) and coat well.
10. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the croquettes in batches, turned once until crisp and brown on both sides.
11. Serve immediately with chutney, rice and a crisp salad.
12. Note- It is very important for the liquid to be fully absorbed in the lentil mixture so that it can bind well with the help of the egg.
13. This recipe makes 10-12 croquettes using the 1/4 cup measuring cup.

NOTE: If you like things spicy add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder to the lentil mixture before you cook it and then add 1 teaspoon chili powder to the flour mixture. If you like even more spice, try a tomato chutney along with the croquettes. It is so very good, but a little too spicy for me. If you don't care a whole lot about what flour you use then you may use all purpose flour in place of the chickpea flour. The chickpea flour is flour friendly for people that need to eat gluten free, but it also has more protein and is better for you than the all purpose flour. Play around with this recipe and the different chutney's out there and have fun. Most of all enjoy!! Lentils are so good for you!