(Placemarker til I can make more notes but I’m not sure it came out that well) I made this, with modifications including using 2 onions, 3 ribs of celery, 3 carrots, a whole pound of lentils, and a godly amount of fresh ginger, because I’m extra like that: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/curried-lentil-soup-0 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 large carrot, finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons curry powder 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 1 1/2 cups dried lentils, washed and picked over Salt and pepper 1 13.6-oz. can coconut milk

Spiced Lentils

This is from the original (not new) edition of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. (The new edition has a lower-fat version called Spiced Lentils with Spinach and Apples, which omits the coconut.) I haven't made it in ages because I didn't have the recipe around, but I finally found it after figuring out I needed to google "spiced lentils" rather than "lentil curry." I'm pretty sure I usually increase the amounts of spices, and I've always used sweetened coconut 'cause that's what's been available. It's good with yogurt raita, served over brown rice.

Spiced Lentils

11/2 cups raw lentils
2 Tbs. butter
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup minced onion
1 large stalk celery – chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
a few Tbs. of water, as needed
freshly-grated black pepper to taste
juice from 1 large lemon
2 cups chopped tart apple (approx. 2 large ones)
cayenne pepper, to taste

Cook the lentils in 2 1/4 cups water. Bring to boil, then cover and lower heat to simmer 30-40 minutes, or until tender.

While the lentils are cooking, cook everything else (except the apples) until tender (use a deep, heavy skillet), adding water, if necessary, to avoid sticking.

Add the chopped apples to the saute, cook 10 minutes more (covered), and then combine this mixture with the lentils in a casserole.

Lentil soup w/ tomato & cumin

EDIT: I finished cooking this, and ate it, and it wasn't bad but it wasn't that great. It's possible the frozen spinach was off in some way, but it might just not be a flavor combo that I like.
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Usually I make very plain lentil soup - celery, onions, carrots, lentils, maybe spinach or parsley. So this is newish.

And as a side note, lately I have been better with doing mise en place - the deal where you take out all your ingredients at the beginning and measure, peel, and chop whatever needs measuring, peeling, and chopping before you start combining anything - and it really makes cooking feel more enjoyable. It feels more orderly and less chaotic, which makes it more relaxing and lets me enjoy the process rather than just the results.

Adapted from http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/02/vegetarian-lentil-soup-recipe-with.html

1 T oil
1 T ground cumin
2 small/medium onions, chopped small
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground coriander
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
5ish cups of water
1 TBS-ish of bouillon powder
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
salt to taste

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in onion, minced garlic, cumin, ground coriander, and black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook about 1 minute more.

Add lentils, water, and bouillon powder (or maybe add that in after lentils are done cooking, since the salt in it might make them not get tender so easily), reduce heat, and simmer uncovered about 30-40 minutes, or until lentils are quite tender.

Add diced tomatoes and juice and chopped spinach and simmer uncovered 20-30 more minutes, until soup ingredients are well blended and lentils are starting to break apart. Season to taste with salt and serve hot.

lentil spaghetti sauce

I found it here but it's a recipe I'd used before and lost. I used to eat it over pasta or rice but lately I just eat it plain like a stew, which is also good.  I'm adjusting it to what I've actually been doing:

1 bag (16oz) dried lentils 
oil
3/4 cup chopped onion (or more)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried whole basil (or more)
1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano (or more)
**I do not add any salt while cooking and rarely end up needing it, because most bouillon and most canned tomatoes have salt. 

Sort/pick over lentils to remove any debris or stones. Rinse them if you're feeling ambitious. Put them in a 3 quart pot with a few extra inches of water, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, put lid on, cook til soft-ish (anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.) If they're getting dry add more water. It's not rocket science but I try not to end up with a huge amount of water when they're done, just enough that they stay covered.

Meanwhile: Chop onions and garlic. Put a few tsp of oil in a heavy pot (mine is 4 1/2 quarts), turn on heat to medium, let it heat up. Add onion and garlic and red pepper and oregano; saute until tender.  Add tomatoes, vinegar, and bouillon and simmer over low heat. Once lentils are mostly soft, dump them into the pot, add dried basil, stir well, and let it cook on a very low flame for a bit to help the flavors meld. (It can burn/stick more easily at this stage so watch out.) This tends to taste better after it's sat for a few hours or the next day - it's good as leftovers and good to freeze.

Lentil Feta Salad

(from the LJ vegrecipes community, with no modifications - though it's okay with regular onion instead of red)

1 cup uncooked lentils
1/2 red pepper (about 1/2 cup)
2 celery stalks
1/2 medium red onion (about 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley
4oz feta, crumbled
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Place lentils in a large pot with enough water to cover plus a few inches. Bring to a boil, and cook until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water in a colander to cool. Let stand for a few minutes to drain well.

Finely chop all veggies & feta, put in bowl. In a separate container mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper. Once lentils are cooled add them to the bowl with the veggies. Pour the olive oil/lemon juice mxture, mix well. Allow to sit in fridge a few hours at least before eating. If you made it the night before that would be ideal.

Lentil Soup

My own variation of it. Nothing spectacular.

saute with salt:

3 carrots, sliced
4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped

add
1 cup frozen spinach
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb lentils (I use pardina/Spanish lentils when I can find them)
water
chopped parsley to taste

Cook gently for 40 minutes to an hour.

Lentil-Rice Casserole, aka "Herbed Lentils and Rice"

Edit: I haven't made this in a while, but I was cleaning through some papers and found an index card which lists the amount of liquid as 3.5 cups. Not sure which is correct - I think I copied this directly from the book, but I can't remember for sure.
From Better Homes and Gardens' Meatless Main Dishes, which is © 1981 by Meredith Corporation. Better Homes and Gardens would like you to know that a serving of this dish provides 32% of the RDA of protein. Whoo hoo! I would like Better Homes and Gardens (and you, I guess) to know that most people don't consider chicken broth meatless.

2 2/3 cups chicken broth bouillon powder + water
3/4 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
*I usually double or triple the amount of each herb (not salt & pepper)*
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 oz Swiss cheese, divided in half

Combine broth, lentils, onion, rice, wine, and seasonings in an ungreased 1.5-quart casserole. Shred half the cheese; stir into lentil mixture. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or til lentils and rice are done, stirring twice. Uncover casserole; top with cheese strips. Bake an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serves 4