True confessions – I am a committed omnivore. Over the years, feeling conspicuous about my meat eating ways around vegans or vegetarians, I avoided anything I perceived was in their lane. I was rebelling based on my perceptions of their virtue signaling dietary practices.

After a mini health crisis from a break through Covid infection that took me on a futile journey into the “wellness” world, I realized I wanted to make peace with food. In my short foray into this world, I found myself perseverating about “eating this and not that,” bringing to a head emotional triggers to certain foods: labeling some as good, others as bad, avoiding whole categories of foods for needless polarizing reasons, even eating things I didn’t like all that much as an act of defiance from diet advocates who I labeled as “food police.” Calling detente on my war with food and those who I perceive try to control what others consume, has opened up my mind to different ways of relating to all types of food.

So, surprising even to me, I have fallen head over heels in love with Black Beluga Lentils. I could extol all the amazing health benefits of lentils – but that is not what this love affair is about. My ardor is expressed in all the ways these spicy flavor buds bring more joy to my favorite go to’s – breakfast omelets and scrambled eggs, mixed in with salads, combined with roasted potatoes – heck I even love them all by themselves. I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of how else I can use them – last night it was creating a recipe in my mind for a black beluga spaetzle. This afternoon it was pairing them with roasted beets and a Bulgarian sheep feta I had in the fridge. The texture is creamy, yet each little lentil is defined (they don’t mush up like regular lentils) and the flavor is nuanced, peppery, with a lighter lentil flavor. I am smitten.

I wonder if I can sprout these and make them into a flour……..