Not generally regarded as a sexy ingredient to their other legume counterparts in the culinary world, lentils are often associated with hearty soups and healthy eats. While that is true, there is so much more that the lentil can be used for and in so many delicious and unique ways!If you’re not familiar with the lentil, it is a legume whose pulse (also known as a pod or seed) has been eaten for thousands of years. Very high in nutrition and protein, lentils come in a variety of types and colors: brown, green, black, yellow, and orange. In addition to its ease and speediness of preparation, lentils are also great due to the fact that they easily absorb flavors of other ingredients and seasoning when you cook with them.It doesn’t stop at soupsWhile we’ll never turn down a fine-cooked lentil soup, it’s important to note that there are many different lentil dishes worth cooking and trying! Lentil salad? Yes. Lentil curry? Delicious. Lentil veggie burgers? You betcha. The versatility of the lentil is quite impressive.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Image: lentil quinoa soup by t-dubisme, on Flickr"]

[/caption]Huffington Post has paid tribute to the legume in their article, 17 Lentil Recipes We Love, featuring delicious recipes like French lentils with roasted roots, caramelized onions and thyme, green-lentil curry, lentils with red wine and herbs, lemony lentil salad with salmon, and grilled green bean salad with lentil vinaigrette.It’s no secret that we absolutely love burgers (some may even call it obsessive; tomato, tomahto!) So here’s a great vegetarian lentil burger recipe video that you may enjoy!

What’s your favorite way to prepare lentils?