My new favorite fast food

The iron-y of it all is that at the end of last week I went to get my annual physical and when the lab results came, I found out that even though I'm not anemic, I do have iron deficiency. Well... at least I still have some iron bark from last week's post in the freezer!
It's funny how life works and I wonder if we somehow invoke things to happen or if it's just chance.
I came up with the bark recipe, because a friend of mine mentioned that she and her kids tend to be anemic, and without knowing then, I was working on something that I would also need.
Have you ever thought of a person and a bit later you bump into him/her?
You say someone's name and the phone rings and it's that person calling you?
Does the most random thing happen to you twice in the same week? I guess this bark/iron thing was one of those...

So I've been thinking of more ways to incorporate iron into my diet that are quick and easy to make, tasty and healthy.

The other morning at Fairway market (that's definitely not one of those random things that happen to me twice in the same week, but something that happens to me every day, as basically, since the store opened, I turned into part of my daily routine to pay a visit!) I found these packages of organic sprouted green lentils.

I became a fan after the 5 minutes it took me to make them and the 5 minutes it took my kids to eat them (well, yes, I told my son that they were Batman's favorite food, but they might as well be!). They are rich in protein, fiber, iron and phytonutrients, while they are very low in fat.
Sprouting, which is the process of germination of seeds, grains or legumes by soaking, rinsing and draining; activates enzymes naturally present in those seeds or grains. These enzymes pre-digest or breakdown complex compounds, also present in those seeds, into a more simple form, that is easier for us consuming the sprouted beans, to absorb. Basically, sprouting makes the nutrients present, more available.
A downside to sprouting is that it takes a couple of days and involves some commitment (it's kind of like taking care of a pet) and since time is such a precious commodity, I'm a natural plant killer and don't do well with pets,I firmly believe that this truRoots brand makes the best ever fast food on the Planet (no endorsement deals here, although I wish there were....).

IRON-Y SALAD
I'll try to eat this for lunch as often as I can. The amounts of everything are basically to taste and feel free to add dried fruit, a tiny bit of honey, some nuts, pomegranate seeds or anything you want. But please do use the citrus in the recipe, as again, just as I mentioned in last post, vitamin C makes iron from vegetables sources easier to absorb, and the herbes de Provence are loaded with iron, so don't skip those either. The recipe can be doubled or tripled.

• Vegan
• Gluten, nut, dairy, egg, soy, free
• Super ingredients: sprouted green lentils, spinach, clementines, lemon, dried herbs

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (3 ounces) raw sprouted green lentils
2 cups (2 1/2 ounces) baby spinach (I used pre-washed)
2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
fresh juice of 2 clementines or 1 Mandarin orange
fresh juice of half lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
A quick splash of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add the lentils and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 2 more minutes. Drain and let cool while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Plate the spinach with the seeds. Squeeze lemon and clementine juice, sprinkle herbes de Provence, season with salt and pepper. Add lentils, olive oil and vinegar. Mix so the whole salad is dressed and enjoy.
Tah-dah!!!

Serves 1
Takes less than 10 minutes to make!