Hi, I’m Shalini. Welcome to Lovely Lentils! I am a lawyer by profession but always find myself thinking up new recipes on the train home from work every evening. Creating healthier vegetarian versions of comfort food is my passion and I am excited to share it with you. My favorite recipes incorporate lots of vegetables, spices and of course lentils, the saving grace of vegetarians. Though Indian food is one of my main influences you will find recipes from a variety of cuisines on this blog.

Since I was young, I remember going through my Better Homes & Garden Kids Cookbook and asking my mom if we could make one of the recipes on weekends. The croissant egg sandwich turned out well but I can’t say that about all of my early cooking experiments. Funny enough, I was never very excited about cooking Indian food when I was younger. It was our everyday dinner and did not seem very exciting at the time. Moving back home after college however, I developed a newfound appreciation for the food I had grown up with and my mom started teaching me some of the basics. Little did I know that later in life these basic Indian spices would become my comfort and happy place. 

When my husband and I first started dating, we would send each other pictures of the fancy ways we styled our meals even if it was just leftovers. This is really where Lovely Lentils originated. When we got married I was the main cook and enjoyed it rather than it feeling like a chore. I still liked the food styling aspect as well and in those early days my husband would have to wait to eat until I photographed our plates. Eventually a friend suggested sharing my plating on Instagram and it all just evolved from there and now my recipes are here on the blog to share with you.

Lovely Lentils is my passion project.  A blend of mostly healthy ingredients and spices, the end result is a home cooked meal to be shared around a table with family and friends. Many of my recipes are great for busy weeknights and others are ideal for entertaining as well. Thank you for visiting Lovely Lentils!

I would love to know if you make any of my recipes. Please comment on the blog and tag me on Instagram (@lovely.lentils).

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