One of my friends thinks that as vegetarians, all we eat are lentils. I have to say that I do love lentils and prepare them in a variety of ways, from traditional Middle Eastern preparations to crispy tacos with lentil filling. Lentils are easy to prepared, incredibly affordable and delicious--especially as the weather gets cooler, their earthy flavor is the perfect thing. Here are my top five lentil recipes:

1. My own recipe for mujadara, the satisfying Lebanese combination of lentils and rice.

2. These tacos which include smoked paprika in the lentils, which is a great partner to their earthiness.

3. This amazing lentil gravy from the doyenne of vegan cooking Isa Chandra Moskovitz is fantastic on so many things: biscuits, chickenless patties, sausage...you name it!

4. This lentil curry from Martha uses prepared lentils to speed your cooking along on a busy weeknight.

5. I haven't made this yet, but this soup uses red lentils and lemon which sounds delightful.