Lentil and Rice Pilaf

This is a good meatless week-night meal. Pretty easy to put together, filling and healthy. Lentils are high in protein, heart healthy fiber, B vitamins and other minerals. I have noticed others serve this dish with a yogurt sauce on top which is something I should try sometime. I just serve this with a bunch of vegetables and call it good.

Ingredients

Makes 10 or more servings

• 1 cups brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
  
• 2 cups long grain rice
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 2 carrots diced
  
• 2 celery ribs diced
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• toasted walnuts
  

Directions

1. Fill a medium size sauce pan with water and add lentils and boil uncovered for 10 minutes.

2. Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and drizzle the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and garlic and cook for one minute. Then add the onion, carrots, celery and the rest of the spices and saute until the onions are tender. Add the rice and cook until the rice is slightly toasted.

3. Add the lentils to the dutch oven and add 4 cups of low sodium vegetable or chicken broth. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Serve as a side dish or main dish with vegetables and with toasted walnuts on top.


Recipe by me.