The Weekend Chef/ Meatless Monday: Lentils and Rice with Fried Onions

 Our weekends have been pretty busy recently so my husband, The Weekend Chef, hasn't had that much of a chance to really get to cook.  A couple of Sundays ago we had been visiting our neighbors and had spent most of the afternoon outside.  By the time we got back home I was exhausted and ended up taking a nap on the couch while my kids watched a show.  I had my husband, who was responsible for cooking dinner make this.  This was one of those recipes that I had picked out awhile ago and had all the ingredients for. Although it takes a little time to cook, it was easy to make.  Although I'm trying to eat more lentils and other "good-for-me" foods, I wasn't a big fan of this dish.  The onions and yogurt really helped make it palatable for me.  The kids barely ate theirs.  But please don't let the opinion of someone who doesn't really like lentils sway you!  My husband who does like lentils enjoyed this. 

Lentils and Rice with Fried Onions
allrecipes.com - by Melissa Mueller

Yields:  4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced into rings
1 1/3 cups uncooked green lentils
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain yogurt

Directions:
1.Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.

2.Place lentils in a medium saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes.

3.Stir rice and enough water to cover into the saucepan with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cover saucepan, and continue to simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.

4.Mix half the onions into the lentil mixture. Top with yogurt or sour cream and remaining onions to serve.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Meatless Monday: Honey Baked Lentils

One of my readers, 'Becca, commented and left some recipe recommendations on my Red Lentil Dal over Rice recipe, after I noted that I was pleasantly surprised that I liked lentils. Honey Baked Lentils was already a recipe that I had wanted to try and when she posted the link I thought I'd try this version.  If you go to the original recipe, linked below, they offer a link to a slow cooker version.  I had originally wanted to try that one, but I had lost track of time and didn't have enough time to slow cook them.  We had recently eaten a lot of rice, so I ended up making cornbread (look for the recipe tomorrow! and some veggies to serve with.  The lentils had a great flavor and definitely had more "chew" than the red lentils that I had used in the dal.  I was pleasantly surprised that my son preferred to eat the lentils over his peas.  The kids ate enough to earn their treats, but weren't huge fans.  As I'm looking to incorporate new ingredients into my cooking and my children's diets, I am definitely thinking of trying some other versions of this recipe.  Thanks for the suggestion 'Becca!

Honey Baked Lentils
Recipe adapted from The Earthlings Handbook, courtesy of 'Becca
http://articles.earthlingshandbook.org/2007/12/03/honey-baked-lentils/

Ingredients:

■1 cup dry lentils (Green or brown lentils hold their shape and texture; red lentils get softer and taste less “beany”, ideal for people who think they don’t like beans!)

■1 cup orange juice and 1 cup water

■1/2 tsp. ground ginger

■1 clove garlic, minced

■2 Tbsp. dried minced onion (You can use fresh onion, but it all floats to the top and gets a soggy consistency.)

■2 Tbsp. olive oil

■2 Tbsp. honey
■2 Tbsp. soy sauce

■salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish. (Measure them in the order listed for tidiest use of your measuring spoons!) You can let it soak for a while before baking, if convenient–this makes the lentils and rice softer and may improve digestibility.
 
Bake, covered, at 350F until liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Meatless Monday: Red Lentil Dal

We had some leftover red lentils in the pantry that I thought we should try to use up.  I think we had originally bought them for a supper club dish, because I know I wouldn't have them around otherwise!  I had this notion that I didn't like them, however, I LOVE Indian food so I decided to try this recipe.  It was definitely easy and fairly quick to make. I think it lacked a little in flavor though and we added a lot of jalapeno to our bowls!  The kids weren't big fans. I also tried to make naan, which of course used yeast, so it turned out horribly! (I do not have a good track record with the stuff!).  My husband tried to salvage it and he at least made it edible.  It was great to have with the dal to help scoop it up.  The best thing about this meal was that I discovered that I do like lentils!  They are a great source of protein and fiber and were selected by Health magazine as one of the five healthiest foods.  I will definitely be cooking more with them and hopefully find some tastier recipes.

Red Lentil Dal
Bon Appetit, March 1999

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup basmati rice, cooked according to package directions
2 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped

Preparation:
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup onion and 1 minced garlic clove and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Combine 3 cups water, lentils, remaining 1 cup onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, turmeric, cumin and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer half of lentil mixture to processor; purée until smooth. Return purée to same saucepan. Mix in sautéed onion mixture. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice into bowls. Spoon dal over. Top with tomatoes, cilantro and chili.


Family Rating: 1 thumb up.