Rice with Green Lentils
Yum! Rice with Green Lentils: a wonderful treat. I love treats! Healthy treats that is! Rice with Green Lentils is a special treat for me because it reminds of my aunty Jeanne cooking. There was something about my Aunty Jeanne cooking that was very comforting. Whenever she would make rice with beans or with peas it was always accompanied with a delicious meat stew. The meat stew would either be made lamb, goat, beef, veal or pork mixed with one, two or three types of vegetables.
Usually when referring to a meat stew, the meat is the main ingredient and is usually accompanied with onions, peppers, and tomatoes and sometimes carrots. I must confess, as much as I try not to eat rice a lot for various reasons, I often cheat. Yes! I cheat. Are you surprised? Come ‘on! Why? Okay, let me tell you a little secret. As I am getting older there are many food my poor little stomach cannot digest well or takes too long to digest. So I have to learn how to manage my food intake to ease my pain and discomfort. But, that’s not all. I, and many of my compatriots will say that Haitians make the best rice; do you believe that? That a question many of us can and cannot answer because we each have different taste buds.
Have you ever had lentils? You are missing out on a lot. Lentils have a high protein content and are full of essential amino acid and full of vitamins and mineral. They also help at improving digestion and promote a healthy heart, helps control diabetes, cancer, and weight loss.
When I prepare this dish I usually cook it with a meat stew. The meat stew chosen is my Okra and Lamb Stew. A delicious and zesty meat stew that is so easy to prepare and healthy for you. With all the stews that I have made over the years, I think this is my favorite because the okra mixed with the lamb is just marvelous. I really mean marvelous! Forget about saying that you don’t like okra because it is a bit slimy. What’s the trick to a lesser slimy dish? Do not over stir and disturb the okra. That’s all folks! As Porky Pig would say.
Ladies and Gentlemen, here is another recipe to make your weeknight dinners popular and fun. “And Dat’s De End!” (Bugs Bunny)
Enjoy!
Rice with Green Lentils
Ingredients
- 1 cup green lentils
- 1 teaspoon sunflower grapeseed, olive oil
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig parsley chopped
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 1 scallion thinly sliced
- 7 oz lardons 2 – 3 strips bacon, optional
- 2 whole cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/3 cups long-grain rice rinsed
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sunflower grapeseed, olive oil
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a Dutch oven or stockpot containing 2 quarts (2 liters/3 ½ pints) of water, bring to a boil and cook, covered, over high heat for 30 minutes.
- In a separate skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil, bacon or lardons and let fry for a about 3 minutes over medium heat while stirring. Add the scallion, thyme, parsley, onion, cloves and bay leaves. Cook for 2 minutes and add to lentil mixture and stir to incorporate
- Cook for 10 minutes more, then add the rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add water if necessary to just cover the rice; if there is too much water, remove the surplus. Cook over medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes more, then add the oil and stir well. Reduce heat to low when water has almost evaporated and cover and continue to cook until rice is fully cooked. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
[one-third-first][/one-third-first]
[one-third][/one-third]
[one-third][/one-third]
