Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Brown Rice and Lentils

I had planned to try a new recipe for dinner tonight, a lentil brown rice casserole. Well, I was having so much fun playing with my new blog, that I didn't notice that the dish required 1 3/4 hour cooking time. So, I went into the kitchen to start dinner about an hour before it was due on the table, and promptly realized it wouldn't actually be on the table until nearly 8 PM. (oops!) I had hungry boys due back from wrestling practice and it would not be pretty if they were greeted with "Dinner should be ready in an hour or so". With some scrambling, some improvising, and a bunch of math to figure out liquid amounts and cooking time (don't worry I had my 12 yro check my math), I came up with this recipe. It was sooooo good. I should mention that when I served it up, everyone thought it was oatmeal. It does not have a real pleasing appearance, but it was yummy. Next time I need to make more, there was barely enough left over for hubby's lunch tomorrow. Try it!

2 cans chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups liquid)
1 c brown rice
1/2 c lentils
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dehydrated onion
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

Combine broth, lentils, brown rice, lemon juice and seasonings in pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in cheese.

*Note: I added the lemon juice because my friend, Jenny, says it is the *only way to eat lentils.

1 comments:

Jenny said...

Jen,

I just made my "lentil & brown rice casserole" Monday.

That day, I too lost track of time between a friend taking us to lunch and then reading all my email.

To speed things up, I used my pressure cooker for the lentils and left-over pork fried rice (from that lunch out). (In my recipe you cook the rice and lentils separate then combine and bake to give the cheese a toasty top. I think that it is the one I shared the "lemon" trick on).

I was so amazed by the pressure cooker... those lentils were completely cooked in TEN MINUTES! I whipped it all together and then I shortened the toasting time by putting it under the broiler.

I got that meal on the table in a record 35 minutes!!!

I'm gonna try using the pressure cooker more!