Lentils with Fried Onions and Brown Rice
Prep time:
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4-5
- Times
- Description
- Image
- Ingredients
- Method
- Notes
- Nutrition
- Cook time: 45 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour
- Serves: 4-5
Lentils with Fried Onions and Brown Rice
Lentils are an under appreciated super food. They are often referred to as legumes but, they are called pulses which are the seeds within the legume pod (Nutrition Source, 2019). They have been associated with regulating insulin levels in both healthy and diabetic people especially when replacing them for unrefined grains in your diet (Clark, 2022).
Keeping your insulin stable is important for your overall health because your insulin levels effect every one of your organs, from your brain to your kidneys and even your skin (Emily, 2022).
These small but mighty pulses can also help lower your cholesterol because of their fiber content and potassium. This in turn can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. They can even help people who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease by lowering their cholesterol too (The Bean Institute, n.d.).
Getting creative with lentils can be a little tricky if you are new to them, but don’t be afraid, they are forgiving! If you have some extra time cook up a large batch and store them in your fridge- they can last, you all week. They make easy delicious breakfast (yes, you read that correctly), lunches and dinners with just a few ingredients needed to spice them up.
In this recipe we will show you just how easy they are to prepare. You just need a little time initially. Taking your stored rice and lentils and reheating them through the week is a snap.
The first step on this journey is to choose a lentil variety that you like. Each color of lentils is unique in texture, flavor, and nutrition.
Let’s use green lentils for this week’s recipe. They are full of antioxidants, iron, and magnesium plus packing 24 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber and 80 mg of calcium in ½ cup of dried beans.
Cook more than you think you will need, lentils and brown rice store well in both the fridge (for about a week) and the freezer.
Note that the brown rice will take about 25 minutes longer to cook than the lentils. It will be worth checking the back of your packaged lentils, their simmering time does tend to differ in between brands. On average brown rice needs around 45 minutes to simmer. Lentils can range from 15- 45 of cooking time depending on the brand you buy.
When you are cooking your lentils check for your desired texture by carefully scooping a few out of the pot and cooling them down for a moment.
References
Clarke, S., Sarfaraz,S., Qi, X., Ramdath, D., Fougere, G., and Ramdath, D. (2022, Feb 18). A Review in the relationship Between Lentil Serving and and Acute Postprandial Blood Glucose Response: Effects of Dietary Fiber, Protein and Carbohydrates. Nutrients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8877848/
Emily, J. (2022, Feb. 12). 8 Ways Balancing Your Blood Sugar can Improve Your Health. Metabolic Health. https://www.veri.co/learn/7-benefits-of-stable-blood-sugar
The Nutrition Source. (2019). Legumes and pulses.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/legumes-pulses/
Weg, A. (2017, Oct. 24). Red Lentils vs Green Lentils: Which Type is Best? Cooking Light.
https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/different-types-lentils
Ingredients
- 1 c lentils
- 1 c brown rice
- 1/3 onion
- 1/2 c tzatziki sauce
- * Olive oil or preferred fat that you have on hand
Optional ingredients
- Fried egg
- Chicken breast
- Smoked paprika
- Curry sauce
Method
Brown Rice
- 1)
Start the brown rice by measuring 2 1/4 cups of water or broth and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to a boil and cover, turning the rice down to a simmer.
- 2)
Your rice will cook for about 45 minutes. Alternatively you can use a rice cooker if you have one.
Lentils
- 1)
Measure out 3 cups of water or broth and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of lentils and simmer for 12- 15 minutes. Be sure to read the back of your lentil package because their cook time seems to change a bit.
- 2)
Drain excess water or broth from lentils when they are finished. Put the lentils in a bowl and set aside.
Rinse out the lentil pot, you can use this to caramelize the onions.
Onion
- 1)
Dice up your onion
- 2)
Place a little ghee or olive oil in the bottom of the pan.
Add the onion to the melted ghee with a little salt and pepper.
Pulling the steps all together
- 1)
When the rice is finished you are ready to plate your food. Plate the rice then add the cooked lentils to the rice. Top with the caramelized onions and tzatziki sauce.
This is a really versatile meal that is delicious for breakfast with an egg as well as lunch or dinner with some chicken or curry sauce.
