Curried Lentils and Rice

I got these recipes out of two separate recipe books and thought they would go well together. They were my cousin's books, so I don't remember enough to properly credit them. It's a warm, hearty dish that goes over pretty well, and the combination of lentils and brown rice makes a complete protein, so it's a great dish for vegetarians and vegans. If you want a non-dairy alternative to the yogurt topping, some of that fake sour cream stuff would be a good replacement.


In large saucepan pan, mix two cups of rinsed lentils, some chopped vegetables (whatever you like or need to use up from the fridge, I generally do carrots, onions and celery, but I have also added sweet potatoes, squash, peppers...), some fresh chopped garlic and grated ginger, and curry powder to taste. I usually use about two or three tbsps., depends on the curry. I mix all of this up before adding four cups of water, because then I don't get curry lumps.

In another saucepan mix two cups of brown rice with curry powder, chopped garlic and grated ginger, then add a can of light coconut milk and enough water to total four cups of liquid. I have also done this with a cup of almond milk instead of coconut milk, and it turned out great. You could just do water to make a zero fat meal, but a bit of fat is good because it helps you to metabolize the fat soluble vitamins in the vegetables, and there really is no fat in the lentil part.

Bring both pans to a boil and turn down and simmer for around forty-five minutes. Brown rice and lentils should cook at the same speed. I stir the lentil stuff on occasion, but not the rice.

If you are really into sprouted grains and stuff, you can presoak the rice and lentils to make it an even healthier dish, but reduce the water you add when cooking.

While they're cooking, chop up some tomatoes and mix them with some plain lowfat yogurt for a delicious topping. I try to get all of the tomato juice in there too, yummy! I serve it up in layers, lentils on rice and all topped with yogurt.