Smoky Spiced Lentils and Rice

Happy Friday! I don’t know about you all, but it’s been a long, tiring week and I’m looking forward to the weekend. If you’re feeling a little weary, like I am, this is a great comforting and nourishing dish that is packed with flavor and so easy to make. Plus, the cooking time is 50 minutes, which happens to be just enough time to watch an episode of TV without the commercials while it’s cooking! The other night, when I made the tandoori roasted cauliflower, I also threw together this little on-the-fly lentils and rice dish. I’ve been a bit obsessed with smoked paprika lately. There seem to be lots of different kinds of paprika and I only just discovered smoked paprika (I know, where have I been, right?!) which very quickly has made it to a featured spot in our spice cabinet. It’s an amazing way to add a rich smoky flavor to just about anything. Yum!

The Recipe

Serves 3

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 Tbls olive oil

1/2 cup green french lentils (or another variety would work just fine)

1/2 brown rice

scant 2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp smoked paprika

pinch ground red pepper (optional for spice)

In a small pot, saute onions with olive oil until slightly soft. Add spices and stir to combine, letting the spices bloom for a couple of minutes. Add the uncooked rice and lentils and stir to coat them with the spice/onion mixture. Add vegetable stock, bring to boil, reduce heat to very low and cook for 50 minutes (or according to your brown rice cooking time). Fluff and serve.