Lentils for Lent

I would like to share this recipe for Egyptian-style Rice and Lentils.  For the season of Lent, I am basing all my personal supper meals around rice and beans/legumes.  This is one of my favourites.

Recipe serves 6-8, but it can be divided in half[1]:

Rice & Lentils

In heavy saucepan, heat 3 Tablespoons oil.  Add 1¼ cups lentils and 1½ cups brown rice and stir often while they brown slightly and are coated, about 3-5 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups boiling water or chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer 35 minutes, stirring once part-way through.

Sauce

You can make this as simple or complicated as you want to.  You can simply heat prepared tomato sauce from a can or make your own by heating and simmering the following for 20-30 minutes:

¾ cup tomato paste

3 cups tomato juice, sauce or pureed tomatoes

1 green pepper, chopped

celery leaves, chopped

1 Tablespoon sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

Onions

Heat oil in a small skillet and sauté 3 onions sliced into rings, with up to 4 minced garlic cloves, if desired, over medium heat until lightly browned. 

Plain Yogurt

Serve on the side.

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[1] This recipe can be found in the More with Less Cookbook (1976) on page 108, but I changed it so that brown rice is used instead of white rice.