July 17, 2020

RECIPE: Mexican-Style Lentils and Rice


After reading The Obesity Code, I have been trying to get in more fiber. Regardless what what else I choose to eat, there is nothing wrong with eating more fiber from natural foods! This is one of my family's favorite recipes--you can use this as a taco filling, topping for tostadas, or eat it in a bowl with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc. It basically tastes just like taco meat. And if you don't think you like lentils? I dare you to try it! ;)

I'm not kidding--Jerry is totally a "meat and potatoes" guy, but he LOVES the few lentil dishes that I make, and this is one of them.

Also, this is the easiest recipe ever. You simply combine ingredients in a pot, don't stir it at all until it's done cooking, and then eat it!

Here is a printer-friendly PDF version!

Mexican Lentils and Rice

3/4 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup uncooked white rice* (see notes)
3-1/2 cups beef broth**
1 Tbsp chili powder***
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. (Don’t open the lid or stir while it’s cooking! This will make it mushy.) Simmer on low until the lentils and rice are cooked, when all the water is absorbed (about 20-25 minutes). If there is still water left, increase the heat and remove the lid to evaporate some of the excess water.

Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, etc. Or use as a filling for tacos, a topping for nachos, etc. Basically, you can use it as a replacement for taco meat, and it adds a boatload of fiber.

Notes:

*You can use brown rice, but it takes much longer to cook than the lentils do. I would recommend cooking it separately in beef broth, and then adding it to the dish afterward. You’ll have to reduce the amount of broth in the lentils by roughly half.

To make this vegan, simply use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

If you want to skip the spices and add a packet of taco seasoning, just use 4 cups of water and skip the chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion powders.


2 comments:

  1. I love lentils, I do lentils and sweet potato as a filling for corn tortillas with cilantro, chopped onion, and sour cream. YUM. Lentils in the instant pot take only 6 minutes. Super fast and easy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I make something like this and I add sweet potatoes to it as well!

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