Thursday, February 14, 2013

Middle Eastern Lentil Dish

I've had food on my mind lately...can you tell?

Bear with me as I share one more delicious recipe that I came across recently, as I was browsing my cookbooks...


This isn't a recipe that initially sounded great to me...the combination of lentils and salad?  But then I looked at it more closely.  (I've always enjoyed the nutty flavor of lentils, but not everyone in my family feels the same way)  I thought the salad also looked simple and good, so I decided to give it a try.

Good decision!

Middle Eastern Lentils

Lentil Mixture:

2 large onions, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked lentils, rinsed
4 cups water

In a large kettle, saute onions in olive oil until soft.  Add rice and salt.  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Stir in lentils and water, bringing to a simmer.  Cover and cook until ingredients are all tender..about 50-60 minutes.

Salad:
1 bunch leaf lettuce (or one bag pre-washed salad greens of your choice)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced

Dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Mix dressing ingredients together in a jar or container with a lid.  Shake well to mix ingredients, and pour over tossed salad.

Serve lentil mixture on a plate, topping with salad.

Give it a try!  It's a simple, hearty meal that is surprisingly delicious!

We had this for supper last night, and the leftovers for lunch today...and it's just as good the second time around!

Linking up with Farmgirl Friday!

5 comments:

  1. Looks and sounds good ! I will have to give it try ! Thanks for sharing ! Happy Valentines Day

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  2. Well I have never tried anything like this it sounds delicious. It looks amazing. I will have to give it a try. Thanks Alica for broadening my meal plan:) Hugs B

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  3. That looks really good! We don't eat lentils much and I'm always trying to find ways to incorporate them into our meals. :)

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  4. I think I could handle both, but not sure about mixing them. That dressing sounds really good.

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  5. HIII Well i'm a Lebanese and we eat a LOT of lentils and this is one of the dishes we always have, we replace the veggies with greek yogurt sometimes in the summer. Its so good! My husband an i have a dairy farm too and i was trying to find blogs to follow and i just love urs :)

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I enjoy hearing what you have to say! Thanks for your comments!