Rice and Lentils with Apples

Last night I got together with some girlfriends for dinner. One of my friends is a vegan so not only did I need to make something gluten free I also wanted her to be able to eat it as well. I love to play around with items I have at home. I also didn't have time to go out to the store and by any ingredients for various recipes I was contemplating to make, so after rummaging through my fridge and the pantry, I came up with Jasmati rice, an onion, red lentils and the apple I didn't eat at lunch today.

Well, what turned out as an experiment, ended up being a quite tasty dish. I liked how it turned out. It was a hit at my friends dinner party later that evening, and I received very nice compliments from everyone.

I overcooked the lentils just a bit, and I was nervous the dish would be too mushy, but it wasn't it was great the way the 'semi-mushy' lentils and rice mixed together so well.

Ingredients

1 cup rice

1 ½ cups red lentils

¼ cup onion, diced

1 T olive oil

1 medium-large granny smith apple, diced

1 teaspoons cumin

1 garlic glove (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)

1 teaspoon parsley

3 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon coriander seed

Directions

1.     Cook rice according to package directions. Half way through the cook time, I added 1 teaspoon curry powder so it would infuse into the rice.

2.     In a saucepan, add 2 cups of water and the lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes. I add a few pieces of onion to the boiling water for a little flavor. Cook longer if you want 'mushier' lentils.

3.     Dice the onion and garlic. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add the union and garlic until the onion begins to brown. Add the chopped apples and cook for 2 more minutes.

4.     Drain any excess water from the lentils.

5.     Combine the rice, lentils, chopped apple and onions into a bowl. Add in spices and mix. 

6.     Serve warm and enjoy