Ready Up Rice and Lentils

Start your morning raring to go with a big bowl of Ready Up Rice and Lentils. Let this hearty, savory breakfast streamline your morning routine, your budget, and your waistline. Brown rice and lentils balance each other to provide a complete source of protein. Carrots add sweetness, color, and beta-carotene. If you'd like, drizzle on a little maple syrup for a pancake vibe without the jitters. Or stir in some tahini for bacon-y goodness without the mess or the saturated fat.

Ready Up Rice and Lentils is a great way to go stealthy healthy, too. If you feel social pressure to eat a "normal" lunch or dinner with others, try having your legumes, whole grains, and even a vegetable for breakfast. No one will guess where you get your energy.

Serve smaller portions with eggs or as a side dish for lunch or dinner.

Active time: 5 minutes. Total time: from one hour to overnight. Makes four two-cup servings. Vegan and gluten-free.

Recipe ingredients

1 cup long grain brown rice, preferably basmati
1 cup French or green lentils
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
2 carrots
maple syrup or tahini, optional

Recipe method

1. Pick through lentils, removing any small stones, twigs, or anything that is not a lentil. Rinse well and put in a rice cooker or medium pot. Rinse rice well and add to the pot. Add water and salt.
2. Cut carrots lengthwise into quarters and then across into 1/4-inch pieces. Add to lentil mixture.
3. Cook according to rice-cooker directions on brown-rice setting. If using a pot, cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, simmer for about 45 minutes, then turn off heat and let pot rest undisturbed for 10 more minutes.
4. To serve, stir and then enjoy hot or at room temperature. Reheats well using a microwave and a microwave-safe dish. Keeps for four days in the refrigerator or frozen for up to a year.

Recipe tips and notes

• Use the timer on your rice cooker or buy a separate timer so you can wake up to a hot breakfast. Just put all the ingredients in your rice cooker the night before and set the timer so cooking starts about an hour before breakfast time.
• Make a big batch of Lentils and Rice one night a week, then put it in containers for several days worth of breakfasts. Just reheat and eat.
• I'm going to try this recipe in a slow cooker, too. If you try it before I do, please say how it turned out in the comments below.
• Thanks to Don Stewart recommending cooking a mix of brown rice and lentils for breakfast and for giving me his amazing Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker. Don, you rock!

Comments

[tink0233]

I haven't tried this yet, but it seems like mung beans would also be a good candidate for the bean side.

[lalarson]

This is a great SIMPLE recipe. My Taster loves it with scrambled eggs.

[Linda Watson]

Thanks, Lalarson! Great idea to have it with scrambled eggs for a hearty, easy breakfast! ... Linda

[Dennis]

I am always pressed for time so the idea of a ready made meal really appeals to me. Its also a very nutritious combination and energy packed. Goodbye cereal boxes.