Rice with sprouted lentils, roasted cauliflower and pistachios

Rice is one of the pantry staples that helps you put together a good dinner without having to run to the store. I find that people divide between those who love potatoes and those who love rice. I have my foot in both camps and have developed a decent repertoire of main course rice (or other grains) dishes for vegetarian style dinners.

I started pre-soaking the rice recently after reading about it in various sources. It cooks beautifully that way and the grains stay nice and fluffy. By soaking I mean rinse the rice first in a mesh sieve, and then place in a bowl, cover with water by a couple of inches and let it sit on the counter for a few hours or in the fridge overnight. When ready to proceed drain and cook. The rice to water ration is usually 1:1.5 rice to water, sometimes more water. Note: If you don’t have time to soak it then just rinse and cook as usual.

This recipe is for a one dish meal: mix the rice, lentils and cauliflower together, then add the garnishes: pistachios, cherry tomatoes and flat leaf parsley. I like a drizzle of hot sauce over it and use a store bought one for that. Leftover are still good reheated the next day.

Having said that it’s a one dish meal, I meant the eating part. To make the recipe you need to cook the rice, cook the lentils and cook the cauliflower all separately, then put them together, so it is not a one dish cooking adventure but if you are organized it’s really not bad.

The sprouted lentils are a relatively new item for me. I found organic dried sprouted lentils at a local store and have used them a few times by now. These are organic sprouted green lentils by True Roots. They cook very quickly, keep their shape and are a little different than regular lentils, although you can easily substitute regular green lentils for the sprouted. Don’t use the brown lentils as they tend to get a little mushy and not hold their shape as well.

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Serves 4.

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Ingredients:

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1 cup rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried sprouted lentils, rinsed
3 cups water

1 smallish cauliflower
1/2 red onion, sl;iced thinly
3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, sliced or halved
A handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

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Directions:

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Rinse the rice in a mesh strainer, then place in a bowl, cover with cold water by 2 inches and let soak for a few hours on the counter or in the fridge overnight (see note above).

When ready to proceed drain the rice, rinse and place in a pot with 1.5 cups water and the salt. Bring top a boil, lower heat to low and cook, covered, until the water is absorbed. turn the heat off and leave covered for a few minutes to allow the rice to finish cooking and fluff up.

Bring 3 cups water to a boil, add the lentils, lower hear to a steady simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover the pot and let sit for about 10 minutes to finish cooking. Drain.

Cut the cauliflower into small florets. you can cut up the stems as well into small pieces and add them to the florets. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onion and cook until it softens. Add the cauliflower and continue cooking over medium heat until cauliflower begins to turn golden and is cooked through.
Note: you can also roast the cauliflower and onion in a 400F oven.

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Assembling:

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Add the rice to the cauliflower and onion in the skillet and mix.

Add the lentils and stir to combine.

Taste and add salt and pepper.

Add the parsley and pistachios and mix gently.

Transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls. Scatter the cherry tomatoes and additional parsley on top.

Serve with hot sauce of your choice.

enjoy.

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You may also like: Roasted whole cauliflower with tahini and pine nuts

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