Hi Friends! I am so happy to be back on Taylor's blog. I hope you all enjoyed the
last recipe I posted on here. Did anyone try it?
I've got a real treat for you all today. This meal is delicious, clean, vegan, AND gluten free. It's also perfect for Summer time as you don't spend a lot of time at the stove! The original recipe comes from this wonderful new cookbook,
Whole Grains For A New Generation. I've tweaked it a bit to satisfy my needs. What I love about the recipe book in general is that the author makes it easy for you to make the recipe your own.
Fresh Lentil & Rice Pilaf w/ Side Salad
Here is what you need:
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup green lentils
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 lemon of zest
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
dash of sea salt
dash of black pepper
1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (I used 2 tsp)
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1 jar of artichoke hearts, chopped
1 italian squash, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Start by bringing 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil with the lentils and rice. Once it's boiling rapidly, cover, lower the heat, and let simmer. This will take about 25 minutes. Sometimes brown rice and lentils can go unnoticed but they're actually full of good stuff! Brown rice is loaded with fibre, selenium, and magnesium. It's also rich in antioxidants (surprising, I know). Lentils are high in protein and a natural energy booster. They are also great for your heart and digestive system and can lower your cholesterol and keep your arteries clean. How 'bout that!
While the rice/lentils are cooking, we'll throw everything else together.
First, I have to show you one of my favourite kitchen tools. This
microplane zester/grater is the best! You know when you're watching a cooking show and they zest something and the zest just falls perfectly in the bowl with no fuss? Well this is the tool they use- it must be!
Add the lemon juice, vinegars, zest, thyme, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Next, chop the squash!
Lightly sauté in a little big of EVOO for 3-5 minutes.
Pour the squash in with the rice/lentil mix.
Drain the artichokes and roughly chop them up.
Pour the rice/lentil/squash mix into the bowl of sauce and mix up. Add the artichokes last.
Make a side salad and add your favourite salad dressing. You can find my two favourites
here and
here.
Done and done! A healthy and delicious meal made in 30 minutes.
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In honour of my
last post on Taylor's blog, I thought I'd share a tip with you all! I've shared it before on
my blog but it's just too good not to share again. One ingredient will change the way you bake... APPLESAUCE. Replace all that oil or butter in your baked goods with applesauce. It's easy to do, just use the same amount of applesauce you would oil/butter and bake away. There is roughly 1000 calories in 3/4's a cup of canola oil (the amount most brownie mixes call for) and less than 100 calories in 3/4's a cup of applesauce. Huge difference if you count calories but even bigger difference if you look at it from a health point. That amount of oil is not healthy! The same goes for butter in your cookies. Replace it with some applesauce and you won't even taste the difference! Your baked goods may even taste a little better. :)
Try it... you will not be disappointed. Come on over to
my blog and let me know if you try the recipe or the tip, I'd love to hear from you all!
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Thanks for letting me take over your blog again, Taylor!
