Cooking Affordably: Lentils and Rice

• 1 lb dry lentils
• 1 quart vegetable broth (4 cups) 
• 1 quart water (4 cups) 
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper

Add all of the ingredients to 4 quart soup pot and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to medium/low. 

Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes or until liquid is mostly cooked out and lentils are soft. 

1/2 cup of lentil stew is about 120 calories and 9 grams of protein. 

I like to make this stew in my electric pot. It frees up the stove top for if I want to make an indian fry bread or fresh tortillas to serve with it! 

• 1 pound of dry lentils
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 2 pork neck bones
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper

Add all ingredients to a 6 quart soup pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are soft. 

Using a slotted spoon, remove pork neck bones and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Pick meat off of the bones and return the meat to the pot, but discard the bones. 

If you have a rice cooker or know how to prepare rice on the stove, then great! If not, here's an easy way to prepare it in the microwave: 

• 2 cups of dry basmati rice grains
• 4 cups of water

Place your rice and water in a large bowl and seal with a lid. 

Place in microwave and cook on high power for 5 minutes. 

Stir, return to microwave and cook for an additional 15 minutes at 50% power. 

DO NOT add oil to the rice before you cook it. It works with brown or white rice, but it makes the basmati grains fall apart and get mushy. It isn't nice. Trust me. 

Follow these steps to serve your lentils and rice! 

Place 3/4 cup cooked rice in the bottom of the bowl. 

Add 1 pat of butter or margarine.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Pour 1/2 cup of lentil stew over the rice. 

Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and, if you like, some crumbled feta cheese. 

Serve hot with pita bread on the side!