Southwest Lentils and Rice Recipe

Lentils are a great addition to your food storage. When served with a grain, such as brown rice, they make a complete protein. I like to cook my lentils (I love the red lentils) along with the brown rice in my rice cooker. You don't have to guess if you are burning the bottom of the pan with a rice cooker....it turns out perfectly!

You can make your lentils and rice recipe any "flavor" that you want. Both lentils and rice have mild flavors, so you can add any seasonings you want to get the desired result. I choose to make a southwest style.

First, don't forget to measure your lentils, then put them on a white paper plate and pick off all of the things that looks out of place. See my post here on how to do this. Pictured below, I show where I rinse the lentils. I just used my rice cooker pot, filled it halfway with water, pour the dirty water off...do this a few times.


Southwest Lentils and Rice

3/4 c. lentils
3/4 c. brown rice
1-2 tsp. Blend It Up Southwest Seasoning (or add cumin, chili peppers, etc)
4 cups chicken broth
1 small onion and 1 clove garlic, diced and sauteed in olive oil

Add all ingredients to rice cooker. It will cook for about 30-40 minutes and then switch to warm.

Here are the rinsed lentils with the brown rice.

Add the rest of the ingredients, put the lid on the rice cooker, then push the cook button. It will take 30-40 minutes to cook.
Here is a picture of the Blend It Up Southwest Spice Blend. You can go to their web site to purchase it here.

Serve the cooked lentils/rice with shredded lettuce, grated cheese and chips. You could also add some sour cream and salsa.

Another way to serve the lentils/rice is to fill taco shells with the mixture and add diced tomatoes, grated cheese, shredded lettuce, etc. I didn't have any tomatoes, but that would've made a great addition. Avocados/guacamole would be a great addition.

Some helpful hints

1. Keep your brown rice stored in a cool place. I have my brown rice in both the refrigerator and freezer. If you aren't going to use your brown rice up within 6 months, definitely store it in the freezer. It keeps it from becoming rancid.
2. Lentils store extremely well, but it is best to store them in a cool, dry location also. A basement food storage is ideal. I no longer have a basement food storage area, but have them in my pantry, which is cool and dry.