Beans, Beans and more beans - Lentil (and rice) Base

One of the methods I learned and quickly grew to love, was to start with a big pot of beans and use them in different ways throughout the week. My biggest set of recipes is with a lentils and rice base so I thought I would start with that. Plus, I love them. They are so versatile because they take on flavors very nicely. In fact, you really want to flavor lentils a lot because they tend to taste very "earthy" on their own.

You'll notice the title actually says Lentils (and Rice). That is because I almost always serve them together. Lentils are actually deficient in two amino acids (methionine and cystine for any fellow science geeks), but combine lentils with rice, which do have those two, and you get a complete protein! (Lentils are also a great source of Iron so Fallon, start eating your lentils!). In addition to the health reasons, beans can be dense if you aren't used to them, and I feel the rice helps balance out the meal.

So to start off your bean journey, sort your beans. Unlike processed foods, bags of beans are not always throughly checked and you don't want to end up with a rock in your soup. Just dig around and make sure nothing non-beany is in there, then mix 1 part lentils with about 1.5 parts rice. I know, could I be more vague about quantities, but really it doesn't matter. Beans are easy.

And the amount you will want will depend on how many additional meals you want to make from it. I do a whole bag of lentils with rice so the rest of my "measurements" will be based off of that but it makes a ton of meals for the two of us so feel free to start with just a cup or two of each.

Lentils are a quick cooking beans so you don't have to soak them, but I still do for phytic acid reasons. It's easy, just cover them with water and leave for the day with a spoonful of lemon juice. The next evening, you're ready to start cooking and flavoring. Throw a few tablespoons of butter in a big pot and add a cut up onion and a few cloves of garlic. Once the onions are soft and translucent (and buttery, yum!), drain the beans/rice, add it to the pot and add fresh water to cover it plus and inch or so. (When I'm feeling lazy, I just skip the sauteeing step and add everything together at once, it works.)

The beans and rice will absorb the water so just keep adding more a little at a time if you need too but don't add too much, you don't want it to be soup (not yet anyway, that recipe is coming!) Let simmer for about an hour, or until rice and lentils are soft. Then add more flavor some spices - salt and pepper plus anything else you have around, I like basil, thyme, parsley. Stick to more general spices because you will be using it for other things unless you take out what you want and flavor just those bowls and not the whole pot. Rosemary is a nice flavor, but not in your tacos.

That is it for the base. We normally eat the base as it is for the first meal, served in a bowl with toppings of our choice (sour cream, cheese, tomatos, lettuce, salsa, etc). It's not the most gourmet meal ever, but it's very filling. But the best part is the leftovers. The base might be a little soupy now but after a night in the fridge it will get nice and thick and from this base I can make: Lentil soup, Lentil Patties, Lentil Gyros, and Lentil Tacos. Stay tuned to see how!