Brazilian-Style Rice

A perfect accompaniment to pinto beans cooked with bay leaves, onion, garlic, and a little salt and pepper, or just plain good on its own!

Brazilian-Style Rice

Ingredients:
3 scoops rice (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 T oil
1 T dehydrated onion, or 1/2 fresh onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Optional: garlic, minced or granulated

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add remaining ingredients. Cook until fragrant and coated in oil, about 3 minutes. A few pieces might start to brown.

You can either cook this in a rice cooker (cook as normal, with a little extra water) or in the skillet.

Enjoy!

Curried Lentils with Coconut Milk

I can not get enough curry these days, or beans. Make it a coconut curry, and I'll sing any song you like just so long as THAT is my supper.

Lentils are great for both- unlike their larger cousins, lentils can go from pantry to table in roughly half an hour.

The original recipe can be found here, on Serious Eats. My version is below.

With a stack of warmed tortillas and a big pot of rice, this made a quick and hearty vegetarian meal. (What really IS the difference between tortillas and naan? Besides the yeast...not much! That's my story, at least.)

Curried Lentils with Coconut Milk

Ingredients

1 pound lentils (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 tsp turmeric
5 cups water
2 ounces ghee or butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 tsp curry powder
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 can coconut milk

Procedure

1. Rinse the lentils and pick over for any stones or dirt. Dissolve the turmeric in the stock and combine with the lentils in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the lentils are just tender. Stir occasionally.

2. Heat the ghee or butter in a small skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Saute until soft, then add the garlic and curry powder. Cooking, stirring constantly, until the spices are very fragrant and the flavors are married. Stir this mixture into the cooking lentils, and add the chopped tomato with a pinch of salt. Continue simmering until the lentils are done, then season to taste.

3. Add the coconut milk and stir well until heated through. Serve with rice or naan bread.