left over lentils and rice?

[HollyDay]

I have a bunch of leftover lentils and rice that no body at my house liked for dinner. It is just plain lentils and plain brown rice. What can I do with it to spice it up and make it nicer.

[Dobela]

I would personally freeze the lentils and add them in small batches to soups and chili this winter. For the rice, you could use the leftovers to make fried rice, or make a special topping to go over the rice. Our favorite though is to reheat it with some butter, sugar, and a bit of milk to make rice pudding for breakfast. Sometimes I don't add milk at all. My grandmother likes to makes hers soupy like cereal with milk.

[Nestof3]

I would make a soup with chicken stock, herbs/spices, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes and other veggies. Some shredded cheddar on top tastes great! Serve with salad and bread.

 

Freeze what lentils and rice you do not use for your next pot of soup.

[Ferdie]

I freeze leftover brown rice and use it for lunch for myself when I'm in a hurry. For lunch you can top the rice with beans or cooked veggies.

 

The lentils would be great in a soup. There are some good recipes on allrecipes.com. My kids love lentil tacos. Here is the recipe:

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tasty-Lentil-Tacos/Detail.aspx

[MicheleinMN]

Barbecue lentils -- They were really good and I liked it over brown rice. My family put it on buns instead.

 

Stovetop Barbecue Lentils

 

Lentils do not require pre-soaking, and they cook quickly. Here is one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy them!

 

SERVINGS: 8 (1/2-cup)

1 tablespoon olive oil

 

1 cup chopped red onion

 

1 tablespoon minced garlic

 

2 teaspoons chili powder

 

1 teaspoon mustard powder

 

2 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth

 

3/4 cup tomato sauce

 

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

 

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

 

2 tablespoons agave nectar or dark honey

 

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed

 

Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

Heat olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes.

 

 

 

Add garlic and spices and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute; do not brown garlic.

 

 

 

Add broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, mustard, agave nectar, and lentils, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, but intact, about 30 minutes. Lentil cooking times vary. If necessary, add an additional 1/4 cup water and simmer for 5 minutes longer if lentils are not tender. Season with salt and pepper.

 

 

 

Cheryl Forberg has been the nutritionist for The Biggest Loser since its first season and is the author of Positively Ageless (Rodale 2008).

 

I used brown sugar instead of agave or honey because it's what I had on hand. It took longer to cook than the recipe says, and I think it would work well to cook the lentils first and then add all the ingredients, minus the chicken or vegetable broth.

 

Let us know what you decide to do with them!

 

And I think you could do this recipe even if the lentils and brown rice were already mixed together.

 

HTH

[Quiver0f10]

Barbecue lentils -- They were really good and I liked it over brown rice. My family put it on buns instead.

 

 

 

We love BBQ lentils. Or turn them into the Honey baked lentil recipe that has been posted here. Or add them to soup.

[SilverMoon]

I'd add taco seasonings and make burritos.

[Orthodox6]

I'm assuming that the rice and lentils already are mixed. If not, mix the rice and lentils. Sautee diced onion, minced fresh garlic, and chopped fresh mushrooms in some olive oil. Stir this into the rice/lentil mix. Blend in some dried basil or oregano, and a very small amount of salt (unless the lentils and rice already contain salt). Add one or two eggs, depending on what quantity you are working with, to use as a binder. If the mixture refuses to hold together, stir in just barely enough flour to enable you to -- Form into patties and pan-fry in a little olive oil.

 

Variant: Prepare mixture as above, then form into small balls (small meatball size), roll each ball in finely-ground, dried bread crumbs. Place the balls on a large baking sheet which has been sprayed with a light coating of oil. Bake in a 350 deg. F. oven until done.

[LisaS]

My 2 personal favorite recipes that I use these are:

 

Red beans and Rice

http://www.recipezaar.com/Red-Beans-and-Rice-82501

 

and

Chicken and Lentils

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-and-Lentils/Detail.aspx

 

Yummy!

[Cheryl in NM]

You could add some polish sausage. They add an awesome flavor to lentils!