Herbed Lentils and Quinoa (or Rice)

I also make this with organic brown rice instead of quinoa. I like the quinoa best and the family seemed to like it better than rice as well. This dish can be adapted to be vegetarian or even vegan.

Herbed Lentils and Quinoa

2 & 2/3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
3/4 cup dry lentils
1/2 cup dry quinoa or dry brown rice
3/4 cup chopped onion (I omit for the sake of the children)
1/4 cup dry white wine (or extra broth or water)
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded Swiss, Parmesan, or cheddar cheese (or a mixture)

Method: Mix together broth, lentils, quinoa OR brown rice, onion, wine, basil, salt, thyme, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour into small greased casserole dish.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven. Top with cheese and return to oven until cheese melts.

Here is a dip of the lentils and quinoa along with my favorite asparagus simply lightly sauteed in coconut oil and sprinkled with fresh ground salt and pepper, dilled baked tilapia, and cheese souffle. 

Back Again with Simple Supper thoughts

Okay Friends,

Sorry it has been so long since I've posted recipes. I am back!

Besides ordinary suppers and occasional culinary masterpieces, I have been focusing on something our family has termed "Simple Supper Nights." We choose one night a week for simple suppers.

On these nights, like tonight, everyone gets to choose from a simple variety of staples. The children often choose a bowl of cereal with fresh fruit, homemade granola with Greek yogurt, or a fried egg and a biscuit or piece of toast. Lee and I often have some variation of an egg sandwich or sometimes I have a smoothie. Simple suppers give me a night off from cooking (well mostly) and everyone is happy because they chose what they wanted to eat.

My simple supper this evening was a half a slice of naan bread, 1 tablespoon spinach artichoke hummus, 1 egg, 3 stalks asparagus, 1/4 orange bell pepper, and 5 grape tomatoes halved.

I put 1 tablespoon of good quality coconut oil in the skillet, sauteed the veggies, moved them to the side of the skillet, fried the egg, moved that to the top of the veggies so it wouldn't get overcooked, then put the naan bread in the skillet to brown on both sides. Once browned, I placed the naan bread on a plate, smeared the hummus on top, then the egg, the sauteed veggies on top.

P.S. This makes a great breakfast too!

You can use any combination of veggies, hummus, mayo, mustard, cheese, whatever sounds good. No rules for this one. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

What do you do for simple suppers?