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November 21, 2013

Lentil & Brown Rice Herbed Salad

Vegetarian Side Dishes
20 comments
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Good morning, my friends! Enough about running (for now)… let’s get back to the food, shall we? 🙂 Starting with a fun new recipe! This Brown Rice & Lentil Herbed Salad is easy to make, delicious, and packed with fiber, protein, and nutrients.

lentil brown rice herbed salad

Matt and I enjoyed this dish earlier this week for dinner and we both loved how it came out. It makes a great solo dish, or you can serve it atop a salad (great for a packed lunch!) or as a side. Matt did comment that he would have loved this even more with a side of meat… boys. 🙂

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The stars of this recipe are the garlic, onions, and shallots, which add a ton of flavor to the dish. Fun fact: until a few years ago I didn’t think I liked garlic and onions! We never had them in recipes growing up and raw onions were too intense for me so I assumed I wouldn’t like them cooked, either. Well, once Matt and I started dating back in the day he set out to change my mind, slowly but surely. Garlic was easy – I decided I loved it pretty quickly, and now use it in a lot of recipes. I remember really falling in love with garlic while I was living in Prague, because one of my roommates at the time would make a ton of great garlicky veggie and bean stir fry/stews.

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But it wasn’t until recently that I started to embrace onions. This Apple & Sage Pork Chop recipe was actually what changed my mind about cooked onions – I discovered caramelized onions are actually awesome! And now that that mental block is gone, I discovered I love cooked shallots, too, and can even handle a little sweet raw onion on salad from time to time. 10 year ago Anne would be appalled. 😉

So, in honor of my new love for allium vegetables, I started this recipe with them. I threw some minced garlic and chopped red onion and shallots into a pan with a little olive oil and some sliced almonds, just for fun. I sautéed it all together for about 10 minutes over medium/high heat.

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Then I added in some cooked brown rice (see recipe below for specific measurements). To keep this recipe fast and easy, I used my standard favorite 90 second microwave brown rice (make sure you buy the plain/unseasoned brown rice).

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And then I added in some cooked lentils. Again, to make this quick and easy, I used pre-cooked lentils (the ones from Trader Joe’s – SO good), but you can cook them yourself if you’re so inclined. 🙂

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To add in some color and extra veggie power, I threw in some cooked chopped string beans. I always use the steam-in-the-bag microwaveable string beans to save time – they are usually in the store right next to the regular string beans, or with the bagged salads. They are just fresh plain string beans with nothing added to them, and they are SO good. I snack on them like french fries!

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I also threw in some chopped parsley (yes, our apartment garden box parsley is still kicking!), some lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and a little feta, because it makes it betta.

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And now, the recipe! I hope you give it a try yourself. 🙂

Lentil & Brown Rice Herbed Salad

lentil and brown rice salad
July 24, 2019
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield
SERVES4 AS A MAIN, 6+ AS A SI
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Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 C red onion, diced or thinly sliced
  • 1/4 C shallots, diced
  • 1/2 C sliced almonds (optional)
  • 2 C cooked brown rice
  • 3 C cooked lentils
  • 1 C cooked string beans, chopped
  • 1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 C lemon juice
  • 1/2 C feta cheese (optional)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a large pan or wok, add the olive oil, garlic, onions, shallots, and almonds. Heat to medium/high and stir for about 10 minutes, or until onions have softened and almonds are toasted.
  2. Reduce heat the low, and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Serve warm or chilled. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

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Let me know how you like the recipe if you try it! It would also be a fun and festive holiday dinner/potluck side dish.

Have a great day, everyone!

What’s your favorite one pan whole grain/veggie recipe as of late?

—-

Thank you to the Grain Foods Foundation for sponsoring this post! Check out their Grains for Your Brain site for some great recipes and nutrition information about a variety of whole grains. They also have an “ask an expert” section where doctors and dietitians answer common questions about whole grains, which I love, especially since there is so much misinformation out there nowadays about nutrition. Great resource!

- anne
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20 comments
  • Jackie
    November 21, 2013 · 11:20AM:
    This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner!
    Reply
  • Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run
    November 21, 2013 · 11:49AM:
    lentils and brown rice are my favorite! i also like mixing quinoa and lentils together.
    Reply
  • Jojo @ RunFastEatLots
    November 21, 2013 · 12:26PM:
    Looks really good, and I love those bowls! I've been eating kamut lately. It's great as a grain salad as well.
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 21, 2013 · 12:54PM:
      Yum - love kamut too.
      Reply
  • Sara @ Zero to Sixty
    November 21, 2013 · 12:27PM:
    Oh Dear... Matt sounds just like my boyfriend always about the Meat! :) This sounds so good though... may have to put it on the list for next next week. I been loving Quiona lately but have not found any "one pan" dishes with that.
    Reply
  • Taylor @ Singletrackedmind
    November 21, 2013 · 12:51PM:
    I love lentils! This looks so tasty.
    Reply
  • Shel@PeachyPalate
    November 21, 2013 · 2:40PM:
    Yum! Some dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds would be great in the mix! Love lentils in rice dishes, they mingle so well :)
    Reply
  • Roadrunner November 21, 2013 · 2:58PM:
    Looks delicious; very nice!
    Reply
  • Gena
    November 21, 2013 · 5:10PM:
    Love it! I make a salad like this all the time, minus the onions and feta. Lovely photo, too :-)
    Reply
  • Ashley @ Hudson on the Potomac
    November 21, 2013 · 5:11PM:
    This looks delicious!!! I'm always trying to find a new way to serve lentils because they are not the bf's favorite. He does love red onion though so that might help!!! He also was an onion hater when we started dating and now he loves them so much, he even puts huge chunks of raw red onion in his guacamole recipe! Extra spicy!
    Reply
  • Jan @ Sprouts n Squats
    November 21, 2013 · 10:51PM:
    Sounds like a delicious recipe indeed. I only like cooked onions not so much raw unless they are with lemon juice and that has sort of ‘cooked’ the onion. This recipe looks delicious. I love lentils but my digestion doesn’t always. I’ve heard trying them sprouted helps to make it easier on the digestion so should give it a go.
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 22, 2013 · 7:59AM:
      Yes, that does help!
      Reply
    • Amy November 22, 2013 · 9:26AM:
      That's interesting- lentils are generally regarded as being easier to digest than other legumes. If you have trouble digesting regular old beans (like black beans or chickpeas) lentils are typically recommended as a substitute. Do all legumes give you trouble? I know if I eat too many chickpeas I have digestive issues (SO SAD they are my favorite beans) but lentils I am ok with.
      Reply
      • Jan @ Sprouts n Squats
        November 23, 2013 · 6:07PM:
        Yes both lentils and chickpeas give me grief which is unfortunate as I love them both a lot so I think I need to bite the bullet and try sprouting them! I hadn't heard lentils were meant to be the least harsh so maybe I will start with them and see how it goes.
        Reply
  • Michelle R. November 26, 2013 · 1:55PM:
    Anne, where in the grocery store would I find pre-cooked lentils? Thank you. This recipe looks delicious and I love that use the already-cooked brown rice also!
    Reply
    • Anne
      November 26, 2013 · 5:14PM:
      I've only seen them at Trader Joes. They are in the bagged salad/veggie area!
      Reply
  • Michelle
    December 27, 2013 · 12:59PM:
    I just made this today. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
    Reply
    • Anne
      December 27, 2013 · 1:26PM:
      I'm glad you liked it!
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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