Lentils with Spinach and Goat Cheese

Hello everyone!  I had every intention of posting this yesterday, but got caught up running some analyses and forgot about it.  It would have been pretty much perfect for a Meatless Monday dinner or side dish... but yeah.  Keep it in mind for next week?  Sorry, guys.  At any rate, unlike some of my previous postings this year, this recipe is definitely new-year's-resolution-friendly.  It's full of vegetable, high fiber, and protein-rich goodness (among other things).  And it's pretty inexpensive to make.


I found this recipe here: on the blog Just a Taste, and made a few really minor tweaks (swapped olive oil for butter, added arugula in addition to spinach, and added garlic to the greens).  It should yield 8 side dish-sized servings or 6 entree servings.


You'll need:


2 tbs olive oil, divided
1 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup celery, diced
1/3 cup carrots, diced
2 bay leaves
1 3/4 cups lentils
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper, to taste
a few cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb fresh spinach leaves (or other greens)
5 oz soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled


Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, celery, carrots, and bay leaves.  Saute until the vegetables are golden brown.

Add the lentils and cook for about1 minute, stirring to make sure that they all get coated in the oil.  

Add the chicken broth and turn the heat down to medium-low.  Simmer until the lentils are fully cooked and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.  This took approximately 40 minutes.

Get rid of the bay leaves, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Heat the other tbs of olive oil in a large pan and add the minced garlic cloves.  Heat until the garlic is fragrant.  Add the spinach, or whatever green you have chosen, and heat until just wilted.  I used a mixture of arugula and baby spinach.

Plate the spinach, top it with lentils, garnish with crumbled goat cheese and serve! 

Okay obviously my atrocious photography isn't making this look like the most appetizing of dishes.  It really is, trust me!  If you don't believe me, venture on over to Just a Taste (link listed above).  Those photos will do it justice.  

I made this on Sunday, ate it for lunch then, and portioned out the rest of it to have for lunch during the week.  It is a very filling, hearty, and healthy meal.  Oh and let's not forget that it tastes really good, too!  Please enjoy!

Brown Rice Salad w/ Tomatoes, Spinach, Black Beans, & Feta

I would like to start this post with a disclaimer, and an apology of sorts.  I know I've seen this recipe (or one very very similar to it) on someone's blog.  I could have sworn that I bookmarked it, but can't seem to find the original post.  If you would like to lay claim to it, or know who should get credit for it, please let me know!  Sorry, guys.


This is a tasty, healthy, lunch option.  It's great hot, cold, or room temperature.  And it's super simple to make.


You'll need:


1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbs olive oil
1 bag baby spinach
1 tsp salt
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
feta cheese, crumbled


Cook brown rice according to package directions.  Mine indicated that I should combine 1 cup uncooked brown rice and 2 cups of water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, until it comes to a boil.  Turn the heat back down to low, and cover for 40-50 minutes or until the rice is done.


While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, just until the garlic is a little fragrant.  Add the spinach to the pan and stir to coat with the olive oil.  The spinach should start wilting pretty quickly.  Keep stirring it around every now and then so that everything gets nice and wilted.  You can also put a lid on your skillet and walk away for a few minutes to speed up the wilting process.  Toss the salt in there while you're at it.


Once the spinach is wilted, try and refrain from eating all of it out of the pan.  Add the tomatoes and allow them to break down a little bit.  Once the tomatoes are giving off their juices, you can go ahead and add the black beans.  


After the brown rice is done, toss that in the skillet too.  Stir everything around to combine.  Feel free to add some feta cheese, to taste.  

You can eat this piping hot, room temperature, or cold.  It's fantastic no matter what you choose.


Also, I'm on Pinterest now!  Feel free to follow me @hankycowtipper.  I really have no idea what I'm doing on there, but will figure it out sooner or later.