46 Recipes for 2015, Week Two

 Link to Last Weeks Recipe

This week I am doing the Rice Casserole with Lentils from Forks Over Knives recipe page.

If anyone is looking for some new ways to cook vegetarian meals, this is a great site.

I ended up making the various components of this recipe on different days. I made the rice one day, the delicious tomato sauce and lentils the next day and then by Day Three I had enough time to prepare the vegetables and finish the casserole.

Here are all the components assembled in one place. You can see that this ends up being a total meal all by itself. Brown rice, lentils, tons of vegetables and some good healthy oil from the cashew nut topping.

I followed it more or less to the letter. I used twice the amount of garlic and our local Co-op had some purple sweet potatoes so I could not resist using one. 

Obviously everything is organic, much of it locally grown.

Here is the finished masterpiece. 
I am eating some as I write this and 

I definitely proclaim this dish "Potluck Worthy"*

 

*"Potluck Worthy" is a phase I use to describe a dish I would be comfortable cooking for other people as compared to the various concoctions I throw together at home that I eat but would probably never serve to someone else. 

 Link to Last Weeks Recipe

Here is the recipe, copied from Forks Over Knives recipe section

RICE CASSEROLE WITH LENTILS

By Darshana Thacker

Makes one (9 × 13-inch) casserole

Ready In: 100 minutes

This dish is a real crowd-pleaser, and is especially

good for big gatherings like Super Bowl parties. I love

it with rice, but it’s also really good with pasta. Both

options are given below. The lentils need to be

soaked for at least six hours, so be sure to plan

ahead.

FOR THE CASHEW CRUMBLE

CHEESE

½ cup cashews

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon low-sodium tamari or soy

sauce, Bragg’s liquid aminos, or fresh

lime juice

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and soaked

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Sea salt

1½ cups brown rice, or 3 cups penne

pasta

FOR THE SAUTEED

VEGETABLES

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed

and cut into ½-inch dice

¼ medium cabbage, chopped into

½-inch pieces

½ medium red onion, cut into ½-inch

dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch

dice

1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and

cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with

their juice

1 teaspoon dried basil

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground white or

black pepper

Sea salt

1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil

Instructions:

1. To make the cashew crumble cheese, in a food

processor, grind the cashews into a meal (do not

overprocess into cashew butter). Transfer them to a

small bowl, and mix in the nutritional yeast. Little by

little, add the liquid of your choice, stirring with a fork

so that the mixture does not form clumps. The

mixture should be crumbly. Set aside to dry until

ready to use.

2. Place the soaked lentils in a medium saucepan

with the Italian seasoning, salt, and 1 cup water.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat

to medium, and cook, covered, until the lentils are

cooked but still firm, about 15 minutes. Be careful

not to overcook them. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, if using rice, place it in a medium

saucepan with 2½ cups water. Bring to a boil and stir

once. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and

simmer, covered, until the rice is cooked, about 25

minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand,

covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and fluff

the rice. Set aside.

4. If using pasta, bring a large saucepan of water to a

boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the

package instructions until the pasta is al dente. Drain

thoroughly and set aside.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

6. To prepare the sautéed vegetables, in a skillet with

a lid, combine the sweet potatoes, cabbage, onion,

garlic, dried basil, and 1½ cups of the vegetable

broth. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring

occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are almost

tender but still resist a bit when pierced with a knife,

15 to 20 minutes.

7. Add the zucchini and bell pepper and cook,

uncovered, until the vegetables are completely

softened, about 10 minutes.

8. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup

vegetable broth and the arrowroot powder. Whisk

until blended. Pour the mixture over the vegetables

and stir gently to coat them. Cook over medium-low

heat, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from the

heat and set aside.

9. Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce. In a

saucepan, combine the onion and ½ cup water.

Cover and cook over high heat until the onions are

very soft, about 10 minutes.

10. Add the tomatoes, dried basil, pepper, and salt,

and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens

a bit and the flavors merge, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fresh

basil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

11. Spread the rice or pasta in a 9 x 13-inch baking

pan that is 2 inches deep. Layer the lentils over the

rice to cover completely. Spread the sautéed

vegetables over the lentils. Spoon the tomato sauce

over the vegetables. Spread the cashew crumble

cheese all over

the top.

12. Bake until the cashew cheese turns light brown,

about 20 minutes.

13. Serve hot.