Seriously scrummy lentil and brown rice patties

I've said it before that lentils and brown rice don't deserve their appalling reputation. Make these delicious patties and serve them with a huge salad ... a really wonderful balanced meal. You can even use them for burger patties.

This is a big quantity - it makes 18 muffin tin sized patties easily. They freeze really well - just spray a patty pan with olive oil, pop the mix in and freeze. Then pop them out and put them in a large zip lock bag.


Lentil and Brown Rice Patties

1 large onion
1 large carrot
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 huge handful of leafy herbs - coriander, mint and/or parsley
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup brown rice
1-2 Tbsp each soy sauce and either sweet chilli or tomato sauces
2-4 Tbsp flour

In a large saucepan cook the lentils and rice together for around 45-50 minutes until tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large food processor finely chop the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs. Add the lentils and rice, and then add the sauce and flour as required to make a mixture that is not too sloppy!

Cook either in a fry pan or under the grill for 5-10 minutes a side until slightly brown

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

Lentils and Brown Rice have a bad reputation, I blame Neil from The Young Ones! But seriously, this casserole is super super easy ... it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. It does take a couple of hours to cook, but you don't need to much more than give it the occassional stir. I love the feta in it, but it would still be delicious if you left it out.

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup red lentils (dried)
3/4 cup brown rice
1 x 400 g tin chopped Italian tomatoes
3 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup (approx) spinach, cooked and drained
100 grams feta cheese (optional)
1-2 Tbsp basil leaves, roughly chopped
chilli, salt and pepper to taste

In a large casserole place the onion, lentils, rice, tomatoes and stock. Mix well and bake in a 180 moderate oven for about 2 hours, stirring occassionally. Add the spinach, feta, basil and seasoning, stir well and serve!

Red Lentil and Eggplant Bolognese

A triumph for vegetarians and vegans if I may say so myself ... I have finally worked out something that is really delicious, but still protein packed, to replace the traditional meaty bolognaise sauce. Freezes beautifully, and is very economical. You could easily replace the eggplant and red pepper with other vegetables depending on what is in season - mushrooms and zucchini would be delicious.


Red Lentil and Eggplant Bolognese

Serves 8-10

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 eggplant, peeled, sliced and then cut into roughly 1cm cubes

1-2 red capsicum, ideally roasted and peeled otherwise cubed

2 x 400g tins chopped italian tomatoes

1 cup uncoooked red lentils

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sugar

100g of dry feta cheese, crumbled (or soy cheese if you are vegan)

pinches of salt, pepper and chilli flakes to taste

large handful of basil leaves, ripped up small

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In a large frypan with 1 Tbsp of ricebran oil, cook the onion and garlic until softened. Add the other vegetables and the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the lentils for 12-15 minutes until tender, in a saucepan of boiling water. Drain and then stir through the tomato mixture, before adding the feta,the seasonings and the basil. Serve over hot pasta.