Lentil Haystacks

No picture in tonight's blog, sadly, because when I went to shoot one, my camera battery died. Argh! But never fear, I'll get another picture soon, because this is definitely a meal we're going to have often from here on out!

On a forum I frequent, there's a gal who cooks Lentil Haystacks fairly often, and I've long thought they sounded like something we would like. Lentils spooned over rice, and topped with whatever your heart desires. This is one of those fantastic dishes, where you can use up whatever you happen to have on hand. The ingredients are basic, the rice and lentils cook up in less than half an hour, and then everyone can top theirs as they like.

Meg just had rice and lentils with no toppings, and scarfed them down with a big smile on her face. Lydia didn't love them, but she still ate them anyway, with just rice, lentils and cheese. Next time I think we'll let her fix a peanut butter & jelly sandwich instead. Brad and I ate ours with rice, lentils, cheddar cheese, lots of fresh salsa, red onions, jalapenos and some sour cream. YUM! They were so good! They can be vegan, too, if you omit the cheese and sour cream, or use a vegan variety! We used fat-free sour cream, so the only fat in the entire dish was in the couple tablespoons of cheese we sprinkled on top.

Even though I'm seriously opposed to cooking them same thing on a regular basis, we've pretty much decided already that these are going to be featured on our weekly menu. They're delicious, filling, CHEAP, healthy and easy. What's not to like?

I'll update this next time we have them, so I can post a picture.

Lentil Haystacks

1 cup dry lentils
4 cups water
4 cups hot, cooked rice (brown or white)
assorted toppings, such as cheese, red onions, sour cream, jalapenos, sliced or shredded vegetables, salsa, olives, capers, salad dressing, etc.

Combine the lentils and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, until lentils are tender.

Serve lentils over rice, and top with desired toppings.