Protein Packed Vegetarian Fried Rice

So… my husband used to have quite the aversion to lentils.

It’s kind of my mom’s fault. She made this very peculiar dish that was kind of like a Shepard’s pie that involved lentils and way too much soy sauce. I’m not sure what went awry that night, but it wasn’t good

It was kind of like a salt lick, with lentils and potatoes.

So Scott became convinced that he hated lentils.

Well…. recently we’ve taken to eating almost entirely vegetarian and I was struggling with adding the protein we needed into our dishes.

And I kept coming up with lentils. Then I’d veto the idea.

Then I decided to start sneaking them in, after the first dish was a success, I tried it again… and again…

Now guess who likes lentils??

So, when I started messing around with fried rice recipes they were the logical choice.

And boy is this good. The lentils and eggs add a nice punch of protein for a vegetarian dish, and the brown rice amps up the nutrition even more.

Forget the health factor though… this is delicious. Like you-won’t-miss-take out- good.

 

 

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 -Cups Water or Vegetable Broth

1- Cup Brown Rice

1/2- Cup Dry Lentils

1- Cup Chopped Carrots

1-Cup Sliced Green Onions

1-Cup Snow Peas

1- Can Water Chestnuts- drained

3-Eggs

1-tsp Minced Garlic

1/4- Cup Brown Sugar

1/2- Cup Soy Sauce

1/4-tsp Ginger

1/2- tsp Garlic Powder

1/2- tsp Sesame Oil

Coconut Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Ok, first things first. Get your water or broth boiling. If you’re using water add a pinch of salt. Once it comes to a rolling boil add in your rice and lentils, cover and reduce to a low simmer. Let simmer about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the lentils and rice are cooked through.

Meanwhile in a bowl mix together your brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder and sesame oil together until well blended.

Crack your eggs in a separate bowl and mix them up.

Now in a large skillet or wok heat about a tablespoon of coconut oil. Add in your carrots, onions and garlic and heat until the veggies start to soften. Add in your rice and lentils and pour your sauce over. Mix it all up until everything is evenly coated with the sauce. Now if you want that little bit of crispness that comes with restaurant fried rice you want to let it cook a few minutes without stirring, gently stir or flip it, and let the other side crisp.

At this point you can scooch   (btw spell check does not accept scooch as a word… but it totally is) all your rice and veggies over to the side, add a little more oil and then pour in your eggs. Or if you prefer you can scramble the eggs in a separate pan and then add them in. (that’s what I like to do)

Last but not least throw your snow peas in the pan. Let them cook a few minutes until just heated through, unless you like them soft, then by all means keep cooking them!

Now you’re done, serve it up and enjoy! It will convince even the biggest skeptic that they like lentils!