Herbed Basmati Rice

From this month's Cooking Light magazine.  So good!  And I didn't even do most of it correctly.

1 t olive oil

cooking spray

1 c uncooked basmati rice (i used jasmine instead)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c water

1 c low sodium chicken broth

1/4 t salt

1/4 c chopped green onion

1/4 c pine nuts, toasted

3 T freshly grated parmesan cheese (leave it out for non-dairy folks or add individually)

1 T chopped fresh basil

1 t chopped fresh thyme

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Spray medium sauce pan, heat the oil. Add rice and garlic, saute about 2 minutes, or until rice is lightly toasted. Add water, salt and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender (I had cooked rice so I just added the rice and garlic to the oil, added a little water, stirred it a bit, called it good).  Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes, then stir in onion, nuts, cheese, herbs and pepper (I also left out the cheese completely and it didn't lack any flavor...).

If you don't have fresh herbs, dried will work just fine. And though I'm sure it is better if you start with raw rice, it was great for using up leftover rice.

Red Lentil Curry

This recipe is sort of a mix of 3 different red lentil curry recipes I found...

Reviews: Paul and our friend Nick gave it a thumbs up.  I loved the fact that it was non-dairy and tasty too.  Since it's pretty cheap and easy, I think it will stay in our recipe book.

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. grated ginger root (or 1 t. powdered)

1 1/2 c. red lentils, cleaned and rinsed

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

3 c. chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

2 t. curry powder

1 t. turmeric

salt to taste

hot cooked rice

cilantro, for garnish (It was fine without, though it would have been nice)

Start rice cooking. Heat oil in skillet, add onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add ginger.  Cook until onion is soft, then add broth, lentils, garbanzo beans, coconut milk, curry powder, and turmeric.  Cook until lentils are soft, 20-30 minutes.  Taste for salt, add more if necessary.  Serve over hot cooked rice.  Could also make into soup by adding more liquid and either eliminating rice or adding a little with the lentils.