Black Lentils & Rice + Roasted Radishes

So usually I wouldn't wait this long to post on here but this past week was horrific. I had been feeling so amazing this past month; had a lot of energy, could focus on school etc. (thanks to my trusty veggies and daily salads), but this past week I hit a wall...and I hit it hard. Not literally, since those of you who know me might assume that I actually did hit a wall since I tend to get injured easily. Not sure if I was sick or what was going on but I'm finally feeling 100% better today after eating as much soup as I could get my hands on. I actually tried to write this blog entry two days ago and passed out in the process, so I figured I would wait until I could actually stay awake long enough to write it.

Today I'm going to give this whole food blogging thing a try! Please don't expect amazing, immaculate photos like some food bloggers (props to all of you amazing food bloggers out there). It's not as easy as it looks but I tried my best and I hope you all enjoy it!

I got these recipes from both of my older sisters; Nida and Naila. They both currently manage our family's health food store and have the amazing skill to create really healthy, flavorful dishes just off the top of their heads. The lentils recipe was given to me by Naila, and Nida is the vegetable queen so the radishes recipe comes from her -she is also my inspiration for posting recipes since she does so on the Healthway Facebook page every so often. Usually when there's not a lot of veggies included in my main dish I make sure to add some sort of roasted/raw veggies as a side dish-taking up at least half of my plate.

Black Beluga Lentils+ Brown Rice

Serves 4

Cooking Time: Approximately 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup Black Beluga Lentils or French Lentils

2 Tomatoes or 3 if you like a more "sauce"

1 Medium size onion

A few sprigs of dill

1 Lemon

Salt to taste

Paprika to taste

Garlic powder or fresh garlic

1 cup uncooked brown rice (follow package instructions)

(sorry for the small print on the instructions)

End result!

Tips:

• You can soak the lentils for a few hours in cold water ahead of time to speed up the cooking process

• The dill gives this dish most of its flavor, along with the lemon so don't omit it! Also you can add a clove of  chopped garlic and cook with the onions instead of using powder

• Also in the last photo I forgot to include "add dill" And I misspelled it too..oops!

•Don't add salt/seasonings to lentils while they are boiling since that will delay the cooking process, season them after they are cooked

Health benefits:

• Great source of fiber 

• Contributes to heart health

• Great for stabilizing blood sugar levels 

• Lowers cholesterol

• Source of protein when paired with rice 

• Low fat and versatile to cook with, great when trying to lose weight

• Contains many important vitamins and minerals such as iron and B vitamins

Roasted Radishes

Ingredients:

8-10 small radishes 

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Any herbs or spices you have on hand

Tips:

• Since this was my first time cooking radishes, I would recommend cutting them in half  and seasoning, instead of roasting them whole to add maximum flavor

• This roasting technique and recipe can be applied to most vegetables, and works especially well with root vegetables like sweet potatoes (my personal favorite). Also try roasting Brussels sprouts - they will blow your mind! I'll probably post a brussel sprouts recipe soon 

Health benefits:

• Rich in Vitamin C, zinc, B vitamins, Phosphorus- great for skin disorders

• Detoxifies body and soothes digestive system 

• Diuretic; can assist in flushing excess fluid retention, water weight

• Great for people with respiratory issues such as asthma, bronchial infections etc.

Source

I'll probably try another one of these tutorials in the near future so stay tuned!