Bulgar and Red Lentil Pilaf with Kale

May has been a busy month.  I've spent every spare minute in the garden, moving beds, transplanting seedlings, weeding, staking and watering.  Once the weather warms up, I find that I'd much rather spend time in the garden then in the kitchen.

Little Garden in the Big Woods

Cukes and squash

Looking forward to sharing many tomato centered recipes.

So much growth in only ten days!  

Since we still have to eat, I just turn to quick, simple meals for summer. This pilaf is a one pot dinner that comes together quickly.  It also happens to be something healthy that my daughter will actually eat, even the kale!

Ingredients

This recipe comes from The Complete Vegan Cookbook by
Susann Geiskopf-Hadler & Mindy Toomay.  This is a great, comprehensive cookbook for anyone looking to move to a more plant based diet. I adapted the recipe slightly to suite our tastes.

Bulgar and Red Lentil Pilaf with Kale
Make 4 main servings or 6 side dish servings

1/2 cup Dried Red Lentils
2 Tablespoons Refined Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
1 medium Onion, diced fine
1 teaspoon Whole Cumin Seed
1 teaspoon Yellow Mustard Seed
1 teaspoon Coriander Seed
2 cloves Garlic, peeled
1 cup Bulgar Wheat
3 ounces Kale, stemmed and torn or chopped into small pieces
2 cups Vegetable Stock
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1. Sort and rinse lentils well, drain.
2. Place whole spices in a spice grinder.  Mill until finely ground. Add the peeled garlic cloves and continue to process until minced.  Set spices aside.
3. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottoned saucepan over medium heat.   Add onion and sautee until translucent and lightly browned.
4. Add garlic and spices and sautee until fragrant, about 1 more minute.
5. Add bulgar and lentils and cook for about a 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted
6. Add stock, salt and kale.  Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
7. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to very low.  Cook for 25 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow pilaf to rest for another 15 minutes with the lid on.
8. Fluff with fork, and serve with a fresh lemon wedge.  Enjoy!

Looks a bit boring, but tastes delicious.

Shared at the Clever Chicks Blog Hop