Dinner last night was thrown together with whatever I could find.  I didn’t feel like making anything complicated and came up with this very tasty, one pot creation.  It’s all of the food groups wrapped up in one easy dish– can’t beat that!

Lentil, Quinoa and Rice Pilaf

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1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

1/4 cup (dry) lentils, either brown or green (don’t use red here)

1/2 cup (dry) wild and white rice blend (or one or the other)

1/2 cup (dry) quinoa

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 1/2 cups water or veg stock

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

S&P to taste

In a large skillet with high sides, saute the onion, carrots and garlic in the olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add in everything except the basil and pine nuts and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 15 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed.  Taste to check that the grains and lentils are fully cooked.  If they are still firm, add in a few more tablespoons of water and cover again.  Just before serving, stir in the pine nuts and basil.

We had ours with some very simple lemon roasted asparagus.  Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Put the zest and juice of one lemon in a bowl and stir in some salt and pepper.  Arrange asparagus in one layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with the lemon juice/zest.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss to coat.  Roast for 5-10 minutes, depending on how big your asparagus spears are.