“Organic Madras Curried Lentils with Rice and Beans”

In the stores right now they have packages of pre-made madras curried lentils with rice and beans that are expensive. Here is a healthier organic version, that is much less expensive than buying those precooked packets. And this recipe is great tasting, and will do that body good with all the longevity giving goodness of legumes. Plus it’s very easy to make, and this dish freezes well for later use.
Here are two ways of make this recipe, one recipe is for cooking on the stove, the other recipe is for using a pressure cooker which is even simpler. — (I love my electronic pressure cooker, and pressure cooking also preserves more nutrients in our food)

Ingredients:

Stove Top Recipe

4 - Cups of Cooked Organic Lentils
2 - Cup of Cooked Organic Brown Rice
2 - Cup of Cooked Organic Pink Beans
4 - Tablespoons of Organic Madras Curry Powder
1 - Medium Organic Cooked Potato - this thickens the sauce - or taro root or malanga could be used. Taro root has a very lower glycemic index making it great for diabetics.
1 - Teaspoon of Organic Tomato Paste
1 - Tablespoon of Organic Mild or Hot Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taster
Enough Filtered Water to Cover Everything

Cook the organic lentils with the curry powder, tomato paste, and the chili powder, plus some salt and pepper. Then take the lentils and add the cooked beans, potato, and the cooked rice and add enough water to bring everything to a simmer for a short time. That’s It! - Simple - If a person likes it really hot add some extra hot sauce to heat things up.

Pressure Cooking Recipe

2 - Cups of Dry Organic Lentils
1 - Cup of Dry Organic Brown Rice
1 - Cup of Dry Organic Pink Beans
1 - Medium Organic Cooked Potato, this thickens the sauce - or taro root or malanga could be used. Taro root has a lower glycemic index making it great for diabetics.
4 - Tablespoons of Organic Madras Curry Powder
1 - Teaspoon of Organic Tomato Paste
1 - Tablespoon of Organic Mild or Hot Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taster
Filtered Water

Take all the ingredients and add them to a stove top or electronic pressure cooker. Add enough filtered water to cover everything plus about 2 inches of extra water above all the ingredients. Leave out the salt and pepper - add the salt and pepper after cooking, otherwise the beans don’t cook well. Then cook according to your pressure cookers instructions for pink beans plus add an extra 7 minutes of cooking time. After cooking salt and pepper to taste. And if a person would like this dish a little hotter then add some hot sauce at this point… and it’s perfect.

Health Benefits of Organic Lentils

Lentils are one of the best foods by far, they are full of lots of protein and fiber… and together with simple carbs and veggies they make a complete meal. And lentils are grown all over the world including Europe, Asia, Africa, and even in the US and South America. In fact Lentils are talk about as far back as biblical times, and in Ethiopia lentils were one of the first baby foods.

One third of the calories in lentils comes from protein, protein that does the body good creating lean muscle mass and at the same time helping with hormone production. In fact as far as legumes go only hemp and soybeans have more protein than lentils.

Plus lentils have lots of fiber that help to stabilize blood sugar levels, and because lentils contain iron they help with anemia and boost metabolism and energy levels. Lentils are also a low glycemic index food helping to slowly releases energy into the body and stabilize blood sugar. And because they contain fiber they give long lasting energy that sustain a person all day long. In studies those who consume fiber from lentils and other legumes lowered their bad cholesterol by over 12 %.

One cup of lentils contains 230 calories so they are a good weight loss food. And because Lentils contain lots of fiber (both soluble and none soluble fiber, 1/4 being soluble) they also help with IBS and diverticulosis. The soluble fiber becomes a gel that combines with cholesterol and also helps with colon health. Lentils lower cholesterol and lower our risk of heart disease and stokes, and like oats they also keep vessels clean of all those heart clogging fats.

Lentils contai
B Vitamins and magnesium that are important for lowering inflammation and thus lowering homosycteine levels. People with low levels of magnesium have been found to have higher levels of cardiovascular disease so it’s important to eat lentils. And magnesium is also important for relaxing blood vessels and lower blood pressure, thus lower the risk of cardiovascular events and prevents free radical injury to the heart.

In fact the George Mateljan Foundation, a none profit organization that promotes healthy foods rates lentils as one of the healthiest foods in the world.

Other people call lentils one of the best anti-aging foods around. In studies it has been shown that eating lentils can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 82% – Amazing! And all the societies around the world that live to be over 100 years old eat beans of some kind… bean including lentils create a long life.

Lentils also contain almost 200 times that daily amount of molybdenum which prevents cancer, also tryptophan which is important for a good nights rest, phosphorus for strong bones, and potassium for cardiovascular health and for water regulation, iron and copper for anemia, and lentils are almost fat free. And if a person adds brown rice to lentils we have a complete food with every protein we need.

Enjoy This Recipe!

Dr. Paul Haider - Master Herbalist