Brown Rice Lentil Salad

7 Servings
note: per 1/2 cup serving, this salad has about 110 calories, 3g fat, 4g fiber, 4g protein, and it's yummy! To make a vegan version, omit bouillon and substitute 1 cup vegetable stock for 1 cup of the water.

1/2 cup brown rice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 cups water
3/4 cup dry lentils
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 med. tomato, seeded & diced, or a handful halved/quartered cherry/grape tomatoes
1 T. minced fresh parsley
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. olive or other oil (I used sunflower)
2 minced cloves garlic
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Combine rice, bay leaf, bouillon granules and water in a medium saucepan. Bring up to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes, then stir in lentils and replace lid. Simmer 20 more minutes or until rice is tender; remove bay leaf. Let cool. You can make this go faster by stirring occasionally and splitting into two or more containers and placing in refrigerator, but don't take it right from the stove and stick it in the fridge. This pisses your refrigerator off.

Mix together vinegar, oil, garlic, lime juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix cooled lentils and rice with onion, tomato, and parsley, and pour dressing over. Toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Served with & pictured in Ranch-Breaded Baked Pork Chops


from Allrecipes.com