Gluten Free Lentil Rice Nachos

Sometimes I feel like I spend all my time in the kitchen.   Which is a crying shame, because my kitchen is super small, has no windows and is actually pretty depressing.  Did I mention that it's small?  As in, it's a pain to fit two people in it at the same time, even if one of those people is less than 4 feet tall.

As a homeschooling mother, we're home a lot, we eat all our meals at home, and consequently I'm always in the kitchen. Not to mention, all the gluten-free baking and experimenting I do.

This weekend, I tried a recipe for gluten free doughnuts.  I don't have a doughnut pan, and don't believe in deep frying food, so I spent some time looking for a good, gluten free baked doughnut recipe.  I found one, and made them in my muffins tins.  They turned out okay.  They're good, but not spectacular, and to tell you the truth, they basically aren't all that different from muffins.   So, I'll save blogging about that recipe until I perfect it a bit more.  I also made 3 loaves of bread, tried making my own corn tortillas from masa harina (another kitchen failure) and cooked a big pot of beans. 

By now, I don't feel up to any more cooking (or new recipes that might fail) this weekend, so we're going to have my easy, stand-by recipe for dinner tonight.   Lentil-Rice Nachos.  It's cheap, naturally gluten-free, easy, and I love it!

Did you know that lentils are super healthy, a real power food and something many people could benefit from incorporating more of into our diet. Lentils are high in protein, fiber, folate, B vitamins and iron.

Lentil/Rice Nachos    

2 cups lentils (if you think of it, soak these the night before in water, but if you forget, no biggie, it's not as necessary as with other beans).
1 cup brown or wild rice
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (I like Celtic Sea Salt)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder

shredded cheddar cheese
corn chips (preferably organic, as that is the only way to get non-GMO corn)
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce.
chopped avocado
sour cream
salsa (preferably fermented salsa).

Throw the lentils and rice in a pot with enough water to cook them (follow the specific amounts for your rice and lentils).  Or you can just eyeball it, which is what I do.  I stick my finger in the the pot and put in enough water until it comes up to my knuckle.  

Add onion, garlic, salt and spices. Let simmer for 45 minutes or so until done. 

Serve with corn chips, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, chopped avocado, whatever you like.

Yum!  We love this!  It is total comfort food to us, quick and super easy!

Enjoy this vegetarian, gluten-free, cheap and delicious lentil rice recipe!