We decided to go with a loose Caribbean vibe this week. For lunch today, I revisited Cajun zoodles. Today we go for Jamaican flavors.
Source: One Green Planet | Serves: 4 | Time: 45 min
Changes: used vegetable broth instead of a stock cube; replaced puree with paste; replaced maple syrup with agave nectar; used dry thyme
Ingredients
Lentils
1 onion, diced
1 tsp coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
4 tsp jerk seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups vegetable broth (homemade to reduce sodium)
14 oz can no salt added diced #tomatoes
1 1/3 cup green lentils
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Rice
1/2 cup white rice
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1 1/3 cup ounces of boiling water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can kidney #beans, rinsed and drained
Bananas
2 #bananas, sliced
1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
Start lentils by heating coconut oil in large pot over low to medium heat. Add onion and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
Once your onions have softened, add garlic, ginger, jerk seasoning and thyme. Cook for around 30 seconds, then add all of the remaining jerk lentils ingredients to the pan and stir well. Raise the heat until the sauce begins to boil, and then reduce to a low heat and pop a lid on the pan. Leave to cook for around 30-35 minutes, stirring often.
In the meantime, add your rice, coconut milk, water, salt and pepper in a separate pot and place on a high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce to a low heat and place a lid on the pan. Cook for around 15-20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked, still stirring often. When there's 5 minutes to go, add the drained kidney beans and mix through.
Once your lentils and rice are almost ready, add bananas to a separate frying pan with your coconut oil, then place on low to medium heat. Leave to fry for around 1 minute or until one side has started to caramelize, and then flip each piece of banana to cook the other side.
Check that your lentils are cooked, they should still feel firm but not crunchy. If they taste ready, add to a bowl with your rice and banana. Enjoy!