Don't Need Much Money is exactly what it sounds like: a site about needing less, so you have more. More time. More freedom. More room to actually live. The idea is simple. The less money you need to survive, the more time you have to thrive. Lower your living costs, live a healthy lifestyle focused on longevity and mobility, stay out of debt, and build a little savings, and you buy yourself something far more valuable than money: time. Time to do what you actually love, spend with people you care about, and put toward things that matter. This site is my own real life running that experiment. Most of what you'll find here are recipes and day-to-day habits. They aren't filler posts, it's intentional. Cooking from scratch, buying smart, wasting less, eating well, and staying healhty, fit, and limber all without spending much are some of the most direct ways I practice this philosophy day to day. This blog doubles as my own recipe box and exercise notes, and I share it b...
I recently purchased some brown lentils to mix in with rice while I'm cooking it since they both take the same amount of time. By doing this, I've now turned the rice into a complete meal since the lentils have the missing essential amino acids that the rice doesn't have and vice versa.
That's the beauty of a vegan diet with carbs and legumes as the primary calories. You get the complete proteins your body needs plus a lot more fiber and other essential vitamins that meat-based protein doesn't have. And you avoid a lot of the harmful things caused by too much meat consumption.
After cooking the rice and lentils, I realized this is exactly like the Vegan Dolmas base that I tried before so I figured why not make a dolmas style dressing to stir into the rice right before serving. I used a variation of the same seasoning from that recipe and it turned out fantastic! Now I mix some of this dressing up whenever I want and store it in an old spice jar in the fridge kind of like salad dressing ready to be used when I make my next batch of rice and lentils.
Ingredients for the Dolmas Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt (adjust if you pre-seasoned the rice and lentils)
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
Directions for the Dolmas Dressing:
- Blend these ingredients in a bowl or jar and stir or shake until mixed. Use right away and store any extra in the fridge. This will last as long as your olive oil and lemon juice will last.
Ingredients for the rice and lentils:
- 2 cups white rice (preferably jasmine or basmati)
- 1/2 cup brown lentils
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
Directions for the rice and lentils:
- Wash the rice and lentils and add to the pot with the water.
- Bring to a boil while stirring so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat but keep the pot covered. Don't peak or it will release steam which you don't want.
- Let rest for an additional 10-15 minutes then uncover the pot, fluff the rice and lentils, and serve.
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