Lentils and Leftovers Fried Rice

My Tutu Bee (tutu is the word for grandmother in Hawaiian) was one gourmet lady. You could give her a duck, a bucket of lobsters, or 10 soursop and she would know what to do with them. ONCE in a while there were leftovers to be used up — and she knew just how to use those, too! She'd make fried rice. Today I wanted to make a dish with rice and lentils. So I did some fridge cleaning and made this lentil fried rice. The lentils added a great nutritional boost and my fridge is a bit tidier.

 

Saute in large frying pan until soft:

3 tbls OLIVE OIL
1 ONION diced
2 stalks CELERY diced

Add and saute a few minutes:

1 to 2 cups Leftover cooked MEAT (chopped or ground chicken, beef, pork—I used leftover ground sausage and bison)
Any other SUITABLE LEFTOVERS you find in the fridge

Add and saute 5 minutes stirring constantly:

3 cups cold, cooked BROWN RICE (I use organic short grain brown and cook in chicken broth)
Drizzle with more olive oil so that rice browns a bit.

Finally, add and saute (mixing gently) for a few more minutes:

2 cups cooked ORANGE LENTILS (you want then firm, not mushy) drained of any excess liquid
1 cup PEAS
1 large CARROT finely grated

Just before serving stir in a mixture of:

2-3 tbls BRAGG'S LIQUID AMINOS
1 tsp grated GINGER

To serve, press 1-1/2 cups rice into a small bowl and invert molded rice onto plate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.