Eat Healthy - Be Healthy!

Good nutrition is important for everyone... Singers if you aren't healthy you won't sing as well as you could.. Not only is eating healthier better for your body but it will make you feel better on stage.. so look at you diet... I suggest everyone keep a food diary.. you'll be surprised at what you are actually eating.. and also make note of the time you eat and how it makes you feel...Start preparing more of your own meals and cut out the fast food, and lay off of the refined sugars ... I love recipes that I can throw in the oven and forget about.... here's one that's easy to make and healthy... combine this with a grilled chicken breast and a veggie and you have a quick, easy, nutritious meal!

Enjoy...

Yields: 4 servings, 1 1/4 cups each

Total Time: 1 hour
Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon(s) butter
* 1 cup(s) brown basmati or brown jasmine rice
* 4 1/4 cup(s) water
* 1 cup(s) brown lentils
* 4 clove(s) garlic, peeled
* 1 stick(s) cinnamon
* 4 slice(s) (1/8-inch-thick) peeled fresh ginger
* 1 teaspoon(s) red curry paste (see Note) or 1 tablespoon curry powder
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
* 4 scallions, trimmed and sliced

Directions

1. Place rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof Dutch oven; add rice and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 1/2 minutes. (If using curry powder, add it now and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds.) Add water. Stir in lentils, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger, curry paste, if using, and salt; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the curry paste.
3. Cover the pot tightly with a lid or foil. Transfer to the oven and bake until the rice and lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed, 50 to 55 minutes. Fluff with a fork, removing the cinnamon stick and ginger slices. Serve garnished with scallions.

Tips & Techniques

Note: Red curry paste is a blend of chile peppers, garlic, lemongrass and galangal (a root with a flavor similar to ginger). Look for it in jars or cans in the Asian section of the supermarket or specialty stores.

Carb Servings: 3 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 very lean meat, 1/2 fat Carbohydrate Servings: 3 1/2 Nutrition Bonus: Folate (65% daily value), Fiber (54% dv), Iron (30% dv).