Easy Vegan Quinoa and Lentil Pilaf with Brussels Sprouts and Orange Apple Cranberry Thyme Sauce
This whole-foods plant-based, fat-free, no-oil healthy brussels sprouts with lentils and quinoa recipe is crazy easy.
The quinoa and lentil pilaf in one pot is a delicious staple that can serve as a vegan starch and protein base for many of your meals.
Here, I’ve added my orange thyme dressing, but other vegetables and sauces will work well too.
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Lentils and Quinoa in Only 20 Minutes
Cook dry sprouted lentils and dry quinoa together, in the same pot, they take the same amount of time – and in 15 – 20 minutes you’ll have a pilaf of lentils and quinoa that is fluffy and ready for a vegetable and a sauce.
You can dress the quinoa and lentils up in so many ways.
Boil, Steam or Microwave Brussel Sprouts
Cook a huge batch of brussels sprouts for this, they go perfectly.
Add Orange Thyme Cranberry Tahini Dressing
The lentils and quinoa are going to be pretty boring on their own, but look through the sauces/dressings on this site and pick one and it becomes a different dish each time.
I recommend my Sweet Zing Orange Thyme Dressing.
You can click on the “sauce” tag in the sidebar to view a list of sauces. Â Or use the search feature on the site and search for “sauce” or “dressing”.
Mmmm, just looking at these pictures again now, I remember how good this was!
The sauce has a lot of tasty ingredients – orange juice, diced apple, sesame paste (tahini), green onions, chia seeds, dried cranberries… it’s great. Â Very quick, easy and simple to make too.
My kids liked the pilaf and brussels sprouts without the sauce, instead of the dressing, one added lemon juice, the other  loads of cranberry sauce from a can.
When I eat beans and rice, or lentils with quinoa I feel like I am living harmoniously with our planet, and usually surprised at how great they taste, and how satisfied I feel after.
I hope at least someone else can relate to what I am talking about.
Bringing peace through plants…  🙂
Brussels Sprouts, Quinoa, and Lentil Pilaf
Instructions and Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups dried lentils sprouted lentils because they cook fastest, read the packages, select the fast cooking lentils.
- 1 cup quinoa dried
- 8 cups brussels sprouts
- Orange Thyme Dressing recipe prepared, consider doubling the recipe to have enough for leftovers. One recipe makes 4 servings.
- Heat water in a medium sized pot, on high.
- Add quinoa and sprouted lentils, stir. Usually the water doesn't need to be boiling, check your instructions. Follow package directions about rinsing, some brands require rinsing to remove bitterness or dirt or pesticides. I often forget, hoping a reminder here helps you remember. Here are the brands I used - both were available at Costco, other brands will work, check that the cooking time on the lentils is similar to the quinoa - about 15 minutes. It seems that sprouted lentils usually cook faster than non-sprouted lentils. My sprouted lentils say simmer for 8 minutes then let sit for 4 minutes. My quinoa says simmer for 15 minutes. I like lentils soft rather than chewy so I am happy to cook the lentils a little longer.
- Once boiling, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or according to package directions. If your lentils are going to take longer, then start them first and add the quinoa when there is 15 minutes cooking time left.
- Meanwhile, steam brussels sprouts in a steamer pot on the stove (makes them so juicy and tender, mmmm my favourite way) or in a microwave steamer like this large Epicure silicone steamer. You could also boil them in water, which is what I did this time. Any of these methods takes about 15 minutes.
- Now prepare the sauce - the fat-free no-oil Orange Thyme Dressing for example. It's going to take you 10 minutes.
- Once the pilaf is done, stir it to combine, it should be fluffy with no moisture. If there is water left, keep it on low for 5 minutes at a time until it is dried out, and reduce the water amount in the future. The lentils spread around the edge with the quinoa in the centre during cooking.
- The pilaf should look like this once done.
- Serve the pilaf, with brussels sprouts and a generous portion of sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
What's Special About VeganEnvy Recipes? Â
VeganEnvy recipes are easy, low-fat, whole-foods, plant-based and nutrition rich. Â Real food my family eats, and techniques we use to cook.
- less than 25% calories from fat, and no added oils (why no-oil cooking?)
- whole-foods instead of processed foods (why switch to whole-foods? Our journey 🙂)
- whole grains (how to choose healthy grains)
- low or no sugar
- high fibre (cure IBS and digestive issues)
- high nutrient plants, including fruit, greens, beans, legumes, soy, spices, seeds and nuts.
- no animal products, dairy-free (you don't need meat for muscle)
- no tricks (I am not going to say a recipe is healthy if it isn't).
I choose ingredients that are proven to prevent and reverse disease, based on scientific studies, such as those reviewed on nutritionfacts.org and findings published by whole-foods plant-based (WFPB) experts featured in the Forks Over Knives (FOK) and What the Health documentaries FOK trailer.
Eating VeganEnvy recipes will make you lose weight, look better, feel better and live longer. Â PLUS spend your money to cruelty free food systems, cut your environmental impact, and likely increase your compassion for, and awareness of, lives other than your own.
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