Lentils, Rice and Caramelized onions

A vegetarian friend of mine sent me this recipe because she knew I was looking for vegetarian meals that have some protein in them.  The original recipe came from Aarti Sequeira of the Food Network.  I made a few minor changes as I always do to incorporate more of my preferences.


This recipe provides good protein from lentils and I used brown rice for the whole grain carbohydrate.  The caramelized onions are a special surprise that is used both in the body of the dish and as a garnish.  This is a one pot meal, which I love, and it makes a good amount, so I had leftovers.  We, 2 of us, ate this for dinner and I still had enough for lunch for several days.  This recipe serves 6.

Ingredients:
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
3 large red onions, thinly sliced
Salt
3/4 cup brown rice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick

Garnish:  (all are optional)
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted or any nuts you have available 
Squeeze fresh lime juice
Greek yogurt
Cilantro

Put the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with enough water by one inch.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a large skillet, add the olive oil, then the cumin seeds and cracked pepper and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the onions, sprinkle with several pinches of salt, and cook on medium or low heat until they turn dark brown, stirring often. This will take 15 to 30 minutes to get good color on the onions. Do not rush this or they will burn.

Remove half the onions from the pan to use as garnish.

To the pan add the ground cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon stick and saute about one minute.  Add the rice and cook until grains start to turn slightly brown, this should take only a few minutes. Add the cooked lentils and 3 cups of water, and 1 1/2 tsp of salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 35 minutes.  The water should be almost completely evaporated and the rice should be tender.  Allow the rice to steam with the lid on for 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick from the pan.

Meanwhile toast the nuts. 

To serve: mound rice into bowl, hit with a squeeze of lime, top with the caramelized onions, a dollop of yogurt and a bit of chopped cilantro.