Lentils and Rice

This is a great dish to serve when you want something tasty and different.  No one will notice that it is vegetarian because it is hearty, as well as delicious.  This recipe combines two main staples in vegetarian
 cooking, legumes and rice.  I used white rice because that is what was in my pantry at the time, but brown rice works, too. 
If you cook a lot of rice, you might want to invest in a rice cooker.  There are a several nice ones available,  and many of them convert to vegetable steamers, also.

1 cup of uncooked Lentils
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 medium Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric
2 teaspoons of Ground Cumin, divided
1 teaspoon of Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 Tablespoon of  Sepay Groves Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon of  ground Pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Hot Sauce
4 cups of Cooked Rice

Bring lentils and water to boil in a large saucepan.  Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, turmeric, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer about 1 hour or until lentils are tender.
While the lentils are cooking, in a skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion and bell pepper.  Add the other 1 teaspoon of cumin and let it heat through.  Once the lentils have finished cooking add to the onion-bell pepper mixture.  Add hot sauce and cook 3 to 5 minutes until all is heated through. 
Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Deloris