Lentils with Brown Rice and Onions

When I was a child, my mom made lentils for dinner in two ways. One was "Italian style," served over pasta with lots of garlic, grated cheese, and I think a little tomato. The other was more plain - in a soup with tons of onions, served with brown rice. The onion soup style of lentils was the kind that I really loved. I don't know what kind of Italian that makes me, but at least I eat lentils because they're really good for you!

Ingredients:

1 bag of brown lentils, or 2 cups of French lentils if you have them

2 large onions, sliced into rings

olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

8 to 10 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup brown rice

Instructions:

Start by lightly sauteeing the onions at the bottom of a big pot. To do this, add a little oil to the bottom of the pot, heat on low, and add the rings of raw onion. Keep moving the onions around the pan. Don't let them fry or turn brown... you just want them to cook lightly until they become translucent and soft.

Once the onions are soft, add the clove of garlic and the bag of lentils. Fill the pot with water, using 8 to 10 cups or about 3/4 of the way. Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until the soup begins to boil, then lower heat down to medium-low and cover. Continue to cook for about an hour or so.

When the lentils look soft, add the rice to the pot. Gauge the water level to see if more needs to be added. I like my soup very soupy but you might prefer less water in yours. Continue to cook until the rice is done. Keep an eye on the pot to make sure the water doesn't all evaporate. If it's looking dry, add more.

Note: you don't have to cook the rice into the lentil soup if you'd prefer not to. Instead, you can prepare it on the side, store the cooked rice in the refrigerator and add to your soup as necessary.

When the soup looks ready, take a taste to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. Add more salt and pepper as necessary.

Serves: about 8

Submitted by: Dina Giolitto
http://wordfeeder.com

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