A Middle Eastern dish with lentils, rice and carmelized onions.
1 cup lentils (I used 1/2 cup red and 1/2 cup brown lentils)
2 large onions, or 4 small ones
3-½ cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup white rice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Slice the onions lengthwise. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and half an onion over medium heat in a large pot. Cook until onion is caramelized.
Add lentils, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add rice and cumin. Simmer covered for another 20 minutes.
In a frying pan over medium heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the remaining onions and cook until caramelized.
Recipe adapted from The Confused Homemaker
Bennett liked this a lot; I was surprised how much he liked it actually. He kept asking for more and more! Cole barely touched the stuff though. I managed to get him to swallow a few bites but it was clear he really didn’t care for it. I thought it was kind of bland, especially for a Middle Eastern dish, which I tend to expect to be full of spices and flavour. On the plus side, it was really easy and fast, and it’s made with ingredients I usually have on hand. It’s also very good for you. I recommend using vegetable broth instead of water to give it flavour, and though it seems like a lot of onions you definitely want a lot in this case. Also, I would double the cumin next time and add some other spices. I’ve seen recipes for this meal that use cinnamon and allspice, and I think that would be a nice touch.
My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” 
