Lentils Onion Greens Recipes

CARROTS AND LENTILS IN OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Combine the lentils with 3 cups water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Set a strainer over a bowl, and drain.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy casserole or skillet. Add the onion and coriander seeds. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, for two to three minutes until the carrots begin to soften. Stir in the dissolved tomato paste, sugar and lentils. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water from the lentils (enough to cover the lentils), salt to taste and half the mint. Bring to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until the lentils are tender and much of the liquid has evaporated. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the remaining mint and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature with cooked whole grains, like bulgur or quinoa.

MUJADARA (LENTILS AND RICE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS)

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the garlic, bay leaves, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Add the water and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Once boiling, stir in the rice and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a controlled simmer, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the lentils and let the mixture return to a simmer. Cover again, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and lentils are tender, about 20 to 23 minutes.
• Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When it's warm enough that a slice of onion sizzles on contact, add the remaining onions. Stir to combine.
• Stir only every 3 minutes or so at first, then more often once the onions at the edges of the pan start browning. If the onions are browning before they have softened, dial down the heat to give them more time. Cook until the onions are deeply caramelized and starting to crisp at the edges, about 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, line a large plate or cutting board with a couple paper towels.
• Using a slotted spoon or fish spatula, transfer the onions to the lined plate and spread them evenly across. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt over the onions. They'll crisp up as they cool.
• When the lentils and rice are done cooking, drain off any excess water (if there is any) and return the mixture to the pot, off the heat. Lay a kitchen towel across the top of the pot to absorb steam, then cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, and smash the garlic cloves against the side of the pan with a fork. Add about 3/4ths of the green onions and cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish. Gently stir and fluff the rice with a fork. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Transfer the rice and lentil mixture to a large serving platter or bowl. Top with the caramelized onions and the remaining green onions and cilantro. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and spicy sauce (optional) on the side.

ONE-POT VEGETABLES AND LENTIL RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the lentils in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 15 minutes or so, then drain.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot.
• Add the onions, garlic, and remaining vegetables.
• Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened (about 5-7 mins).
• Stir in the lentils, salt and pepper and the remaining spices.
• Add the tomatoes and water.
• Bring everything to a boil for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the heat to low; cover and let simmer for 20 mins or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked to tender. Taste and adjust the spices to your liking.
• Serve hot with your favorite crusty bread or some warm pita!

GREEN LENTILS WITH GARLIC & ONION (MADHUR JAFFREY)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. A few seconds later, put in the garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic pieces turn a medium brown colour. Now put in the onion. Stir and fry until the onion pieces begin to turn brown at the edges. Put in the lentils and the water. Bring to the boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour or until lentils are tender. (Nearly all of the liquid should have been absorbed, but watch that it doesn't turn completely solid.)
• Add the salt and the cayenne. Stir to mix and simmer gently for another 5 minutes.

LENTILS AND RICE WITH FRIED ONIONS (MUJADARRAH)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Place lentils in a medium saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 15 minutes.
• Stir rice and enough water to cover into the saucepan with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cover saucepan, and continue to simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are tender.
• Mix half the onions into the lentil mixture. Top with yogurt or sour cream and remaining onions to serve.

LENTILS WITH ONION AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oil in medium saute pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry onion until crisp and reddish-brown, about 10 minutes, then drain on paper towels.
• Put garlic and chile in saucepan and fry for 20 seconds or until just beginning to brown. Add lentils and water. Partially cover and cook for 30-35 minutes, or until lentils are soft.
• Serve lentils with onions on top.
• Note: I used 6 cloves of garlic and 2 chiles, and it still wasn't hot enough for my tastes.

LENTILS WITH GARLIC, ONION, AND TOMATO

Steps:

• You will need a medium-sized saucepan, and a large deep skillet or saucepan.
• To cook split mung beans, rinse off with cold water and then place in a saucepan with four cups of water, turmeric, bay leaf, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in salt. Serve hot, with a stack of chapatis.
• To make Dal Fry:
• In another large skillet or saucepan, heat the oil over high heat. Toss in the garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for one minute longer, stirring the entire time. Now pour in the cooked mung dal and stir (watch out for spattering as the dal first hits the oil). Cook the dal for 2 to 3 minutes, or if the dal was cold or at room temperature, cook until hot. Serve immediately in individual bowls or in one large bowl.

LEBANESE LENTILS, RICE AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS (MUJADARA)

Steps:

• Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.
• Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.
• Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)
• Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.
• Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

LENTILS, ONION, GREENS

Steps:

• Rinse and cook dry lentils in water, with a little sea salt if desired. When done, drain, rinse and set aside. Sauteed sliced onion and greens of your choice (you can use spinach or kale, I used collard greens) fresh or frozen (if frozen defrost at room temp or in microwave first) until tender in olive oil. Add lentils to sauteed mixture with some balsamic vinegar. Add pepper and/or more salt if desired.