Lentils and Rice: the lazy way

Busy week. Jewish fast day on Tuesday (no food or water all day until 8:30 pm!) Terrible heat all week- at least 35 degrees every day, and HUMID!! It's a good thing I've started wearing scarves because otherwise my hair would be out of control frizzy. As I'm sure you are not interested in the frizziness of my hair I will get back to the topic at hand: Lentils.

Lentils are awesome- besides being packed with protein, fiber and all sorts of minerals, they are ridiculously cheap. One 500 gram package costs 5 shekels- the equivalent of $1.30. Mix some lentils with rice and not only do you have a complete protein meal, but you did it for under a dollar. Kudos to you man!

Usually I make lentils and rice the not lazy way:

I toast up some cumin and fennel seeds in oil in a large pot, add copped onion and garlic and fry them until golden, I toast the rice for a min, then add enough water to cook the rice in. Add the lentils, and enough additional water (1 part lentils to 2 parts water- so if you added a cup of lentils, add another 2 cups of water) to cook. And then I season! Paprika, cumin, curry, cayenne, salt, pepper, turmeric, ginger, garlic... and let it cook for about half an hour.

Now for the lazy way:

1. pick through lentils and discard any funky looking ones, and stones. soak lentils in water for about an hour. Drain them and add to a large pot with lots of water.
2. Add about 1/2-3/4 c of rice. (Really you can use as much rice as you fancy, just make sure theres enough water in the pot).
3. Chop up an onion and add it to the water. Add some smashed garlic, salt, a bay leaf if you want, and any spices that float your boat. I like to add cumin and curry, but sometimes I add parsley, thyme and sage.
4. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for about half an hour until the rice is cooked and the lentils are tender.