golden lentils with brown basmati, cucumber salad and yogurt

i am enjoying october very much. are you? are you having a good month? i hope so. i've been cooking up a storm of curry. indian, thai, it is all completely delicious. i love when i have the energy to cook a lot. which certainly isn't always. i am a big believer in microwave popcorn and an apple for dinner or pasta every night or takeout when energy levels are lagging. but, when energy and creativity are working together, i love to cook. and then we eat better and feel better and have more energy to cook, a virtuous circle, which is a nice change from all those vicious circles we are always finding ourselves in.

well props to martha for this recipe, recently featured in her magazine whole living, (formerly body and soul). so simple. so fast. so nutritious. so inexpensive. so amazingly tasty. my kids swear it is now their favorite meal. i have made this a few times and have tweaked the proportions and ingredients for our appetites and pantry holdings. you can see martha's version here. deliciousness! the contrasting textures and flavors make this an exciting dish that belies its simplicity.

golden lentils with brown basmati, cucumber salad and yogurt

for the rice

2 cups brown basmati rice, cooked according to package directions. i use a rice cooker for the brown basmati, i make two cups of dry rice, which makes a whole lot of cooked rice, maybe 5 cups. (fyi, i am still terribly in love with my neuro fuzzy zojirushi rice cooker, 15 years of constant use and still makes great rice).

lentils

2 cups chopped onion (i giant or 2 small)

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups golden lentils

6 cups of water or chicken stock

1 heaping teaspoon tumeric

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 TBSP olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

cucumber salad

2 small cucumbers, chopped

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, finely chopped

juice of 1 lime or lemon

1 TBSP yuzu or white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

to serve

1 1/2 cups plain organic yogurt

cilantro leaves for garnish

once the rice is going, saute the onions and garlic with the tumeric and cumin, at least 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. add in the lentils and the stock or water, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until tender about 20 minutes, add more water if it gets too thick. now make the cucumber salad. stir all ingredients together. once the rice and lentils are done, serve in bowls, first place the rice, then the lentils over top, then the cucumber salad and yogurt, then the garnish. delicious, nutritious, frugal and simple. love it when everything comes together like that.