Lentils With Brown Rice and Kale

• For lentils and kale:

  1 C brown lentils, rinsed
  ¼ tsp salt
  ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
  4 C kale, with heavy stems removed, rinsed and dried

• For brown rice:

  1 C instant brown rice, uncooked (for quinoa, follow cooking instructions on box)
  ¼ tsp salt
  ½ tsp dried basil

• For onion:

  2 Tbsp olive oil
  2 C onion, diced
  ¼ tsp salt
  ⅛ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

• 1

  Rinse lentils thoroughly in a fine wire colander, and remove any stones or debris.

• 2

  In a 4-quart saucepan, cover lentils with 2½ cups of water. Add salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes (until adding kale in step 5).

• 3

  In another saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add rice, salt, and basil. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside.

• 4

  In a medium sauté pan, warm olive oil over medium heat and add onion, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion pieces become soft and dark brown (caramelized), but not burnt. If the onions start to stick to the pan, add a few drops of water and scrape the onions loose. Keep cooking until onions are completely caramelized (about 10–15 minutes total). Remove from pan and set aside.

• 5

  After the lentils have cooked for 15 minutes, lightly place the kale on top of the lentils. Do not stir. Cover. The kale will steam while the lentils continue to cook, for another 15 minutes.

• 6

  When the lentils are tender, but not mushy, mix the lentils, kale, and caramelized onions in the sauté pan and stir.

• 7

  To serve, put 1 cup of the lentil mixture, in the form of a ring, on each of four dinner plates. Fill the center of each ring with one-fourth of the brown rice. Serve immediately.