Mujaddara is a common dish in the Arab world that consists of rice, lentils, onions and seasoned with cumin. There seems to be some different variations, but after making this several times in my own home, this recipe is where I have landed. This dish dates back to the 11th century. Rice & Lentils mixed with meat was a traditional celebratory meal.

For the record, I absolutely adore Mujaddara. I honestly crave it, and it has become something that I prepare often to have in the fridge for busy weeknight meals. I use brown rice and brown lentils seasoned with cumin, coriander, cinnamon and garlic. I fold in LOTS of caramelized onions, raisins, then top the dish with vegan sour cream or yogurt, crispy fried onions and chopped parsley, cilantro &/or mint. I also like to sprinkle chili flakes over the dish for a bit of heat. 

I really like to serve this with chopped romaine lettuce. I don't typically even make a salad, I just have that along side, though I had some salsa verde (parsley, olive oil, chili flakes, garlic) kicking around in the fridge and I used that as a bit of a dressing on my romaine one night and it was extra special. (which makes sense because the ingredients work with the Mujaddara as well.)

Finally, the recipe is a bit wordy, but I want to explain my process well. Read it a couple of times. It's really simple, and once you make this dish a couple of times, it really becomes something you can whip up without much thought, and the results are amazing. 

Serves 3 - 4 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 4 large spanish or sweet onions, diced (for caramelizing)
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced (for frying to garnish)
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional but good...sometimes I use chopped dates!)
• 6 tbsp EVOO (divided 1/4 cup for onions, 2 tbsp for rice)
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp coriander
• S & P
• Vegan Yogurt or Sour Cream for Serving (I use Earths Own Sour Cream, you can squeeze lemon into it if you want some added tanginess, but somehow in this context, I don't)
• Chopped herbs to garnish (parsley and or mint would be traditional, cilantro is also tasty)

Method:

1. I start by adding 1/4 cup of EVOO in a large pan over medium heat to begin to caramelize my onions. Add onions, season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring as needed. I tend to adjust my temperature up and down. I start it a bit higher to get things rolling, stirring more often...then once everything begins to soften a bit and colour starts happening, I turn the heat down much lower (medium low) and allow them to cook undisturbed for longer periods of time to slowly caramelize. Then at the end I turn it back up again lol) Just keep an eye, you want deep caramelization, but no burning. You could go low and slow the whole way through, it will take a lot longer though. Mine take about 30 minutes. 
2. While onions are caramelizing I cook my lentils in a small pot of boiling water seasoned with a bit of salt. They take about 20 minutes. I don't want mushy lentils. Soft, but still some texture. Then I strain them in a small mesh strainer and I just have them sitting over the same pot I cooked them in on the stove so I have it ready to dump on top of the rice in the next step.
3. In a larger pot, add 2 tbsp of EVOO over medium heat, add garlic and sweat for a couple of minutes, then add dry spices and stir a couple minutes longer. (onions might be done by now and I have them turned off and ready to add in at the end)
4. Add rice and stir for a couple minutes to toast. Pinch of S & P Add water and cook as per package directions.
5. When rice is done (or almost done), take the lid off and dump in the lentils and caramelized onions on top and cover with the lid again. I let the rice finish for the last 5 minutes or so with lentils and onions on top to heat through again. 
6. Remove lid, stir and garnish with fried onions , vegan sour cream or yogurt, chili flakes and chopped fresh herbs. 

For the Fried Onions:

1. Toss thinly sliced onion in a bit of cornstarch with a pinch of salt and pepper to coat. (I often use red, but it doesn't matter).
2. Deep fry them between 300 - 350 F until golden.                                                                                    *******If you don't have a deep fryer you can use a pot with oil in it, but you need to be VERY CAREFUL. I'm really comfortable deep frying this way because I have a lot of experience doing it. The oil level always raises when you add your ingredients to it, but it REALLY raises and foams a lot with the cornstarch coated onions. I always use a giant pot with a shallow amount of oil so there is no risk of it boiling over. I use a thermometer in the oil and adjust the temperature to stay between 300 - 350 F. 

Espinacas Con Garbanzo is a common tapas dish in some areas of Spain. The way it is prepared will undoubtedly vary depending on the region, and then it will vary even just depending who is cooking! (every family might do things differently, no different than anywhere else in the world.) I have never been to Spain so, I just take inspiration from what I do know and then prepare it to my taste! Next time I'll add even more spinach than what is pictured above, I did two big handfuls this time...I want at least double that.) 

I made my Spinach with Chickpeas simply, with onion, garlic, smoked paprika, and olive oil. I was serving it with Calçots Con Romesco (Grilled Scallions with Romesco), Crusty Bread, and Extra Romesco Sauce on the side. (these 3 posts are meant to be read together for full effect) The romesco has lots of tomato and red pepper flavours, with acidity from sherry vinegar, so I didn't feel the need to add any of these nuances to this recipe. If I WASN'T serving it with Romesco, I would definitely be adding a splash of something. Tomato and or Lemon/Sherry Vinegar to add some brightness. I think I always want crusty multigrain bread grilled with olive oil when I'm eating this. Especially with the other tapas dishes I made. Piling all the deliciousness onto bread is perfection! 

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I first had this dish in a Spanish Tapas Restaurant in Orlando, Florida. It was many years ago, so I can't recall much other than I really enjoyed it...enough to store it as one of my manyyyy food memories. Calçots are a variety of onion and a delicacy in Spain. They are similar to the scallions we get here in North America, so that is what I used. For this dish, you drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and grill them, ideally until there are some blackened/charred bits happening. Then you simply serve them with a swirl of romesco sauce. A garnish of more chopped toasted almonds is nice too. Not only are they delicious, they are really fun to eat, just use your hands and drag the scallions through the romesco. Pile them onto olive oil grilled bread... DELICIOUS. (bonus if you have some char on the bread too...something about the combination of char and romesco is heaven.)

Calçots con Romesco is a common tapas dish in Spain, so it's nice served with other bites on the table to make up a larger spread. I made a simple meal out of this dish, crusty bread grilled with olive oil, and Espinacas con Garbanzo (Spinach with Chickpeas, another common tapas dish in Spain of which I will share and link below soon). I really recommend giving this dish a try, it's simple but incredibly delicious, and also a fun way to eat especially with friends.

Romesco is a classic sauce originating from Catalonia, Spain. It is typically made from roasted tomatoes and garlic, toasted almonds, or hazelnuts, olive oil, and nyora peppers. Day old bread toasted in olive oil is used to thicken the sauce. This version uses almonds, roasted red peppers (from a jar to keep it simple) and smoked paprika. The sauce comes together quickly in a food processor. I like to eat Romesco with grilled vegetables, potatoes, crusty bread, or as a sandwich spread. I think the recipe is a bit forgiving. If you have more tomatoes and less peppers, you could make it work. Really it's just about balancing the flavours. A bit of acidity, seasoned with salt and pepper, a bit of smoked paprika and bread as needed to thicken. I always take a taste and adjust these things until it seems balanced.

I made this sauce and then prepared the following things for a simple tasty meal (pictured/linked below.)

• "Calcots con Romesco" (Grilled Spring Onions with Romesco) 
•  "Espinacas Con Garbanzo" (Spinach with Chickpeas)
• Olive Oil Grilled Crusty Bread. 

All the bites piled onto the bread with extra Romesco along side was delicious.

Yield: about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 500 ml jar roasted red peppers, discard liquid (there was about 2 1/2 whole peppers in my jar)
• 1 whole tomato 
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
• 1/2 cup Fruity Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 cloves garlic (I'll probably add more next time)
• 5 slices white baguette (or as needed)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 5 tbsp sherry vinegar 
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar (I added this because I'm always trying to balance flavours at the end...I used to make Romesco exclusively with red wine vinegar...it adds something I like..)
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/8th tsp cayenne (or more to taste)

Method:

1. The first step is to roast the tomato, garlic and bread in a bit of olive oil. I decided to do this in a pan to keep things simple. Smash garlic cloves with flat side of your knice, (remove peel), slice tomato in half, & slice thick pieces of baguette.
2. Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat and toss everything in, season with S & P, turning as needed until everything has a bit of colour. 
3. Then in a food processor, blitz roasted red peppers, almonds, tomato, garlic and bread until  combined into a coarse mixture. Now drizzle in olive oil, vinegar and season with salt, pepper & cayenne. If mixture seems really thin add another slice of bread. 

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This dish is incredibly delicious. There is so much richness and depth happening for a simple pot of lentils. Perfect healthy comfort food for the cooler months. Lentils and Mushrooms are simmered with mirepoix, lots of garlic, red wine, rosemary, smoked paprika, a few other ingredients for complexity and finished with green peas and a touch of vegan butter. I really like the addition of peas but if that isn't your thing you can leave them out. I used brown lentils, but you can definitely use green if that is what you have or prefer. 

This dish is delicious if you just take a taste out of the pot, but for me the magic REALLY happens when paired with creamy mashed potatoes. This meal is humble, yet gorgeous and totally dinner party worthy. I boiled yellow potatoes in salted water, and then mashed with vegan sour cream, olive oil and a bit more salt & pepper. 

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and if you would like a bit more minced rosemary. Somehow I was wanting both on mine. Serve with different sides of vegetables. I made a grated carrot salad with raisins and pecans, because I was craving it, but I think roasted or steamed carrots, brussels sprouts, or green beans would all be vegetables I gravitate to to serve along side. 

Method:

1. In a cast iron pan, heat a bit of veg oil. When pan is hot add mushrooms. Cook until golden  brown. Set aside.
2. In a pot heat a swirl of veg oil over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot & celery in veg oil until softened. Add garlic and cook 3 more minutes. Season with S & P
3. Add tomato paste & smoked paprika. Cook while stirring for 1 minute.
4. Add red wine and browned mushrooms. Let wine reduce a bit.
5. Now add dried lentils, veg stock and season with more S & P
6. Add maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, rosemary & soy sauce.
7. Simmer until lentils are cooked and liquid is reduced and thickened. (lentils should be soft but still have some texture)
8. Add vegan butter & frozen peas.
9. Taste and adjust seasonings. 
10. Serve over mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley, and more minced rosemary if desired.