Mujaddara Recipe

If you haven't eaten Mujaddara before, you are in for a real treat. The traditional way to make this dish is to use lentils and rice or bulgar. I have changed the recipe for my purposes, because I try to avoid rice as much as possible and I never eat wheat. Mujaddara is the Arabic word for "smallpox" in reference to the lentils. It is a dish eaten throughout the Arabic world and it is a little slice of heaven. Peasant food, yes, but utterly delicious and easy to adjust based on what you have in the pantry and what you want to go into it for your health. I make several different versions.

By far my favorite is the chick pea version I put together. I eat this for lunch as much possible because it is so delicious!

Chickpea Mujaddara

You will need:

1 cup dried chickpeas, cooked and drained, set aside
4 onions, sliced into rainbows
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T olive oil
EV coconut oil for cooking (1 Tbsp or so)

Step One: Cook 1 cup dried chick peas until done and drain. (See my earlier post about how to cook the perfect bean if you are not sure how to use dried chickpeas).

Step 2: In a frying pan, melt a Tbsp EV Coconut oil over medium heat. Add 4 onions, sliced into rainbows.

Step 3: Cook onions until they caramelize, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: To onions in the pan, add cooked chickpeas, 1 tsp cumin (I use roasted cumin by mccormick for the best flavor but any cumin will do), 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 T Olive oil.

Step 5: Stir together to combine and heat for just a moment. Remove from burner.

Step 6: Put a serving size of Mujaddara in a bowl and fill the rest of the bowl with lettuce, tomato, carrots, red bell pepper slices, any other salad greens or veggies you desire. You can add chicken slices if you like, or tzatziki sauce, hummus. Any combination of fresh yummy additions is great. Enjoy your healthy lunch full of fiber and fresh veggies!

Lentil Mujaddara

You will need:
2 cups lentils
4 1/2 cups water
4 onions, cut into rainbows
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2T olive oil
1 T EV coconut oil for cooking

Step 1: In a large pot, sautee onions on medium heat with 1T coconut oil until they caramelize. Remove half of the onions to a bowl.

Step 2: To the pot, add lentils, water, and spices to the onions.

Step 3: Simmer until lentils are done. Add reserved onions and 2T olive oil to the pot.

Step 4: Stir to combine and heat for a moment or two.

Step 5: Enjoy your yummy lentils with everything you would enjoy the chickpea mixture above with. Vegetarian salad bowls are my favorite!

It doesn't get any easier than this! This recipe is great because it combines good fats with a lot of fiber, and fresh vegetables. It is even better the next day and subsequent reheatings so I always make a big batch and eat it all week for lunch. Sometimes dinner too :) I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!