Rice and Lentils (Not so Boring, I promise)

I know that rice and lentils are served all over the world, what could they have done that made me so happy?

Well, watching ALL of my children happily eat their fill of rice and lentils today, that's what. Seriously, I have been serving a variation of rice and lentils pretty often, for several years. But never, that is, never, have my kids been so willing to eat it up. And I did NOT starve them all day. I promise.

So here goes:

Rice: lazy cook's rice: Place about 1/3 of a bag or rice into a casserole dish,  add 1/4 c. ground flaxseed, 1-2 tsp olive oil (I didn't measure, sorry) and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour in water to cover and then some. Cover the dish and bake at 425 for at least an hour (probably an hour and a quarter). This worked REALLY well with the Whole Grain Round Rice I found on sale somewhere.

Lentils: 1 onion, diced, 1 clove garlic, diced, 1/2 red pepper, diced, 1 small tomato, diced. Heat olive oil in pan and add all those diced goodies. Cook till beginning to brown (don't forget to stir). Add 1/2 kg lentils (sorted, rinsed, you know the drill!), 200g tomato paste, about 4-6 cups of water, salt, cayenne pepper, and some parsley (that was an impulse. but it worked). Stir well, and bring to a boil. Lower flame, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked. The lentils will be soft, the water will be mostly absorbed. You may have to add another cup of water during this process if your lentils aren't quite done.
Serve hot, with tortilla chips if you can. Tastes great with tortilla chips!

(We also had some soup tonight - potato/vegetable.)