You keep an ingredient for so long, waiting for that longed-for recipe, but time passes and you don't do anything because, well, because. Then one day, you go and add that ingredient to whatever you're preparing on the spur of the moment? Has it ever happened to you? I had a little jar of homemade preserved tomatoes I was keeping for a special sandwich. It never happened, hehe.

More than fresh or canned tomatoes, dried tomatoes give more lycopene, which means, among other benefits, that your bones and heart will thank you. These dried tomatoes were a gift from friends. Soon I'll share my own recipe with you. These were seasoned with rosemary and Jamaican pepper and have waited six months to fulfill their destiny, hehe. I've saved half of them, so let's see if I can't get up the courage to make that sandwich I owe myself.

In an attempt--successful--to eat well and fast while still working, my beloved homemade sun-dried tomatoes ended up on mujadara and mashed avocado. The combination was wonderful not only for its flavor and nutritional properties but also because I only cooked it once for three days. It is satisfying and nourishing food and, besides, you don't get bored of eating it over and over again.

A complete meal that is plant based seems to me ideal for those days when it's busy. It usually happens to me that if I am very busy during the day, I avoid eating because I feel that the food will be heavy in my stomach and it will hinder my performance, so I just drink coffee and more coffee; when the night comes, hunger and tiredness suddenly crush me. The rest is history 🙈 So a well-rounded plant-based meal that I can eat from a single bowl in my hand with a fork or spoon allows me to eat properly without my stomach suffering while I work at the computer; not an ideal protocol, but much better than collapsing against the open fridge at night and devouring anything I can find.

INGREDIENTS

Mujadara:

• 200 gr lentils
• 200 gr white rice
• 4 cups julienned onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt for lentils and rice + 1,1/2 teaspoons to caramelize de onion juliennes
• (1 teaspoon ground cumin--which I didn't use this time)
• enough olive oil to cook the onion

Mashed avocado:

• 1 450 gr avocad
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt to taste

• Top it with sundried tomatoes and a bit of their preserve oil 😋

THE PROCESS

Start by washing the lentils. Put them in a pot with three cups of water and the salt. Cook over medium fire for 10 minutes or until they begin to soften.

Once the lentils have begun to soften, wash the rice under running water to remove excess starch, and add it to the cooking pot. Stir a little and let them cook over medium fire without the lid. It'll cook quickly, in about 5 minutes, depending on the kind of rice you're using.

Caramelized onions ❤️

Often, I start by caramelizing the onions because it takes longer than cooking the lentils and rice. It's sort of a slow process if you want them sweet and crispy.

Peel and cut the onion into thick juliennes. They will shrink considerably as they cook.

Put the in a hot frying pan or a wok with a little olive oil.

The juliennes must be loose so they caramelize well and turn crispy.

Some people think is sugar that you must add to caramelize onions, but it's salt.

You'll see how they turn golden brown and then turn brown. Spread them as evenly as possible on the surface of the pan, so that they cook as evenly as possible. I used a wok.

Let them cook, stirring from time to time... until they turn dark brown and crispy...