Spicy Coconut Lentils

I'm BACK!  A new work schedule means that hopefully I will have more motivation to blog it up. I kept up the cooking, I was just too lazy to type anything up after sitting at a computer all day.

Recipe #1 of my comeback is Spicy Coconut Lentils! Mostly a recipe from a cookbook I have, but done a little more free hand. So be FREEEEE and experiment with amounts and additions. : )

Ingredients:
2 cups of lentils (after you boil them it will be more like 3, I used french lentils, but whatever)
2 tomatoes diced
3 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut
1 large jalepeno sliced longways (no seeds)
2 whole red dried chilis
1 small yellow onion diced
1 tbs whole cumin seeds
1 lime (for juice)
3 tbs chopped cilantro
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions:
Simmer the lentils in a pot of water until tender which will probably take about 15 minutes (I keep mine al-dente because once you pass that point they can move into the "mush" stage, and I'm not into that) Then drain them and set aside.

In a medium pot, saute the onion for 3 minutes until soft, and add the cumin seeds and dried peppers. Salt and pepper as you see fit.  Once the onions are translucent and the cumin is toasty (like 3 minutes?) add the jalepeno and shredded coconut and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the chopped tomato.  Once the tomato begins to soften and juice up the dish, add the lentils and juice of 1 lime.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.

Serve hot, room temp, or as a cold salad! This would be a great BBQ side dish for my fellow granolas out there.  And its not too spicy, just a touch of heat.