My Mujadara is the bomb diggity.

My family in Michigan knows the best Middle Eastern restaurants, and every summer when I visit, we gotta go. We're particularly in it for the Mujadara, which is a dish with lentils, caramelized onions and Yogur (i leave off the 't' for effect).

So this is my version of Mujadara, starring one of Trader Joe's best products to date (MAYBE top 3 in my opinion), the vacuum-packed steamed lentils. This is what they look like:

Lentils are a great source of protein and fiber, plus they contain other vitamins and minerals.

Here's what I use to make them:
above package
1 medium sized sweet yellow onion, chopped thin
1 tbsp olive oil
black pepper
2-3 tbsp soy sauce or braggs amino acids
1 tsp cumin (a must)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chili pepper (or both, if you like it hot)
any other middle eastern or indian spices that strike your fancy to taste

First, I heat a pan on medium-high and saute the onions. This takes a while because you want them really soft and sweet. I'd say 10 minutes. If they burn a little, that's OK. You can turn the heat down a bit to medium.

When the onions are done, transfer them to a separate dish, add a little more olive oil to the pan and put it on medium. Now, put the lentils in the pan.
NOTE: The package says to boil the whole thing in water. I don't. I just cut open the plastic, and let those little suckers roam free. They're very stuck together, so break them up with the back of a wooden spoon.

Toss them in the pan until they're separated and evenly heated (about 5 minutes). Then add soy sauce, black pepper, cumin, cayenne and other spices. Mix again.

When everything is mixed and heated, add the onions back to the pan and toss again. Should take another 3 minutes, but just eyeball it. Taste it to see what you think. Add more spices if necessary.

I like to serve it with rice pilaf...ahem BASMATI rice pilaf. And then you can put some plain Yogur on top. It really cools it down and makes it the bomb.