Katrina Eats Vegetarian!

I found this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine.

Red Lentil-Rice Cakes with Simple Tomato Salsa

Salsa:

3 cups finely chopped plum tomato (about 6 tomatoes)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons capers

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cakes:

5 cups water, divided

1 cup dried small red lentils

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 5 ingredients; set aside at room temperature.

2. To prepare cakes, bring 4 cups water and lentils to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place lentils in a large bowl.

3. Combine remaining 1 cup water and rice in pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Cool 10 minutes. Add rice to lentils.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, fennel seeds, and garlic to pan; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Cool 10 minutes. Add to rice mixture. Add mozzarella cheese and remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. Let stand for 10 minutes.

5. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Spoon half of rice mixture by 1/3-cupfuls into pan, spreading to form 6 (3-inch) circles; cook 5 minutes or until lighly browned. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 5 minutes on other side.

Remove cakes from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remaining rice mixture. Serve with salsa. Yield: 6 servings (serving: 2 cakes and 1/2 cup salsa). 5 points per serving.

A note from Cooking Light: Make sure you are using red lentils. Yellow lentils will not work in this recipe.

THE VERDICT: These aren't bad, they have decent flavor, but the texture is a bit odd. I like meat, so probably won't make these again unless I have to. They are, however, very filling. Two cakes are 5 points. So the cakes and a salad made a nice meal.

I'm lazy, so I didn't make the salsa. Figured I would just use good ol' Pace, but that wasn't quite right. I'm thinking it would be good with a bit of marinara sauce, but just a bit. It wasn't good with ranch.

Now, the recipe makes 12 cakes. I don't know why, but I made the full recipe. So, I have leftovers. I will have cakes to re-heat and I have some of the mix, so will be able to see if it will keep. Check back for a leftover report later in the week.