Using the berbere you already have on hand, this makes for an easy dinner and great leftovers.  I’ve seen premixed from Frontier (Frontier Organic Berbere Seasoning) and a few other brands, but it really is pretty easy to make yourself if you have all the spices–then it’s completely customizable.  Unfortunately, we were hungry and short on time when we made this and the leftovers disappeared before I got around to taking pictures.  Stay tuned.  The next time I make this, I think I will try doing it in the slow cooker.  This recipe is designed for the berbere as made in the last post.  Since I like to use fresh ginger, I mark on the label on the jar that I need to add ginger.

This can be served (non-traditionally) with rice or quinoa or pasta to keep up with the quick theme) but if you want to take this meal to the next level, I suggest making some injera.

Ingredients

¼ cup coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 small nob ginger, grated (about a teaspoon)
1 cup red lentils
2 tbsp. berbere, separated
1 small tomato, cored and chopped
4 cups water
salt, to taste

Saute onions in coconut oil in large pan over medium heat.  After about 10 minutes, when they’re golden brown, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for about a minute.  Add the lentils, tomato and 1 tablespoon of berbere.  Add the water and let simmer about half an hour or until lentils reach desired consistency.  You can cook it for an hour or so if you like it to be practically homogeneous.  Add remaining berbere (and more if you need it) and salt to taste.  Serve immediately, preferably with injera.