red lentil rice cakes with tomato salsa

for the salsa

3 cups finely chopped plum tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons capers
1/4 teas salt

cakes



i love this vegetarian recipe  i make it often


5 cups water divided
1 cup small red lentils
1/2 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red pepper1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup shredded part skim milk mozzarella cheese1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teas black pepper
2 large egg whites

to fix the salsa combine first five ingredients set aside @ room temp

to fix the cakes

bring 4 cups water and lentils  to a boil in a med saucepan reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until tender

 drain and rinse with cold water
place lentils in a large bowl

combine the remaining one cup water and rice in med saucepan bring to a boil cover and reduce heat and simmer 18 minutes or until the water is absorbed cool 10 minutes add to lentils

heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high  add bell pepper onion fennel seeds and garlic and saute 2 minutes or till tender  cool 10 minutes add to lentils and rice   add the cheese and remaining ingredients stirring until well combined let sit 10 minutes    wipe the skillet clean with paper towels  heat 2 teas oil over med heat  spoon half of the rice mixture by 1/3 cupfuls  into pan spreading to form 6  3 inch circles  cook 5 minutes or till lightly browned  carefully turn the cakes over and cook 5 more minutes  repeat  process with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining rice mixture  serve with the slasa     serves six   im going to cut the recipe in half