Greek Vegetable Pilaf - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon ground sumac
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1 cup dried red lentils
2 cups couscous, uncooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut
2 cups spinach, raw, chopped roughly
1 tablespoon za'atar spice mix
salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces feta, diced
2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

Preparation

Make the yogurt-sumac sauce by mixing together yogurt, sumac powder, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon minced onion. Allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour. (Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.).
Cook the lentils in simmering water until tender, following package directions. Drain and set aside.
Put couscous in a bowl with 3 cups of boiling water. Stir and let sit away from heat until all water is absorbed and couscous is tender. Set aside.
Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute until onion is transparent. Add garlic and bell pepper, and saute for 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add carrots and green beans. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until green beans are tender. Stir occasionally.
When green beans are cooked, stir in the spinach and simmer 1-2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Stir in the za'tar, salt and pepper to taste, and remove from heat.
Mix the vegetable mixture with the lentils, couscous, and feta. Stir gently until well combined. Serve topped with diced tomatoes and cucumber, and with yogurt-sumac sauce to taste.