Veggie Lover's Lentils Over Rice

Veggie Lover's Lentils Over Rice
3 3/4 cups "instant" (5-minute) rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
1 extra-large green bell pepper (for about 2 cups chopped)
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 cups already-cooked brown lentils, defrosted if frozen, recipe follows
Bring 3 3/4 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. When the water boils, stir in the rice, cover the pan, and remove from the heat until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat in an extra-deep 12-inch nonstick skillet. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Stir from time to time. Rinse, core and seed the bell pepper. Coarsely chop the bell pepper, adding it to the skillet as you chop. Stir and cook the vegetables until the onion is tender, about 1 minute.
Add the garlic, tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Stir well, and cut the larger pieces of tomato with the sides of the spoon to make bite-size pieces. Stir in the lentils and the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Cook until the lentils are heated through, about two minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once over a bed of hot rice.
Serves six.
Nutrition values per serving: 395 calories (7 percent from fat), 3 g fat (0 g saturated), 79 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber, 15 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol, 507 mg sodium.