Recipe: Simple-ish Red Lentil Dal

I'm trying to simplify our lives a bit. I threw out over half of my cooking utensils (think doubles of everything. I mean, how many knives do I actually need?! Answer: 3. How many serving scoop dish thingies? 1 instead of 3.) So I had a hard time naming this dish SIMPLE because there are several ingredients. At the same time you kind of just throw it together and wait for it to cook itself - that's my kind of simple.

Oh also we are saving money so lentils kind of always fall into that category. I know not everyone thinks lentils are awesome but they are so versatile that you would have to eat a LOT of different dishes with lentils to be totally sure you don't like them.
I had these with *GASP* white rice and some potatoes. Oh and yeah curried spinach and tomatoes. The problem with THAT dish is that it looks gross no matter how I photograph it. I may try again though because my kid DEVOURED it. So did I!!!

Simple-ish Red Lentil Dal

1 cup red lentils
1.5 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoons ginger, grated
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional if you don't like spicy food)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

• Heat a medium sized pot over high heat. Add in the cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds and coriander seeds. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. 
• Add in the remaining ingredients. Give it a good stir. 
• Bring to a simmer and then put the lid on and turn down to low. 
• Cook until the lentils are nice and falling apart, about 40 minutes. Check every once in a while to make sure there is enough liquid. (You may need to add 1/4 -1/2 cup water) 
• Add salt to taste and serve up! (It's really good with rice, naan or smashed potatoes even!)