Lentil Chili

We are not big lentil fans.  I have tried stews and soups without rave reviews.  If a dish is not requested for a second showing, it gets dropped.  Lentil Chili is the only lentil recipe that has survived.

I don't remember where the recipe came from, probably a magazine, years ago.  I catalog events in my memory by what house we lived in at the time, and I remember cooking this seven houses ago.  I recently re-surfaced it, and it passed the ultimate critics' test as a repeat performance.  We serve it with rice, or elbow macaroni, or my personal favorite, on baked potatoes.  The recipe actually constructs it as a haystack. It makes an easy meal to feed all seven of us for a few dollars, a big help with our weekly food costs.
Lentil Chili
1 package lentils, about 3 cups
5 cups water
Rinse lentils; bring to a boil in the 5 c. water, simmer for 30 minutes
Combine with:
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 - 5 tbsp chili powder
salt to taste
Simmer 30 minutes
To make a haystack, layer crumbled tortilla chips, lentil chili, grated cheddar cheese, chopped lettuce, chopped tomato, sour cream (or yogurt), chopped green onion, avocado, salsa, etc.