Thursday, February 20, 2014

Delicious Daal

After a nice early evening yoga class I came home eagerly anticipating cooking dinner. I reveled in the fact that I was going to prepare, with my bare hands, a home cooked, healthy and delicious meal. My choice for the evening in honor of yoga's Indian roots, a green split pea daal. This was the first time I have cooked daal, and I basically just went on intuition and winged it. The result...YUUUMMM! So easy, so healthy, and so darn tasty. I will be making this alot and trying it with yellow split peas and lentils as well.

Green Split Pea Daal - about 3 servings

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot stick, diced
cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
1 cup green split peas
3 cups vegetable broth or water

In a medium size saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add celery, carrots, and spices and stir evenly to coat. Saute for a couple minutes then add liquid and peas. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and peas are soft. Should be a thick consistency. Serve over rice, sprinkle with nutritional yeast for added nutrients, and enjoy.

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is a rice cooker. I first learned of rice cookers while I was living in Hawaii, as it is a staple in every one's home there. You can put in any type of rice, quinoa, or other grain with the required amount of liquid, press the cook button and it does all the work. It is a great way to always have warm grains on hand. Tonight the first thing I did was pour the liquid and rice into the cooker then turned it on. So while I was preparing the daal, rice was being prepared for me. Awesome.

My goal is to help you find your magic in the kitchen and look forward to cooking. Cooking allows for many feelings or outlets such as creativity, relaxation, satisfaction, and sheer enjoyment. Knowing that you are treating your body as well as your taste buds by cooking your own healthy meals is a magical feeling all on its own. Allow your health and your spirit to say Namaste to your efforts.

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