Dal Makhani

dal.jpg

This post will be short, as I am feeling more ‘hands-on’ with my free time, and less like typing on a computer.  Maybe it’s the weather.  Can you blame me?

I knew if I didn’t post this recipe soon, that it would get lost in my draft folder….. it’s not pretty in there.

Dal Makhani has always been one of my favorite Indian dishes.  Loaded with lentils & kidney beans this slightly creamy, and the perfect amount of spice, Dal Makhani was always my ‘go to’ after giving up Paneer years back.

With the little one around, I have been growing fonder of the crock pot.  Filling an array of ingredients into this magical slow cooker, forgetting about it for the day, and then when you arrive back, your home smells as if you been slaving away in the kitchen for hours…. maybe it really is magic!

Dal Makhani

Ingredients

  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 1/2 cup kidney beans
  • 1 medium red onion, minced
  • 2 tsp serrano chillies, sliced thinly
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cardamom pods
  • 3 cloves
  • 2" cinnamon stick
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 Tbsp earth balance vegan butter
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • Salt to taste
  • cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. There is no need to soak the beans overnight when using a slow cooker. If you are in a bit of a hurry and feel you can't allow the full 6 hours, then by all means, soak away!
  2. Place both the lentils, and kidney beans in crock pot and cover with 4 cups water.
  3. Prep the onion, chili, ginger and garlic and add to beans.
  4. The cumin, fenugreek, coriander, and turmeric can then be stirred in with a spoon.
  5. Assemble cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie off. Add to beans.
  6. Set slow cooker at 6 hours.
  7. Once beans have cooked through, gently stir in butter, tomato paste, and coconut milk.
  8. Salt to taste, and add more water if desired.
  9. To achieve a fuller flavor, allow the Dal to stew for at least another 1-2 hours (the longer the better!)
  10. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.
http://vegpod.com/dal-makhani/

 

Any sort of basmati rice would be the perfect accompaniment to this dish.  I made a turmeric seasoned rice, with a hint of saffron and some green peas.  The cucumber salad was a nice crunch to the meal.

Enjoy and let me know how it turns out!

Short weekend in San Fran.

Happy Birthday Andreas!!!!

IMG_0034

My purpose for this visit was the B-Day weekend of one of my favorite people in the world. Andreas! However, I arrived and he was sick… The kind of sick where you cant leave your bed, and feel bad for having one of your friends fly up from San Diego. But, what is my favorite thing to do in SF, aside from visit friends???

EAT of course!!!!

I only got to enjoy fresh doses of Airborne, lots of H20, and two meals with dear Andreas. First quick stop was to get Pizza from this village coffee/cafe place in Mission. Roasted yams, portobellos, and baked tofu, over a yummy sage sauce.

We ventured down again to mission for breakfast the next day. I believe the Spanish breakfast spot was called Sunshine Cafe. Here I ate a simple and yummy rice, beans, homemade vegan chorizo, and tortilla breakfast, accompanied by a spinach sambusa of some sorts. Truthfully, I forgot what it was called (This is where Andreas sends me an email correcting me of my incorrect food lingo!) But it was delicious served with a spicy homemade hot sauce! And the homemade chorizo was of the best I’ve ever had!
Next on to:

IMG_0024

Another friend of mine (who I’d like to say I helped convert to veg-head some what!) Has the pleasure of living 2 blocks from Herbivore. For dinner I had the Lentil Loaf, my friend had the lemon caper penne pasta. Both were delicious! Unfortunately, we got our German Chocolate Cake to go, a result of being to over stuffed. My sneaky friend managed to let me forget about it, until I was gone from the city. I only heard it was delicious:)

Next Breakfast:

IMG_0032

If you work in the restaurant Industry, as I, many of us loathe brunch. Early hours, hungry, hung-over people to feed, social gatherings you wish you could attend. But boy do we enjoy going out to eat brunch! Breakfast can always start my day out right.
I was first to arrive and eat brunch at the classic vegan restaurant, Herbivore yet again. Here, my favorite, of anywhere, is the Blueberry Cornbread. Thick, soft in the middle, crisp crust, topped with melted earth balance. I had to literally push it aside before I got full, and forget about the rest of my meal! Sad to say I wasn’t to impressed with the tofu scramble. Potatoes=yum, along with the HUGE tempeh breakfast burrito that my friend filled up on.

We were quite tired, wishing they had a liquor license to serve us organic mimosa’s! Maybe next time! Here’s a funny early morning pic, desperately waiting for coffee.

IMG_0027
He loves his album Leaf track Jacket!