Rice Cooker Dahl

The recipe below is for some great dahl, but have you ever made it in the rice cooker. I'm all for easy food, done healthy. Put it all in a big rice cooker and press on. It will be all ready and waiting for you at dinner time.

Rice Cooker Dahl

3 cups of basmati brown rice
2 cups red lentils
2 teaspoons garam masala seasoning
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
chopped onion
minced garlic
2 tsp salt
cilantro, chopped, if you have some
ginger, minced, if you'd like

Lots of water, like you were making soup (Sorry I don't have a measure, just put in 2 - 3 inches of water above the top of the ingredients)

Pour it all into the big rice cooker pot. If your cooker is small, divide the recipe. Mix it up. Put down the lid and press on. Come back in a hour or a little more and find lunch. Add a big salad on the side. Yum!

Red Lentil Dahl

Some of our most favorite gluten-free/vegan/plant-based foods are Indian or Thai style. I make a simple dahl using red lentils that is easy and gathers requests for more.

Red Lentil Dahl

1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 chopped onion
2 - 3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 inch ginger clove minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 - 4 Roma tomatoes or equivilant
3 cups dried red lentils
water
salt

In a large soup kettle, place the first 5 ingredients with a little vegetable oil, maybe a teaspoon or so, and cook on medium heat until the seeds begin to pop. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro and cook until the onions begin to soften. If it is sticking, add some water. Add tomatoes and cook a little, then add the red lentils and a good amount of water. Simmer until the lentils are soft and ready to eat, around 20 - 25 minutes. Add just enough salt for you taste.

Serve with brown rice and generous serving of salad.

Blueberry Smile Smoothie

It is time to post some of our favorite smoothie recipes. We eat them several times a week for breakfast.

We pick many pounds of blueberries every year, so blueberries are a common smoothie ingredient. This recipe will fill a Vita-mix Blender Jar. If you have a smaller jar or a smaller family to make smoothies for, adjust the amounts accordingly.

Blueberry Smile Smoothie

Serves 4 people a large 2 cup serving of breakfast

2 oranges, peeled
A handful of pitted dates
1 quart of frozen or fresh blueberries.
Several leaves of romaine lettuce or spinach
2 cups of water.

The amounts of each ingredient is not scientific. Use what you have. Add more dates if you need it more sweet, and less if you don't. Put in more greens when you are ready. It is good without greens, but not as good for you. Some people even like to up the minerals with a little kelp powder, maybe a teaspoon full, and you might not even taste it there, unless you are sensitive to the taste of kelp (like me). If you need it to be more fatty, or creamy, throw in some raw nuts, such as cashews or almonds or pecans. Put in just enough to make you smile. Drink enough to fill you up. It's pure nutrition.

Layer it in the blender, in the order I listed it above, and then blend until very smooth. If you don't have a strong blender, you might have to stop it frequently and push the ingredients down. Another thing you could do is wait until the berries are thawed, and then it will work easier. A Vitamix or something similar will work best, but if you don't have one, don't let that stop you from eating smoothies. Figure out what yours can do, and then put on a Blueberry Smile.

Easy Canned Fruit Layer Salad

When I didn't know what to fix for supper, my 10 year old son, told me he would make me a surprise, as long as I didn't come into the dining
room while he was working. This is what he made.


It's easy.

You need:
A pedestal bowl, or other bowl with clear straight sides.
Jars of home canned fruit in different colors
Some frozen fruit in other colors
Optional: Grind up a variety of nuts and or seeds to sprinkle on as a topping

Open those jars, pour out most of the liquid, and then layer in the bowl. Top with some frozen fruit of different colors, or some fresh fruit.

Serve. Sprinkle on some ground nuts.