Author: Aynaria

I’ve been craving dhal for weeks, but with so many other delightful dishes on hand, I have not had a chance to satisfy my craving until this week. However, the past week or so, I’ve been making all sorts of dishes  that used lentils as the main ingredient and so I knew before long I’d be making dhal!

Well, I no longer have cravings. Late in the evening (exactly two days ago) I finally got around to making my beloved dhal and I was immediately remembered why I love this dish so much. It’s simple, flavorful AND… it makes the perfect dip for breads and veggies.

My daughter tried a tiny bowl, shortly after it finished and promptly went back for “just a little more.”

However, when I went to get the flour to make the chapati, I quickly discovered that I was out. Sighs… no worries, I’ll stop by the market this weekend and stock up on flour.

Grumbles and even though I was craving chapati also, the dhal still tasted amazing on it’s own.

I will admit, that it wasn’t as ‘colorful’ as I usually like to make mine. I was out of tomatoes. Yes, those will be on my list of things to purchase this weekend. I can’t wait for them to start making an appearance in the garden, then I won’t have to purchase any more until the fall.

 

I’m really impressed with the small company where I purchased my lentils. They are grown and harvested by Palouse Brand. I purchased a five pound bag off of Amazon. Amazon allows third party sellers to sell their items through their site.

About a day after my purchase, Palouse Brand sent me an email to tell me how to store their beans and legumes. I already know, but this is great for those who might not know. In the email, they stated that since their products aren’t irradiated they could be a home for pests.

 

I absolutely love lentils! I make them in a variety of dishes,

but one of my favorite ways to prepare lentils, is to make dhal with a side order of homemade chapati. The above photos, is taken from a post that I created on March 31, 2012. It’s dhal with brown rice and a honey ginger garlic sauce. The only thing missing in the above photo, was chapati.

Of course, in order for me to make the type of dhal that I’ve been craving, I needed lentils and I did not have any in the food pantry. I normally purchase my lentils locally; however, earlier this week, I decided to purchase them online at Amazon. Since I’m an Amazon a Prime member, I get my products within two days.

 

I bought a five pound bag that should arrive some time today. Soon after they arrive, I’ll be making a dhal and some chapati. If I like the lentils grown and harvested by this small company, I’ll be purchasing a 45 pound bag.

 

Hearty Lentil Stew – Vegan

This past Sunday, my daughter and I were at the BF’s and so I decided to make a large pot of lentil soup. I told the BF, it was one less meal he’d have to prepare during the week.  Those who know me, already realize I don’t follow recipes. I just tossed in what spices and seasonings were available. I will say, my selection was limited since I was using what was on hand at his place. However, I’ve been gradually introducing a variety of herbs/spices to his food pantry.

Last evening, he posted about the stew on his Facebook page and tagged me in the post.

He also posted this picture of us. Please note, I hate this picture of me, but he loves it a lot. He went on to declare how much he loved me. I told him, it’s the food, that’s what he loves so much. I’m just the person who creates it! I’m joking, it’s much more than that. Since I’m introducing him to healthier lifestyle, you’ll see more food related posts here at Celebrate Life.

Initially, I referred to dating as the dreaded “d word”. 😉 I am almost sure I mentioned that to Jennifer in some of our email conversations, after all, Jennifer, was the first online buddy that I mentioned him too. Jennifer and I have ‘virtually’ known each other for about nine or ten years? She’s also the #1 blog pal I want to meet in person. She’s super sweet, beautiful and funny. I know we’d get along well in person.

Last evening I was craving spicy, however I did not want to take the time to cook beans in my pressure cooker. I looked in the refrigerator and saw what I thought was rice… a much closer inspection proved that was wrong. I was looking at hominy. Hmm… No worries! After all, I’ve prepared hominy in numerous ways before.

 

I added the cooked hominy into my old friend (my wok, it’s over 23 years old). In addition to the hominy, I added vegetables, onions, garlic and freshly ground spices and herbs. This was cooked in about a tablespoon of coconut oil.

I tossed the ingredients for a few minutes and the meal was prepared.

What were the results? My daughter loved this dish. She said, “Mommy, you come up with the weirdest dishes, but they always end up tasting amazing!” High praise indeed…

A few weeks ago, I mentioned lentil tacos to my BF. I told him it was one of my favorite type of tacos to prepare/eat. Well guess what? Since I talked about them, he’s been craving them. In fact, he told his mother about them and he said she would like to try them too.  This past Friday, I finally got around to making them for him and my daughter.

He loved them so much he posted about them on his Facebook page and thanked me for introducing them to him. With the exception of the taco shells, all the ingredients within the lentil tacos were freshly prepared. What did the BF think? He told me that they were “one of the best tacos” he had ever eaten. My daughter chimed in and said this is one of the best finger food meals that I prepare. He also said he’d be craving them since he’s had them. Guess what? Lentils can be a great meat replacement.

Although my BF is not vegetarian or vegan he’s very open to trying meatless cuisine.