Recipes from day 2

Here are a few recipes

Curried Lentils

2 cups dry lentils

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 quart water (for cooking)

2 tsp curry powder (3 parts each ground cumin seed, corriander seed, tumeric; 1 part fenugreek, black pepper, mustard seed, fennel seed)

1 tsp clarified butter or ghee

1 inch piece of dried kelp (kombu) (or 1/4 tsp of ground)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp lime juice

1-2 tsp dried onion

Inspect lentils for pebbles/stones. Place in pot and cover with water, about 1 quart. Cover and let soak overnight or 6 to 8 hours (this is optional but will allow them to cook faster and be more digestible). Drain and rinse once. Add 1 quart water, bay leaf and kelp and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med/low and let simmer covered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally and add water if level drops below level of lentils. Add curry powder, dried onion and clarified butter for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. You can let it simmer longer as long as there is enough water. Add salt only after the lentils are at your desired tenderness. Adding it too soon will prevent the lentils from softening. Add the lime juice, stir and enjoy.

This pairs nicely with brown basmati rice, but for the program just watch the starch. We also like to make vegetable korma to go with this.

Vegetable Korma

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup chopped summer squash

1 cup chopped carrots

1 yam

1 large onion

2-3 cloves garlic

2 cups water

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp clarified butter or ghee

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (might want to add a little more)

2-3 tbsp curry powder

1/4 cup ground pumpkin seeds (optional)

Add vegetables (note, I prefer to chop them with a food processor so they cook faster), garlic, onion, clarified butter, curry powder, 1 cup water, and salt to large cooking pot on medium high heat. Cook covered stirring regularly until vegetables begin to soften, about 40 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar and water as needed. Continue simmering until vegetables are very soft and mixture thickens a little. Reduce heat to low and add coconut milk and ground pumpkin seeds. Continue simmering another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice and lentils. Note you can substitute just about any vegetable.

Vinaigrette

1/2 apple cider vinegar (or balsamic or white wine)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt (I also like to add a little fish sauce)

1/2 tsp each dried oregano, basil

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup water

2 tsp ground flax or chia seed

Add all ingredients to a 16 oz jar or shaker. Attach lid and shake vigorously for 1 hour (just kidding, 10 sec should be sufficient). Let stand for 10 minutes or so and flax/chia seed will thicken. You can add more ground seed or a little more liquid to get desired consistency. You can vary the seasoning to your taste, i.e. add ground mustard seed, ginger, and stevia (or a little honey) for a honey mustard dressing.