Cold Soak Meal for Backpacking

For over two months now, every day that I have been home, a dehydrator has been running nonstop in my kitchen.

My daughter is currently hiking the Continental Divide Trail.

And soon I will leave town to meet her somewhere in New Mexico to hike and camp with her for a couple of weeks on her grand adventure.

At some point after I made the decision to go, I decided I would make dehydrated camp meals for us like Kandace did for our Ouachita Trail Trek back in 2020.

Cut to me texting Kandace three days into this project:

I don’t think I thanked you enough for making all of our food for the Ouachita Trail. 

I had NO IDEA HOW MUCH WORK IT WAS.

She reminded me that we went on our hike in the middle of a pandemic when we all had more free time.

But still!

It’s a lot of work.

And also the first used dehydrator I bought was a waste of space and did not work properly.

After three days of blowing slightly warm air around, I threw it out and bought another one.

This time I went in for a much more serious model. I had meals lined up and waiting their turn to fill up the 9-tray appliance when it arrived.

It takes up like half of my kitchen space and runs all day and all night.

Today it’s dehydrating a lentil salad that I remember enjoying mid-afternoon on the trail like half a decade ago.

A lot of the meals I am working on are dinners that will need hot boiling water to be rehydrated.

But this week I’m focused on some protein-powered lunches that can be reconstituted with cold water.

I used French speckled lentils for this salad because they hold their shape better than regular brown lentils.

The dressing is a lemony fresh thyme flavor.

I hope we like it because I have nine trays of it dehydrating at the moment, which wildly, is just 8 servings.

So on 4 different days, we will pour a half cup of water into little ziplock bags of dried out bits, and hopefully it will taste heavenly.

Or at the very least, I hope it will power us through the rest of the day’s miles.

I’m nervous about my ability to walk the long miles with a big backpack again. (I’m worried about the purple bruises that appear on my hips at night when I take the pack off.) But I’m also excited.

There’s nothing in the world like being out in the middle of nowhere, far away from civilization for days (weeks) at a time.

I wrote these words from Walt Whitman down in my journal this week:

Now I see the secret of the making of the best of persons,

It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.

It’s almost time for me to go eat and sleep with the earth again.

Wish me luck!

PS. Here’s the recipe for the Lemony Lentil Salad just in case you’re planning a backcountry adventure of your own.

Cold Soak Lentil Salad Recipe

Adapted from The Dehydrator Cookbook for Outdoor Adventures

by Julie Mosier

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar, unseasoned
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon agave, or ½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 celery stalks, cut into ½-inch dice
1 cup matchstick carrots
¼ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, agave, thyme, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Mix thoroughly and set the dressing aside.

Put the lentils and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Cover the lentils with the water and bring the water to a boil. Partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. If needed, add another cup of water while the lentils are cooking. Cook the lentils for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are soft but not mushy. Drain the lentils, rinse them in cold water, and set them aside to cool.

When the lentils are cool, transfer them to a large bowl with the celery, carrots, and parsley. Place all the vegetables in a large bowl.

Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix well to combine.

Dehydrate

Spread the salad out evenly on the dehydrator trays fitted with sheets of parchment.
Place the trays in the dehydrator. Set the dehydrator to 135°F and turn it on. If your dehydrator has a built-in timer, set it for 6 hours.

At the 6-hour mark, check the vegetables. They should be firm and should not feel moist. If necessary, continue to dry the salad for another 4-6 hours.

Measure the total amount of salad, divide it into four portions, and place each portion in a zip-sealed bag. Label and date the bags. Store for up to 1 year.

To Rehydrate, add a scant ½ cup of cool water to the bag. Mix it well, cover, and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir the salad again before eating.

Enjoy!

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At the beginning of March, Taido was lecturing in London, so we decided to go over early and have a little getaway together. We do this a few times a year whenever one of us needs to be in London for something. Taido calls it “a London Jolly.”

It’s cheapest to take a London Jolly from Bristol by bus, but it’s so much more pleasant on the train. We went on the train this time to Paddington Station.

We started our time in London at The Globe Theatre to see The Tempest. The plays are at the indoor theatre in the winter, which I had never been to, but y’all…it is INCREDIBLE. It’s called The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and it is entirely lit with real candles. How is this even possible? At intermission (called the interval here in the UK), they lowered the candelabras and changed the candles out to fresh ones. The actors even held candles as they acted.

The entire production was the most fun theatre experience I can remember. Half the actors were hidden in the audience. Someone would pop up next to you and interrupt the play and soon it would become apparent that they were part of the show. At one point, Prospero stopped mid-sentence to tell a woman in the audience to stop filming the play. He was very cross and went back and forth with her for an uncomfortable minute before she put her phone away. Then about 30 minutes later, the lady, for whom we were still suffering second-hand embarrassment, got up and joined the play as one of the actors. So clever.

It was wildly fun and I would return in a heartbeat to see whatever is showing at this theatre.

After the show, we went to the Mithraeum, an ancient Greek temple that was discovered after bombing during World War Two. It’s in the basement of the Bloomberg building. Someone on one of my tours told me that you can visit it for free, so it’s been on my London list for a minute.

Then we made our way back to East London in the neighborhood we always stay in. We stay right around the corner from Brick Lane, where the best bagels in the world are on offer 24/7 and curry restaurants line the road. Also it’s an easy bike ride from Columbia Road Flower Market if I happen to be there on a Sunday morning.

This time we walked to Dishoom in Shoreditch for dinner. Dishoom is a Bombay-inspired London staple that has now made it’s way to many other UK cities and even is opening in New York City(!), but we still don’t have one in Bristol. I resisted going there for a while, because of the hype (there’s always a long wait outside), but Taido convinced me that it lives up to its reputation and he was not wrong.

We loved everything we ordered: Gunpowder Potatoes, Black Dal, Chapati, and Broccoli Chili (Chilli) Salad.

The next morning, while Taido was lecturing, I did the Regent’s Canal walk that goes all the way from the Thames River at Limestone to Little Venice. I have walked part of it before, but never this entire 10-mile stretch in one go. I stopped in Camden for lunch, spent a little time reading in the sun on a bench and then met Taido for dinner at Bondi Green, a restaurant I love that is super close to Paddington Station. Even as much as I love Bondi Green, I was wishing for the same dinner from Dishoom after walking all day.

Around 7pm, we hopped back on the train and headed home to Bristol.

A successful London Jolly for sure.

In the days following our time in London, I was still dreaming about our meal at Dishoom so I started experimenting with copycat recipes. I was excited to find that the Broccoli Salad is actually available on Dishoom’s website (as well as several other recipes).

When we were in London, I picked all of the hot pepper out of my salad (I know…I am such a lightweight when it comes to spice), so I have adjusted my recipe to not include the peppers. And I added sunflower seeds and pomegranate seeds.

I have made this salad every week since we got back from London nearly two months ago, and I’m still not tired of it. I love to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Here’s my version of the recipe. Feel free to add a red chili (chilli) pepper back in if you like!

Pomegranate, Pistachio and Broccoli Salad

Salad Ingredients:

2 medium heads of broccoli
150 grams (3/4 cup) roasted pistachio nuts
50 coriander leaves
8 mint leaves
50 grams (1/4 cup) roasted pumpkin seeds
50 grams (1/4 cup) roasted sunflower seeds
50 grams (1/4 cup or 8-10) pitted dates, chopped small
1 pomegranate, seeded

Dressing Ingredients:

50 milliliters (1/4 cup) lime juice (the juice of about 2 limes)
8 thin slices of ginger
1 teaspoon salt
40 grams (3 tablespoons) sugar or honey
25 milliliters (1/4 cup) rice vinegar
150 milliliters (3/4 cup) mild olive oil or vegetable oil
10 mint leaves

Instructions:

Cut the broccoli into very small pieces. Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients with an immersion blender (or in a blender). Pour over the broccoli.

Note: I like to do this step early in the day so that the broccoli has time to marinate in the dressing, which softens the broccoli a little so it’s a little less raw, but still crunchy. You could also blanche the broccoli for one minute and then drop it in an ice bath, but letting the dressing marinate has worked well for me.

In the meantime, I chop my dates, seed the pomegranate, toast the nuts and seeds, and tear the mint and coriander leaves.

I like to leave all these ingredients in separate little bowls during prep, and then I toss it all together just before serving.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Enjoy!

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Last week Taido read me a news article that stated that it’s rained in the UK every day in 2026. 

It was actually a relief to hear that out loud, because I have been wondering what was wrong with me and now I can blame the weather.

Then the sun came out on Saturday and there was a spontaneous city-wide celebration of the first time we’ve seen a fully blue sky in 2026. 

Everyone was outside. Parks were full, the city sidewalks were heaving as we all collectively emerged from our hibernation.

Of course, the rain was back on Sunday morning. But still, we know the sun is out there somewhere behind all those clouds and it will return again.

But right now, it’s a rare day that I don’t return from a walk drenched all the way to my toes.

My boots are permanently covered in a thick layer of thick, dark muck (that is the technical term) and the mud on the bottom ten inches of my trousers is there to stay.

Lately at home, I’ve been going through photos from sunnier days, trying to write about some of the places I’ve been in the last four years. Often I abandon the work because it just makes me want to climb aboard the next airplane bound for a beach cafe where I can feel the sun on my face.

So it’s no wonder I’ve been craving hearty warm casseroles for dinner at night.

I used to love shepherd’s pie and steak pies when we lived Scotland. But those were my pre-vegetarian days, so I tried this week to make a pie that feels similarly heavy, but is vegetarian. I was looking for some plant-based comfort food. And it was a success. 

This recipe, which I’ve only slightly altered, is going into the regular winter rotation. It comes from Sarah Bentley’s vegan cookbook, We Cook Plants.

It’s made with lentils and mushrooms, then topped with mashed potatoes and it’s the perfect one-dish meal for a wet day.

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

1.4 kilograms (around 4 pounds) gold potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
250g cabbage (half of a small head), chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
250g sliced mushrooms (about a half pound)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, plus 1 tablespoon
1.2 liters low-salt vegetable stock (5cups)
320g dried brown or green lentils (1.5 – 2 cups)
2 teaspoons dried herbs de Provence
2 dried bay leaves
250 milliliters unsweetened oat milk (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
5 walnuts
2 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds

Directions:

Put the potatoes in a large pan of water with a pinch of salt; bring to the boil. Simmer for 25 mins or until soft. Add the cabbage for the final 2-3 mins, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring regularly.

Stir in the mushrooms and cook for another 5 mins, then add the tomato purée. Heat the stock separately. Stir the 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast into the stock, then add to the vegetable mixture along with the lentils, herbs, bay leaves and a grind of black pepper. Cover and cook for 20 mins.

Drain the potatoes and cabbage, then return to the pan with the oat milk and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Mash well, then season to taste. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7/400°F

Check the lentils. If they look a bit dry, add 100-200 ml water and cook for 8 more mins. If a little thin, stir in 2 tablespoons of the mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking dish; top with the mashed potatoes.

For the topping, chop the sunflower seeds and walnuts, add the remaining 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and a pinch of black pepper in a bowl and mix in the hemp seed. Sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let sit 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

Think of me if you make this recipe. I’ll probably be out walking in the rain and searching for snowdrops. 

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One of the best reasons I can think of for walking the Camino is to eat Spanish tapas, which are widely available along the route.

And I think the Spanish tortilla and Padron peppers are probably my favorite of all the tapas.

Spanish tortilla is a dish of eggs and potatoes that have been fried together in a skillet. It’s kind of like a thick omelette with potatoes. Similar to an omelette, you can add other things to your tortilla, like mushrooms or cheese.

It’s a simple dish, but it’s consistently good in Spain. I usually have it as a snack mid-morning when I am walking.

The first time I tried to make Spanish tortilla at home, it did not taste right. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong as there are only a few ingredients.

Then we moved to England and I started having farm eggs delivered to my house. They have these rich yellow yokes, so the eggs are almost orange when you beat them in a bowl. And they just taste divine.

There are a few other details that I think make the tortilla taste more like the one I eat in Spain. You need to be generous with your olive oil, and of course, use the nicest olive oil you have. And then I think flaky sea salt helps it taste its best.

Alongside Spanish tortilla, I love to order Pimientos de Padron, or Padron peppers. These are seared peppers that look like jalapeños but are more like Japanese shishito peppers. For the most part, Padron peppers are not spicy. Every once in a while you get one with a kick, but mostly they are just yummy. You drop them into a hot skillet of oil until they blister all over. Then sprinkle them with sea salt.

They are so easy to make. The hardest part is finding the peppers. My local market here has them sometimes when they are in season (summer months), so I snatch them up and serve them alongside my Spanish tortilla.

Even without the peppers though, you can enjoy Spanish tortilla. Splurge on some fancy eggs and make yourself a little taste of Spain.

Spanish Tortilla Recipe

(adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients:

300 grams potatoes, peeled and diced (around one large potato or 2 medium ones)

1 onion, diced

olive oil

5 large eggs

sea salt

Directions:

Pour 3-4 tablespoons of oil into a small frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onion and potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or until the onions are done and potatoes are cooked through.

Beat the eggs with a fork in a small bowl with a little salt and pepper.

When the onions and potatoes are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir them into the eggs.

Add a little more oil to the pan and then pour the whole mixture back into the pan.

Turn the heat down to low and cook for around 20 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked.

Loosen the sides of the tortilla with a spatula. Carefully flip out the tortilla onto a dinner plate. Then slide it back into the pan and cook for 5 more minutes on the other side.

Flip the tortilla onto a serving plate. Slice and serve with bread, a few greens or Pimientos de Padron if you can get them.

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Between daylight savings and colder temperatures arriving, it’s SOUP season at our house.

We have had soup for dinner every night this week I think. Tomato and Potato Cheddar Soup. French Peasant Soup, Winter Veggie Curry.

Last night I made a White Bean Chili that I have made often in the last year, so I’m sharing that recipe below.

It calls for canned beans but I used dried that I cooked overnight before using here. I might be still trying to use up all the dried beans I bought back in the mad quarantine shopping days. Yikes.

I make this without meat but you can also add cut up rotisserie chicken to this soup if you don’t want it to be vegetarian.

Also you can ditch the chipotle peppers if you want it less spicy.

Happy Soup Season, friends!

PS. I have updated my recipe index (long overdue), so you can find recipes again on this blog.

White Bean Chili

3 small yellow onions, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 quart vegetable broth

1 (7 oz) can diced green chilies

1/2 of a can of a 7 oz) can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 (8 oz) pkg Neufchatel cheese (aka light cream cheese), cut into small cubes

1 1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn

2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving

Options for add-ins when serving:
Tortilla chips or strips, Monterrey Jack cheese, sliced avocado

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a 6 quart enameled dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 4 minutes minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.

Add vegetable broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes.

Drain and rinse beans in a fine mesh strainer or colander then measure out 1 cup. Set whole beans aside, transfer 1 cup beans to a food processor along with 1/4 cup broth from soup and the 1/2 can of adobe chili peppers, puree until smooth.

Add Neufchatel cheese to soup along with corn, whole beans and pureed beans and stir well. Simmer 5 – 10 minutes longer.

Stir in fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with Monterrey Jack cheese, more cilantro, avocado slices and tortilla chips if desired.

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Y’all recently I have started making Moon Milk, also sometimes called Golden Milk.

I have been loving the addition of turmeric to All The Things lately.

I enjoy a turmeric tea and a turmeric latte,

but I am even more delighted with the discovery of Moon Milk because of its de-stressing properties.

I have a growing sensitivity to caffeine and I am always looking for the path to being less amped up.

Plus I have been eating less sugar, so this honey-sweetened drink feels like a treat.

I first heard about Moon Milk from Alexandra Franzen while she was promoting her latest book, The Checklist Book.

One of her recommendations in the book is to make a checklist for your day where you begin and end it with the moments you want to have in your day. For example, at the top of your checklist you write something like “First Moment of the Day” and then at the bottom you write “Last Moment of the Day.”

I’ve been surprised at how this simple practice enables me to set an intention for how I want to start and end my day.

I start every day with my coffee and my journal. Before I look at my phone or my email or anything else, I sit and drink my coffee and write in my journal. (I actually usually do this in my bed, because I have the most wonderful husband who brings me my coffee in bed almost every day.) So I pretty much have my “First Moment” down.

But writing down my “Last Moment” has created all kinds of new ideas for me.

I have been trying out different creative “Last Moments.”

Gratitude Meditation with Essential Oils

Get in bed with my novel at 9:30pm

Tea + Books with Simon

Meditate on a quote or verse for ten minutes

Hot soak in the tub with Eucalyptus bath salts

One of the “Last Moment” suggestions from Alexandra was to try something called Moon Milk. So I started trying recipes. Most of the ones I found use almond milk or regular cow’s milk. And we’re on an oat milk kick at the moment. We’ve been making our oatmeal with it and using it in most recipes, so now I’ve created an oat milk version of this lovely late-in-the-day calming drink. I’ve also included the adaptogen ashwagandha, which is the true calming element in the drink, but it has many other possible benefits.

My recipe is below. Hope you enjoy!

Moon Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup oat milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ashwagandha root powder

3-4 cardamom pads

2-3 grands of pepper

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 – 1 tablespoon raw honey (adjust for desired sweetness)

Directions:

Heat up milk in a saucepan on a stove until warm but not boiling.

Drop in the cardamom pods and whisk in the spices and ashwagandha.

Allow five minutes for the flavors to meld.

Then add the coconut oil and turn off the heat.

Allow mixture to cool for a few minutes before adding the honey.

Stir in the honey, strain out the cardamom pods and enjoy warm.

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Here are all the reasons I have made this curry three times in the last two weeks:

1. The temperatures have finally dropped.
2. I bought 40 pounds of sweet potatoes from a farmer.
3. It’s a fulfilling vegetarian meal option!
4. All the colors make it so pretty.
5. Curry leftovers for lunch are my favorite.
6. Everyone in my family loves it except for one person.
7. If we keep eating it surely we will convert that one person to our collective Chino love for curry. Right? Ok maybe not.

Here’s the recipe so you can enjoy it too! XOXO

Cauliflower, Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Kale Curry

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons curry paste
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2 cans crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can chickpeas (including liquid)
1 bunch kale, leaves torn from the stems
salt + pepper
Optional toppings: cilantro, chutney, lime pickle

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy + large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, lowering heat if necessary. Cook until very soft, 5-10 minutes. Add the curry powder, curry paste and cayenne, stirring often, for 1 more minute. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pot and stir. Season with lots of salt and pepper. Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat on the stove to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just-tender, about 40 minutes. Add the chickpeas and kale. Cook just until the greens have become soft.

Serve hot with rice and toppings. Enjoy!

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It’s a win in our house because everyone will eat it. I’ve finally figured out how to make tofu so that all the kids like it. Sometimes I marinate it in a little fish sauce and  garlic, but mainly I cook it so that it is seared on both sides, just like a piece of meat. The skillet has to be hot and I have to do it ahead of time before I cook the rest of the ingredients, but it’s worth it.

Give it a whirl. It’s super yummy!

Vegetarian Pad Thai with Tofu and Vegetables

Ingredients:

14 ounces rice noodles

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

3/4 cup hot water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cut into slices that are about a quarter inch thick

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 pound broccoli florets

2 eggs

8 ounces snow peas

Toppings: bean sprouts, scallions, chopped roasted peanuts, lime wedges, cilantro

Directions:

Pour hot but not boiling water over the rice noodles. Leave covered for 10 minutes before draining.

Make the sauce by combining the tamarind, hot water, fish sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice and cayenne. Set aside. (Sidenote: some tamarind paste has to be drained, in which case you pour the hot water over it and then drain it a few minutes later so the tough parts of the rind are removed. But the tamarind paste I bought was already smooth.)

In a large hot skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil and cook the tofu slices for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet. Then cook the broccoli for about five minutes and remove from skillet.

Heat the second tablespoon of oil and cook the onion and garlic for about three minutes. Then make a well in the center and pour the eggs. Scramble before mixing in with the onions.

Add the presoaked rice noodles to the skillet and pour the sauce over them. Stir fry for about five minutes or until the mixture is hot. Add the broccoli and tofu back in. If everything begins to stick or the noodles are not done, add a little water and cook for longer.

Serve immediately into bowls and top each with desired garnishes.

Enjoy!

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Curried Red Lentils (Daal) and Rice

When I first moved to a new house in Aberdeen, my friend Claire made these curried red lentils out of what I happened to have in my pantry after we had unpacked it.

I watched in amazement as she produced this gorgeous dish for dinner from what I had around.

It remains one of my favorite dinners to make as the dry ingredients are easy to have always on hand. Also, you can use tomato paste if you don’t have tomatoes or lemons if you don’t have ginger. Making substitutions based on what I happen to have is part of the beauty of this meal. And it always reminds me of my friend Claire and her willingness to help me turn a rather quirky old house into a home.

After we eat this meal, we package up the leftovers into lunches for the following days as the flavors seem even more rich the next day.

Curried Red Lentils (Daal) and Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups red lentils

2-4 tablespoons butter (or Ghee if you have it)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 can diced tomatoes

5-6 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped

2 cups jasmine rice

Optional garnishes: fresh cilantro, lime pickle, mango chutney and plain yogurt

Directions:

Cook the 2 cups of rice in three cups of water. (I use a rice cooker for this.)

Bring the 2 cups of lentils to boil in 4 cups of water. Reduce heat and let simmer until lentils have absorbed water (10-20 minutes).

While lentils are cooking, melt butter (or Ghee) in a large skillet. Sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Cook two more minutes. Add all the spices and cook a minute or so to allow the mixture to turn into a thick paste.

Add the tomatoes and a little water if mixture is too dry. Once the tomatoes are hot, add the spinach and the lentils. Stir until mixture is hot. Only allow the spinach to barely wilt.

Serve immediately with rice and your choice of toppings.

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Since we have moved back to Arkansas, we don’t seem to have as much time for breakfast. The boys are running off to school during the week and to activities on the weekends.

There is just so much happening!

But Taido still tries to fix a fun breakfast on Sunday mornings while he is home for the weekend, so this week we had this classic apple pancake that is actually a German recipe.

Which makes sense, because this time last year, we were covered up with apples in Germany. They were falling off the trees on all of our walks and neighbors left them in boxes on our porch.

When we walked by the farm, we could smell homemade apple cider vinegar being made. Taido drank it religiously last fall to keep away winter colds. (Apple cider vinegar supposedly cures everything that ails you!)

I have always made this recipe in cast iron skillets, and thank goodness we had one lone cast iron skillet with us in Germany so I made this pancake in it, as well as many other favorite recipes.

But it’s fun to be back at my parents’ house where Mama has a whole stack of cast iron skillets, so we can have apple pancake in all different sizes.

I have a cookbook full of German recipes that a friend gave us at church in Germany, and I think it will be fun to use it while we are home to recall the hearty Swabian meals we enjoyed over the last year.

I hope our table will always serve to both remind us of the different foods we have shared with others and to welcome new people (and new foods) to our lives.

Apple Pancake

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large tart apple

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sifted flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

Put a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and core apple. Slice thin and sprinkle with half the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside. Mix eggs, milk, flour and salt. Beat with rotary beater for 2 minutes. Pull out hot skillet, drop one tablespoon butter in and swirl around. Pour batter on to melted butter. Place apple slices on top of batter, covering in full. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Puncture pancake with fork a few times, turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake about 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and pour melted butter over pancake (if using) and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and sugar. Loosen from pan. Slice and serve immediately.

I triple this recipe and divide it between three random cast iron skillets.

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