Mung Beans and Rice with Indian Spices and Caramelized Onions

I have had a number of requests for slow cooker recipes. Thank you! You have inspired me to use my slow cooker more often in the last few weeks! It is so nice to simply add all of the ingredients to the pot, walk away, and come back hours later with a warm, hearty meal in front of you. I have a few new slow cooker recipes to share with you in the coming weeks (both meat and vegetarian). The following nightshade-free recipe is designed for the Elimination Diet and is perfect for Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Aside from being one of the quickest legumes to prepare and the easiest of all beans to digest, mung beans have numerous positive health benefits. They are a good source of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals, and protein. They show good antioxidant activity in the scientific literature. Mung beans don't have a very strong flavor so they tend to take on whatever you add to them during cooking. Indian spices pair particularly well with mung beans as do dried herbs. Last week I made a tasty mung bean, leek, and potato soup with dried tarragon, thyme, and dill. You can really play with spices and herbs to create some delicious combinations.

Spicy Peach Chutney Recipe

One of my favorite things to cook is Indian food. We recently had a large family reunion with over 60 people. Each night a family hosted a dinner with a different theme. Our night was Indian night. Along with the contributions of a few of my cousins, we made Indian Chicken Curry, Lentil Spinach Dal, Saag Paneer, Rice with Potatoes and Saffron, Raw Cilantro Lime Chutney, and this very spicy and easy Peach Chutney; all to feed 60 people. Other family members brought some incredible side dishes and appetizers such as Chicken Satay and Chicken simmered with Onions, Spinach, and Tomatoes.

This chutney recipe was a last minute addition of mine and we all thought it was so delicious that it deserved to be photographed and added to this blog!

The trick to removing the peach skin easily is to drop the peaches into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and place them into an ice water bath. The skin will easily slip off with little effort. If your peaches are on the firmer side you may be able to simply remove the skin with a paring knife and skip the boiling water altogether.

Fresh Vegetable Curry

We love curries around here. Our children have had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of curried dishes from a young age. Their taste buds know the flavors well. I made this recipe for dinner tonight and there was very little conversation during mealtime. A sign of a good meal!

I've been very busy lately with my garden projects. I'll post photos to my blog soon! I also recently took a solo trip for six days to Breitenbush Hot Springs and the Oregon Coast. It was so lovely to get away and relax for a while!

When making a stovetop vegetable stew, it is important to cut your vegetables into certain sizes and know how long each takes to cook. It is not very appetizing to have crunchy potatoes and over-cooked cauliflower! For example, potatoes and carrots take quite a while to cook so I always add them in the beginning. Green beans take a moderate amount of time, and cauliflower cooks up quite fast. Think about the size you cut your vegetables. If you dice the potatoes too small they may become very mushy by the time everything else is done. If they are too large, they won't ever cook thoroughly. Cooking is a dance with your ingredients.

A word on spices: make sure yours are fresh! Old spices lack flavor and are often bitter. they can drastically change the outcome of your finished dish. If they are older than 6 months it is best to compost them and start with fresh spices. You'll love the difference.

Raw Cilantro Lime Chutney

We had a cooler evening yesterday, perfect for Indian food I thought. I made up a double batch of the Lentil and Spinach Dal recipe from my cookbook along with two different curries. One was a potato chickpea curry and the other was a patty pan squash curry. We served everything over brown basmati rice. With all of the cooked food I like to serve something raw that will help digest the meal.

I began making this raw cilantro lime chutney a year or two ago. The flavors were inspired from a chutney served at this wonderful Indian restaurant adjacent to the Kirkland PCC (Seattle area). Tom and I used to occasionally dine there years ago while we were attending Bastyr University.

My children don't eat the chutney, it's just too spicy for them, though they always love the dal and curries I serve it with! We hope you enjoy this too!

Raw Cilantro Lime Chutney

Serve this chutney with a spicy lentil dal or curried vegetable dish. You can use my measurements below or just toss the ingredients into the food processor with wild abandon and see what comes of it. Most likely it will be delicious, this is how I do it anyways! :)

2 large jalapeño peppers, seeded 

2-inch piece of peeled ginger

4 large cloves of garlic

zest from 1 large lime

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 large bunches cilantro (stems and leaves)

juice from 1 large lime

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Place the jalapeño peppers, ginger, garlic, lime zest, and salt into a food processor fitted with the "s" blade and process until minced. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until combined. Store in your refrigerator for up to a week. 

Other raw recipes you might enjoy:

Cucumber Tomato Basil Salad

Raw Mediterranean Kale Salad

Spring Slaw

Raw Chocolate Pie

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