Recipe: Holiday Kitchari & Gift Certificates!

As my contribution to The Mindful Body December e-newsletter, I included a recipe for my "Holiday Kitchari". Whenever I go to celebrate a holiday with my significant others' family I bring some kind of lenti and rice dish that I make sure looks appetizing, so that people will try it in addition to the hot dogs on Fourth of July or the turkey at Thanksgiving. It's always really well received and because it's what I eat when doing the family time, I feel good afterwards with none of the holiday-ill feelings. Yay! In this particular recipe, I'm spotlighting Garam Masala, a classic Indian spice blend. So you'll find the recipe below. 


Also in time for the holidays, you can now buy Gift Certificates for my services! Purchase a gift certificate via this link for the service of your choice using Google Checkout. Within 48 hours, you'll receive an email with your gift certificate, so that you can either print it to wrap or email to the happy recipient. Want a hardcopy from me? After receiving your gift certificate by email, just let me know and I'll drop a hardcopy with a gift envelope at The Mindful Body for you to pick up. 

This is the last month to get these incredible rates, as my rates will be going up in 2012 to the standard market rates. Don't miss out! 
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HOLIDAY KITCHARI
Serves 3-4 as a main.

1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed with any little stones removed
2 c peeled & diced sweet potato
2 Tablespoons oil of choosing (ghee, coconut oil, olive oil)
1 shallot, minced
1 heaping Tablespoon fresh ginger
1 heaping teaspoon Garam Masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon finely chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup dried cranberries

In a large pot, bring water and rice to a boil. Cover, turn down to a simmer and set timer for 20 minutes. When timer rings, add rinsed lentils, stir and set timer for 15 minutes. When timer rings, add diced sweet potato and stir. Add more water if needed, then cover and bring to a low simmer. While sweet potato cooks in the rice/lentil mixture, melt coconut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add shallots and ginger and stir. After two minutes, add the Garam Masala and coriander. Stir periodically for another two minutes or until shallots are soft then turn off heat. Check that lentils and sweet potato are both tender, then pour contents of small pan into rice and lentil mixture, add salt and parsley and combine well while being mindful not to smash the sweet potato. Lastly, stir in dried cranberries. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve warm to hungry bellies.

• Vata: Very Good. Soak dried cranberries in warm water, so they will not dehyrate the body further in being digested. 
• Pitta: Ok. Good with changes: Use white basmati rice instead of brown. Reduce ginger to just 1 tablespoon, and reduce garam masala by half and add 1/2 tsp ground cumin.  
• Kapha: Good with changes: Use quinoa or white basmati rice. Increase lentils to 1 cup, and increase water as needed (probably to 6 cups). Increase Garam Masala to 2 teaspoons. 

More about Garam Masala: 

Garam Masala, the "hot spice" for great winter health

The holiday season can be a bit of an obstacle course to keep your health: dodging the refined foods, waking up early, using your best judgement to know how many holiday parties you can handle... While there are things to keep in mind to survive the holidays, one easy and delicious thing you can do is incorporate an Indian spice mixture into your diet called Garam Masala which literally means Hot Spices. You can buy it at the store pre-made in the spices section for easy use in all your holiday dishes. There's no one "right" recipe for Garam Masala and all Indian families tend to have their own particular way of making it. It's often a blend of these spices: cumin, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, dry ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and saffron. All these spices are excellent for enhancing our ability to digest the heavy foods of the holidays and winter season, which means that using Garam Masala can help you sleep better, stave off lethargy, fight colds and keep your mind bright and peaceful. It's delicious in soups, stews and in any rice & vegetable dish. Above is a recipe for Holiday Kitchari with Garam Masala that is a great healthy protein-rich vegetarian addition that your friends and family will love; I know, I brought it with me to Thanksgiving dinner! To use Garam Masala in a soup, check out this delicious Butternut Squash Soup recipe!