Kichidi

We were away this weekend and, we think because of her travel most of last week, my wife ended up not feeling well yesterday. I wanted to make something bland like the BRAT (Bananas-Rice-Applesauce-Toast) diet for those with an upset stomach, and was going to make white rice and steamed vegetables, but she was in the mood for the Indian kichidi, which I've never made. With some guidance from her, I put together this simple rice-lentil dish, and served it with raw foods and plain melba toast.

I used equal parts of white basmati rice and green moong lentils, and twice that amount of water. First I put a little bit of canola oil in a pan and, once hot, added a few pinches of cumin seed and the rice. I stir fried for a minute or so, then added the lentils, water, pinches of turmeric, salt, and dried cilantro powder and brought it to a boil. I reduced the heat to a simmer and cooked for about 20 minutes. If I didn't want to make this dish bland, I could have included some garlic in the initial stir fry; I did add some spicy lemon pickle to my serving at the table.

This past weekend, I was a speaker at the fourth annual Richmond Vegetarian Festival, about 3 hours from home. It was a well-attended event with over 3000 people in the lovely Bryan Park. We ate with several friends that evening at Bottoms Up Pizza; I thought the pizza was passable but not great.

But yesterday we had a very nice gourmet meal! There was a special "Celebration of Summer" 5-course vegan rawfood meal at TJ's Restaurant in Richmond's ornate historic The Jefferson Hotel. The executive chef there, Chef Jannequin Bennett (author of Very Vegetarian), is a vegan and enjoys putting on these special events. We had Spicy Avocado-Lime Soup (which was one of the best soups I've ever had! I should learn how to make something like this), Jicama Salad in Watermelon Cage (nice presentation and tasty), Parsnip & Carrot Linguine with Mushroom Miso Sauce (it was okay but not great), and Ginger Coconut Mousse with Fresh Berries (nice). It's been a long time since I've had a gourmet raw food meal, and it was a treat.