Lemon-Turmeric Booster, Khichdi, Meal Planning Help

Good morning. Yesterday was a big news day in the coffee department: We found our old handheld milk frother, which made our morning cup, and therefore our morning, just a little bit better. I talked to my parents; I wrote about a delicious spring salad over at Cup of Jo; I planned to work on some book edits in the afternoon, but instead wound up curled up with the dogs watching The Social Network with Phoebe and getting lost down many ridiculous and brain-cell-killing twitter holes. (For those of you with kids in the youth soccer world, there was some drama, which made me feel like the world was actually normal for a minute or two!) Here are a few things you might want to tackle in your kitchen today…

Pantry: Khichdi

I started thinking about dinner yesterday at, like, lunch. All afternoon, I kept walking in and out of the kitchen, opening and closing the fridge and pantry, looking for inspiration, but just finding the same old bags of beans and rice and crickets. (Our weekly grocery delivery arrives today.) Finally, I told Andy he was in charge and retired to the TV room where the dogs were beckoning me from their respective sleepy sunspots. It’s amazing what a different set of eyes on the same pantry can do. By dinnertime, he was stirring up Priya Krishna’s Khichdi, which she describes on instagram as “…perfect for anytime, especially now, since it uses mostly pantry ingredients. This is simple comfort food at its best – rice, mung beans, and spices cooked down to a dreamy texture, with plenty of ghee to boot.” You can swap in split peas or lentils for the mung beans. We ate with crusty bread, and topped with plain yogurt and a swirl of cilantro chutney. It’s my new favorite thing.

Project: Lemon-Turmeric Immunity Booster

Am I sick of baked goods? No. Am I tired of baking projects. Absolutely not. But I will say it’s nice to walk into the kitchen to see Abby whirling up an immunity booster. I don’t even know how on earth she made it, or what it’s supposed to be capable of boosting or curing, but it felt good — at least psychologically — to take a shot this morning. When I asked her what she threw in the Vitamix, she told me 4 cups water, “1/5 cup turmeric” (love that), 1 tablespoon sliced ginger, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons lemon, a grind or two of pepper, 1 tablespoon of coconut cream. (That’s what we had; just wing it with whatever kind of coconut product you have — water, milk, etc. — and freeze what’s leftover.) Bottom’s up!

Purpose: Cool Meal Plan Tool

Under the category of “staying sane,” I love this new Cook with What You Have planning tool. Click up to three things you’ve got in the pantry and see what recipes come up at the bottom. It’s more addictive than TikTok.

Stay safe, stay home. 

The goal of the Project, Pantry, Purpose series to keep us sane, distracted, and connected. Please continue to comment below with suggestions for recipes, projects (for kids and adults), good deeds, donation ideas, stories, movies, games, puzzles. Or just tell me how you’re doing, what your daily routine is, and especially how DALS can help you or people in your community. You can also email me directly at [email protected].