Vegetable Kichdi

This is a recipe from Linda McCartney's book "Linda McCartney on Tour - over 200 meat-free dishes from around the world". The recipes often need a little bit of veganization as they tend to have eggs and dairy in them, but it's no big deal.

This recipe can give your spice rack/shelf a workout so make sure you have what you need before you give this a try.

1 cup basmati rice

1/3 cup red lentils

2 tbsp soy margarine

1 tbsp cumin seeds (I didn't have these and just used powder)

5 peppercorns crushed (I didn't crush but did a coarse grind from the peppermill)

4 whole green cardamoms
4 cloves

1 inch of cinnamon stick

1 tsp turmeric powder (what I used) or a pinch of saffron strands

2 large onions chopped finely

2 inches of fresh ginger grated

1 large potato diced

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/2 - 1 cup each cauliflower and broccoli florets

2 1/2 cups water

roasted cashews (finished the recipe and realized I didn't have these so I used slivered almonds)

salt to taste

In a large frying pan: heat the butter and fry the spices over medium heat. When they start to sizzle add the chopped onion and ginger and fry until golden brown (the turmeric will make them VERY golden).

Add the veggies, rice, lentils, water and pinch or two of salt. Stir and simmer covered for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked, adding more water if needed. Stir and serve sprinkled with roasted cashews (or almond slices).