Current Culinary Mission + My Recent Meals

I am on a culinary mission this fall/winter to nail homemade kitchari. It is a traditional Indian dish that has been in Ayurveda for thousands of years. The main ingredients are Mung dal and basmati rice along with spices and vegetables. It’s super kind to the digestive system and often considered “food medicine.” A cool fact about kitchari is that it’s a complete protein source and contains all nine of the essential amino acids our body needs. It’s also loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.

My kitchari consumption has mostly been limited to a ready-to-eat Trader Joe’s pouch but I want to make it part of my regular meal rotation this fall/winter.

On Sunday I found myself at the Super G Mart in search of the Split Moong Dal that I needed for the recipe. It had been ages since I visited this Charlotte grocery store that offers specialties from all over the world and I will be back soon!

I found my moong dal and couldn’t believe this huge bag of turmeric that I scored for just $3. Highly suggest a stop if you live in the Charlotte area and like to explore stores. Great place to find some fun items to play around with and to get spices at a great price.

Alrighty – I’ll keep you posted on my kitchari progress and hopefully write a post sharing my favorite recipe once I nail it down!

Here are a bunch of other meals for ya!

BREAKFAST

Buttered sourdough toast, cottage cheese scrambled eggs with sauerkraut and grapes.

Similar but sub a bagel with butter and cream cheese for the toast.

This delicious pumpkin banana oatmeal bake.

LUNCH

Meatless salad with greens, cucumbers, chickpeas, dried berries, pepitas, apples, avocado, watermelon radish, feta and hearts of palm. Finished off with olive oil, balsamic and sea salt.

Similar to the above but I was out of avocado and added canned salmon.

Romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, croutons, and deli chicken. I dressed this with balsamic vinaigrette and then used my chop salad tongs to mix it all together (obsessed with these things!)

Mixed greens, apples, smoked salmon, pickled beets, feta, carrots, avocado, pepitas, balsamic, olive oil and sea salt.

Ham sandwich with mayo, tomatoes and pepper jack cooked under the broiler to toasty perfection. This butternut squash carrot soup and grapes on the side.

Avocado toast on homemade sourdough, soft boiled eggs and grapes.

Turkey sandwich with mayo, avocado, pepper jack and sweet pickles cooked under the broiler. Same soup and grapes on the side.

DINNER

Salmon baked with Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce, steamed green beans with butter and roasted butternut squash. This was really simple but very tasty.

Brined, pan-seared pork chop, roasted brussel sprouts and a baked potato with butter, cottage cheese, salt and pepper. Need more baked potatoes in my life this fall. They are so good.

Steamed basmati rice with ground beef, roasted broccoli, hummus and Bitchin’ sauce. Loved this mix and the Bitchin’ sauce is so good on roasted veggies and ground beef.

Stuffed red peppers with quinoa, tomatoes, corn, ground beef, chopped green chiles and some other spices. Topped with shredded cheese and baked. I don’t remember the last time I made stuffed peppers and really enjoyed these. Made the recipe up as I went!

I used a frozen Sorrentina gnocchi from ALDI (it was in that red sauce) and added sautéed Italian sausage, frozen mixed mushrooms and roasted broccoli and baby portobello mushrooms.

This is a chicken and artichoke casserole that has a Mexican twist. I first made this recipe 15+ years ago but have never shared it on my blog. I made this to photograph and blog but I’m going to try it in the slow cooker before I do!

Love a good pasta creation. Penne pasta with Trader Joe’s Limone Alfredo sauce with artichoke hearts and shrimp. I added fresh basil, shredded parm and Trader Joe’s Soffritto seasoning blend. The seasoning blend is great and you must try it – the Limone sauce was just okay.

My favorite homemade spaghetti sauce with shredded mozzarella and roasted broccoli.

Buddha bowls! Air fried tofu, sautéed kale, roasted butternut squash, roasted cauliflower and basmati rice with Trader Joe’s yellow curry sauce (<– this jarred sauce is also really good and you should try!)

Baked salmon with the Trader Joe’s soyaki sauce, a baked sweet potato with butter, salt and brown sugar and my braised red cabbage with apples. First time making it this fall and glad to have it back!

Buffalo chicken salad with Trader Joe’s gluten-free chicken nuggets tossed in buffalo sauce over mixed greens, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, shredded cheddar, avocado, croutons, carrots and ranch. I also sprinkled some Trader Joe’s ranch seasoning on top.

It’s hard to pick but this might be my favorite creation of this recent eats post. It’s a miso mushroom pasta with sautéed kale and finished with crumbled seaweed snacks. I’ve never made a miso pasta dish before and I am now a huge fan. I used white miso from Trader Joe’s and shiitake mushrooms and kale from the farmers market. I can’t link to a recipe because I read several and then made it up. If anyone is interested in this – I’m happy to recreate and blog the recipe. YUM!

This is the end friends! I hope you enjoyed this latest eats round up. I think it was a good one. I am so in my food feels right now and motivated to cook, bake, create and share. If there’s a recipe of mine (or my dad’s) that you’ve been wanting – now is the time to request it! 🙂

QUESTIONS

Favorite ways to use sauerkraut? Always looking to add more fermented foods into my daily diet! 

Have you ever heard or or tried kitchari? 

Let me know if you have any recipe requests!