Dal, a Kitchen Rehab and Table Art.

Our poor kitchen table has seen many moves, children's art projects and fork gouging over the years. Armed with a brush and some paint, we rehabbed that tired old bitty into something really wonderful.

First we sanded down the old veneer lightly with sandpaper (a tedious process) and then painted on several coats of a shiny, happy turquoise. The top we painted with chalkboard paint. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this, envisioning holiday murals, shopping lists, love notes, homework calculations and such that can be written right on the table day after day. Not to mention impromptu
art sessions.

Because the paint had to cure for 3 days before we could write on it, we didn't even tell the kids about the hidden new feature of our new table. Instead, we craftily waited until the kids were in bed and drew a late night mural for the next morning's surprise.

It's such a treat, let me tell you, and we've created and erased many works of art today. Here is one my husband drew, in honor of Obamacare being upheld.

And for dinner, what better than a healthy, nourishing and savory helping of Dal? Dal is an Indian dish that comes in many varieties. Some are spicy and others are savory. We used the leftovers to make lentil wraps with tahini sauce the next day.

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 clove
1/4 tsp each cinnamon and allspice
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of veggie broth
1 cup of lentils
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
cilantro, for garnish

Saute the onion in a bit of oil until soft and just beginning to char. With a mortar and pestle, or in your food processor, grind the mustard, coriander, cumin, clove, cinnamon, allspice and red pepper. Add to your onions the spice mix and garlic, cooking 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. 

Next pour in your broth, lentils and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in cilantro. Serve over rice.