Delicious Life Coaching

We had a very successful cleanse class at the beginning of the month. The fall foods included in the cleanse help tone your lungs and intestines and prepare your body for the cold winter months. This is just one of many delicious dishes we ate. This dish is also perfect for helping protect your body from the common cold - the spices are warming, and the vegetables provide the vitamins and nutrients you need to strengthen your system against nasty cold viruses.

Want to try the cleanse? Click here to learn about the last one for this year.

Notes: This dish is an Indian cleansing specialty. When you combine it with a whole grain (brown rice, millet, quinoa, etc.) it becomes a complete meal. The good thing about this dish is that you can make a big pot of it and eat it over a few days. It can take a little longer to cook, but if you’re in the house working on other things, you can prepare it and let it simmer while you work.

Substitutes – you can also make this with other types of beans if you don’t have split mung beans. Chickpeas would probably work well, too – though they take longer to cook if you’re cooking them from dried beans.

½ cup split mung beans
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 stick kombu (kelp)
6 cups water
1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) or oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon hing (omit if you don’t have an Indian grocery store nearby)
1 teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 more tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or oil
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
¾ teaspoon salt
½ small onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2-4 cups fresh vegetables
2 more cups water as needed

Wash the beans and rinse until water is clear. Warm a tablespoon of ghee in a medium sauce pan and add whole cumin seeds and hing and lightly brown. Add beans, 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 45 minutes.

Warm other 2 tablespoons ghee in a small skillet. Add coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the spices, onion, and garlic. Pour sautéed spice mixture into the beans. Add last 2 cups of water to the kichadi. Add the vegetables and cook for 20 more minutes.