Caitlin Denton, 128 YinD

Sometimes I walk into my kitchen and have no intentions of cooking anything noteworthy.  I’ll be hungry and will just whip together all the ingredients I can pick from my yard, have in my fridge, or in my dry goods box. Sometimes when I’m on “eat anything” mode I’ll even end up eating a bowl of popcorn mixed with peanuts, nutritional yeast, and Tobasco. I call this my Olivia Pope dinner. (If only I had red wine handy.) Anywho, on one particular day when rummaging through my fridge, magic happened. From that day on, this magic has become my go-to meal because it’s quick, delicious, nutritious, and can be made with a variety of ingredients. Not to mention, extremely inexpensive. I call it, my bastardization of daal, or mung bean stew.

It’s great for dinner alone, easy to make for large groups, and also travels well for lunch. Eat it with rice, barley, or a quick flatbread. Don’t fret if you’re lacking the exact ingredients listed below. It can literally be made with any assortment of vegetables. This combination just happens to be my favorite.

Mung Bean Stew (2 servings)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dried mung beans
• 1.5 cups water
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 1/2 cup pumpkin diced
• 1/4 carrot diced
• 1/2 long green chili diced (remove seeds for less spice)
• 2 Tbsp. coconut milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp, cumin
• 2 tsp. coriander
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions

In a small pot bring water to a boil then add in mung beans and salt. Let simmer on medium heat for about 10 min then turn to low heat. Add garlic, onions, chilies, pumpkin, carrots, coconut milk, and oil. Let simmer 2-3 min. When the pumpkin has softened, add tomatoes and spices. Let simmer an additional 2-3 minutes. Cook until mung beans are soft and you’re desired texture. For firmer beans use less water and cook for less time. Dish up with your chosen grain and enjoy!

Quick Flatbread (serving 3-4 pieces)

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (plus a little extra for dusting)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions

In a small bowl mix flour and salt. Combine water and olive oil with dry ingredients and mix. Sprinkle a flat service with flour and knead dough until smooth. Add more flour if it’s too sticky. Break the dough into 3-4 pieces. Flatten and roll the dough (I use a small glass) until your desired thickness and size, sprinkling more flour and flipping size with each roll to prevent sticking. Turn your pan to a medium-low heat. When hot place 1 flatbread on the pan to cook, 1-1.5 minutes. It’s should bubble up a bit. Then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with the remaining pieces. Place your cooked pieces on a plate and cover with a tea towel, or another plate to keep them warm.

*I cook my flatbread on a non-stick pan. If your pan is not non-stick you will need to add about 1/2 Tsp. Oil to the pan before cooking.

Enjoy!