A Slow Transformation

Obviously, I like to spend much of my time in the kitchen. It's really the only place (other than a yoga studio) I can truly clear my head and feel creative. However...the actual environment of my current kitchen is very dark, dreary, and dirty (in places). We've been here for almost three years, and I have detested the nasty carpet and dark ceilings. Seriously?! Who puts carpet in a kitchen. God only knows what's in that carpet no matter how hard those lovely professional carpet cleaners worked. Every yogurt, milk, juice stain is forever soaked in. I can barely bring myself to walk barefoot. Blah.

Next off, the ceiling is a tin design. Which is cool, but it's gold (never loved) and in the darkest corner of our house. Between the dark floor, dark ceiling, and dark oak cabinets I often feel like I'm in a dungeon. So! My lovely, lovely husband has begun our transformation. As you can see above, we are painting over the tin. That light fixture is gone and will soon be replaced. And, on July 28 my extraordinary husband and father-in-law will install a new bamboo floor! (Huge sigh of relief.) I'm already feeling like I could cry. My dream kitchen is on the horizon.

Lazy Lentil Casserole

Last night, I had no idea what we were going to have for dinner. It was the night before our CSA pick-up, so nearly everything had been eaten and prepared from last week's box. I turned to lentils and rice -- the perfect ingredients for a last-minute lazy dish. I always have each in my pantry. Off to Google I went. After a quick google search for lentils and rice, I was most inspired by this recipe. I made some changes to accomodate what I had on hand, and this is what I created. We all really loved it. Honestly, it's the most simple and loved new recipes I've made in a loooooooong time. Aksel, my three-year-old, even exclaimed, "This is a yummy meal." He's way more interested in moving on from dinner then asking for seconds...but, he had more...then more. I paired it with two small heads of lettuce from our garden drizzled with balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil and salt. My husband later decided to add some blue tortilla chips, which we all gladly used to scoop up the casserole.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
3 carrots, diced
1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced (or onion)
1 fennel bulb, diced (or celery)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup short-grain brown rice, rinsed
2 to 2 1/2 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Heat olive oil over low to medium heat. Add carrots, kohlrabi and fennel. Measure and rinse lentils and rice. Add garlic and stir then add lentils and rice. Add water, salt and bouillon cube (I like to break it apart with my fingers as I add it to the pan). Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to create a gentle simmer. Simmer 30-40 minutes until lentils and rice are cooked and water is gone. Trick to testing to see if water is absorbed: gently tip pan to the side and see if water appears. If there is still water but the lentils and rice are cooked, just simmer with the lid off to help extra water evaporate.