I'm a little bit country...

Hey Y'all!...Ok I had to. No accent yet, but officially in Alabama for the next 9 months! Loving the internship, house, and roomies. The heat and humidity are pretty much the only troublesome thing to date, but adjusting just fine.

Dad and I  arriving across the Mason Dixon.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but really wanted to post something quintessentially "Southern", but have yet to make anything stereotypical. Maybe some Georgia peaches and sweet tea, but I promise soon!

I originally wasn't going to post this recipe, but after tasting it decided I NEEDED to share. The weekends are always dedicated to cooking away meals for the week ahead, which I started this morning. On the list so far : my first batch of corn tortillas, cajun chickpea patties, aanndd split pea dahl.  Everything surprisingly came out just fab. Especially my lunch this afternoon. Split Pea Dahl. Dahl is an indian dish typically made with lentils, but I had some split peas on hand and wanted to try a recipe I saw here. I made some changes for what I had on hand, and am soo pleased with the results. Split peas are cheap, delicious, and happen to be high in fiber and protein. Who knew the humble split pea packed such a nutritious punch?!

Split Pea Dahl
makes 4, 1 cup servings

1 cup uncooked split peas
2 cups water, or low-sodium broth
1/2 onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Start by combining the water and peas in a medium pot, heated on medium-low. Bring to a slow simmer. Add the spices, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute the onion and carrot with a little bit of oil in a frying pan over medium heat until softened. About 5-7 minutes. I speed up the process by adding a little bit of water and covering to let the veggies steam after they have sauteed a bit.

Add the cooked veggies to the peas, and simmer about 5 minutes more. Add more water if necessary ( i needed to). Cook until peas are tender, and season accordingly. I added a bit more cumin, garlic, and a bit of seasoning salt at the end of mine.

Serve over a bed of rice, or on top of a big ol' salad.

I apologize for the lack of pictures, but as I said I wasn't really planning on posting this, until I tasted this delicious spin of a dish. I've made dahl before with lentils, but I have to say I may like this version a bit better.

It may not be fried okra, but it is a bit of get-in-my-belly. In the loving Southern words of the now infamous Paula Deen, "love and best dishes, from ma kitchin' ta yurs!" ; )


Any southern recipe requests?