‘Twas a dark and stormy afternoon – we lost a plant in the wind. We will rebuild!
The good news is it meant peppers for dinner!
I ended up driving to yoga and back because of the rain – ate half a Hungry Bar before I left! These bars are not cheap, but they are comparable in price to there bars on the market and are my favorite “real food” granola bar ever. This one is a sample of the new flavors Emily sent me to test for my store, but I think I will have to order replacements for eating when the baby is here – I hear my appetite will be through the roof! I put them in my freezer and they last forever.
Prenatal yoga was good – tons of chest opening tonight which I desperately need! I’m still getting a lot of burning under my ribs, which my doctor says is my muscles stretched to the max. It’s worst at the end of the day – like now!
Have you had forbidden rice before? It has an awesome texture – very chewy! I picked some up at WF a few weeks ago and cooked it in the rice cooker this morning.
I didn’t even bother to clean the rice cooker before cooking a second ingredient – green lentils. They were both ready to go for dinner so Matt just had to worry about cooking up some veggies.
He made a saucy topper out of tomatoes and okra and then grilled those fallen peppers – all served over the lentils + rice. Goat cheese on top, which totally made this dish!
Very unattractive, but very nutritious! Lentils are one of the worst foods in the world to showcase!
Note the construction zone! We had to eat inside!
After a nice dinner, we cut open a melon Matt brought back from the market. I have no idea what kind it is, but if I had to name it I’d call it a Cucumber Melon! It was oblong and has that coolness that cucs do.
It’s crunchy too – but sweet and refreshing!
Two more tasks and I’m off to read! Started The Hand That First Held Mine this week – a hand-me-down from Karen!
Eileen says
Hmm–is it a canary melon?
Rice, lentils, and grilled veg sounds like a perfect dinner!
Jordan @ Bake Write Sleep says
I’ve never heard of forbidden rice… until now. And I cook a LOT. It’s nice to learn new things =P
Greg says
I had purchased it at Trader Joe’s. I’m not sure whether they still have it since it’s been awhile.
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
I think the dinner looks delicious! I’ve never tried forbidden rice, but I’ve seen it on a couple cooking shows!
Lindsey @ Sound Eats says
May have been a Canary Melon!
Stephanie C says
My thoughts too, except do they normally have those ridges on them?
Kristen @ Change of Pace says
You guys are always so creative with dinner. I always get in dinner ruts 🙁
Kelley says
Wow I forgot ALL about that burning sensation I had under my ribs when I was
pregnant, I really hated it!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
I remember the burning under the ribs. That is tough, but you are almost done! Hang in there! Dinner looks delicious! We had red beans and rice tonight, which totally hit the spot! Have a great night Kath!
Ashley @ Hudson on the Potomac says
What a neat melon!! Rice, bean/lentil, and veggie bowls are my favorite dinners! I had one tonight too! Hope you have a nice evening Kath!
MegS @ Beauty of Meg says
Well you managed to make lentils look wonderful Kath! 🙂 I can see that being called a cucumber melon! lol 😛
Ek says
Its a Korean melon called cha-meh
Amy says
Yep. It’s definitely a korean melon!! Yummmmy!
Brittnie (A Joy Renewed) says
You should totally order some replacement bars for post partum hunger!! Breastfeeding = never ending appetite!! 🙂
Andrea says
1. I have never heard of forbidden rice before, but I LOVE rice so I will have to keep my eye out for this. I know that it isn’t sold anywhere around me (trust me, I know of all rices in my area ;)), but maybe when I’m out somewhere special I’ll find it!
2. Hearing you talk about the chest opening moves in your yoga class reminded me of how good it felt to do moves like that when I was taking yoga classes… I’m going to have to have me a little session here at home soon 🙂 I hope you and Matt have a wonderful night!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
that melon sounds interesting! and you did a great job on the lentils; they look fabulous!
Lizzy says
It’s a sprite melon, they are in season right now and the farmers markets are flowing with them. I first tried one in my CSA two years ago and now I look forward to when they are in season. I picked myself up one this weekend from the farmers market and it was delicious!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
I haven’t heard of forbidden rice before, but I’ll definitely have to check it out! Sometimes the most unattractive foods can be the yummiest!
Sarah @ Learning to Feed Yourself says
I just bought forbidden rice for the first time last week too! It cooked really easily, tasted great, and I thought it was super pretty 🙂
Find a Juicer says
Wow! looks very delicious and it made me hungry. I’m planning to try this one with my citrus juice to drink. Thanks for this useful post.
Lisa says
They’re Korean melons. Sweet and crunchy. Perfect for summer. : )*
http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Korean_Melon_294.php
Gina @ Health, Love, and Chocolate says
I discovered Forbidden Rice last year and fell in love with the nutty flavor! I also love Bhutanese Red Rice which has a similar taste/texture.
jeanette says
Kath, I saw something today and thought of you–a drinking lid for mason jars! The Pioneer Woman featured them today and I can’t believe someone thought of it. Too bad it wasn’t me 🙂
cuppow.com
KathEats says
I saw those! so cool!
AnneW says
I just had forbidden rice for the first time last week- served with steamed lobster and a butter bourbon sauce… MMMMM…. serious butter coma ensued… but it got me hooked on that rice!
Tiffany says
I love lentils. I found that if I cook them on stove top for about 20 minutes and once its cooked but with a bit of crunch I drain it and wash it with cool water. The lentils look perfect (not mushy at all).
Have you thought about making your own granola bars before the baby is born and sticking them in the freezer?
I made Dreena Burtons “Proper Healthy Granola Bars” this week and they are delicious. I start school in 2 weeks so they are perfect to have on hand.
Is the rice kind of similar to the black rice that is in wild rice?
have a great evening 🙂
KathEats says
yeah I’ll probably make some too!
Suz says
That melon is a “chameh” or Korean melon! One of my faves. Mildly sweet and refreshing.
My Mom used to cut up one almost every night during the summer when my brother and I were young. 🙂
http://newasiancuisine.com/3540-korean-melon.html
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says
mmm! What a tasty dinner!
Jessica @ New Girl, New City says
YUM! I haven’t had lentils in forever…
Forbidden rice sounds SO good!
Courtney @ Love, Thoughts and Prayers says
Hey Kath! Read this and thought of you, only a few more weeks before you can have the real deal but thought many of these “preggatinis” sounded refreshing and fun! 🙂 http://simplystated.realsimple.com/2009/10/07/preggatinis-mixology-for-momtobe/
KathEats says
🙂
Michele says
Kath, you totally had a korean-ish dinner tonight lol. I absolutely loveee purple rice (korean restaurants always serve them and my non-korean friends love it), you can mix it with regular rice and it comes out a beautiful deep purple (you can add beans too, it’s delicious). And that’s a korean melon called cha meh!
Jennifer says
HEY! That’s a Korean melon. It’s called chameh. You can even eat the seeds. They sell them out of the back of trucks in Korea. A whole back of 10 or more for $2…..oh how I miss those days!
Khushboo says
Lentils & oats- so not photogenic yet so tasty!
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says
Karen is a sweet heart. I know you’ll love the book!
hannah says
Hi Kath- Check out this pin on pintrest…. Great for traveling mummys!! http://pinterest.com/pin/241716704971034318/
KathEats says
that is awesome !
brandee says
I love Korean melons. I kept seeing them in Seoul and finally tried them. It’s interesting to know you can find them in the US!
Jen says
Thought the lentils were ground beef first! Love the toppers. Lentils don’t agree with my stomach for some reason…so I usually stick to beans instead.
[email protected] Broken Cookies Don't Count says
Delicious looking dinner. I’ve seen forbidden rice, but haven’t tried it yet. Does it taste different?
Hope @ With A Side Of Hope says
I’ve never had forbidden rice before! It looks good though. 🙂
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
My pepper plants were flattened by some wind/rain this week too! I staked them up and I’m crossing my fingers they’ll be okay…
[email protected] says
I haven’t tried that rice yet. You actually make the lentils look good, with the colors from your tomatoes and okra! 😉
Lauren says
Not an ugly dish, I think it looks so pretty! Adds great contrast to the vegetables, and who can say they eat black food on a regular basis? I haven’t been very adventurous with different rices in the past, always going for a new grain all together. Have you tried very many? I’m intrigued…
Susan H. @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
Forbidden Rice…how intriguing! Paired with lentils and roasted veggies…topped with goat’s cheese…sounds delish!
Cait's Plate says
I’ve heard of forbidden rice but never tried it – it looks delicious!
Angel7 says
That is one cool looking melon!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Johanna B says
One of the dishes that was prepared during the fresh peach cooking class I went to last year featured forbidden rice. Quite tasty! I’ll have to pull out that recipe since it’s peach season. Thanks for the reminder.
Alicia says
Love forbidden rice! It is the texture that I like, but I am one of those people who likes food to have some resilience (i.e. al dente pasta, undercooked veggies).
Wonder if more water time would take some of the burning sensation in your ribs away? I am sure most of the burn is actually the size of the baby causing stretching, but gravity has to be taking some toll on your muscles too. When I was in the final stages of pregnancy, the buoyancy of the water always felt amazing to me, and I felt like I could breath better too.
KathEats says
I’ve been trying to get back to the pool – and it is worse after a night standing on my feet (but not really after a walk?)
Emma says
It’s funny how the most delicious, nutritious food can be the ugliest! I guess it’s balanced out by how pretty colorful fruit looks.
Brianne says
I was just looking at the stats of Hungry bars but they don’t look very nutritious to me. Aren’t they basically a cookie?
I love lentils though; I usually put them in soup though, with rice is a good idea though.
KathEats says
They have a pretty good amount of protein and healthy fat – I wouldn’t put them in cookie status.
Alice says
Hi Kath! I have grown up eating forbidden rice and my family usually mixes it with white (and in your case, probably brown) with the ratio beeing majority white and a little bit of forbidden – the rice turns a beautiful purple colour! As for the melons, I have a box of them right now and it says they are just “Korean Melons”? But in Korea, we call them “Chamae”. Have a great day!
Angela @ Health, Happiness, & Harmony says
I absolutely LOVE forbidden rice! Our local sushi places offer it for sushi, and I fell in love with the taste and the nutritional value. Some places refer to it as black or purple rice too. 🙂
Vivi @My.Beautiful.Air says
Love your ‘We will rebuild!’ attitude!
Leah says
Sounds like you had a Japan night! Japan has all these lovely interesting melons that I can’t eat because of my allergies, but the one in the picture looked like one I saw at market today! I’ll try to find out the name. Also, “black rice” is something that a lot of the vegetarian restaurants in Kanazawa mix in with their brown rice. I should buy some more!
I understand completely about the “ugly food.” I am dreading having to photograph my eggplant curry recipe for my blog.