My mother and I arrived last night from our long drive from Miami to Connecticut. We made the essential stops, and did about 8 hours a day. The hard thing about being on the road is the disruption of your exercise and eating schedules. Even a day without a home-cooked meal affects me. I quickly got over breakfast on the road and new dinner destinations.

Today my mom wanted something soothing. I looked around the pantry and found some stuff that I had not cooked in a while: brown basmati rice, mung beans, dried kaffir lime leaves. I knew that I had an onion, garlic, and my fully equiped spice drawer, and that that is all it takes to make a great rice and beans dish.

I heated up some coconut oil in a pot and cooked some finely diced onion. Then I added ground coriander, crushed cardamom pods, smashed garlic, and some turmeric. I added in 1 part mung beans to 2 parts rice, and poured in some water. Once it came to a boil, I brought it down to a simmer and added the kaffir lime leaves and a small piece of cinnamon stick. I covered it and let it simmer until cooked through. We ate it with some steamed kale. The coconut oil was a nice touch, because it really made the rice aromatic and comforting. All of the spices contributed their flavor, giving the cooking liquid a really nice aroma. Ahhh, I am so glad to be back home and in control of the kitchen!