Darwin's original Pareto-optimal, Turing-complete, Lyapunov-stable,
cryptographically secure, decidably typesafe

*************************** ENERGY TANK *****************************

ENERGY TANK is a one-pot meal that is cheap, easy, and can sustain an
athlete for days.  Usage cases include
- Eating healthy on a budget
- Feeding a bunch of vegan Pikans
- Maintaining a high-protein diet for your athletic training
- Re-balancing your GI system after encountering third-world microbes
- Cooking when you know you need steady energy for 10 hours and might
  not be able to eat during that interval

Nutritional information: ENERGY TANK is designed specifically to
provide most of your nutritional needs on a short-term basis.  It is
mostly protein and fiber (roughly 1/4 of the non-water mass is
protein; another 1/4 is dietary fiber), with some starch, plus a heap
of vitamins, iron and some high-density lipoproteins.  Feel free to
vary the proportions.  Energy tank is more of an idea than a specific
recipe.

Preparation time: ~90 minutes 

Preparation notes: Proportions are pretty variable.  Increase the
grain ratio to make it cheaper and/or feed more people.  If you're
trying to minimize cost, the critical spices are the chili powder,
salt and cumin.  You can also use pre-mixed curry powder.

Serving notes: This dish is vegan.  This recipe serves between 5 and 9
people, depending on appetites and what ingredients you include or
leave out.

Ingredients: 

GRAIN GROUP 
2 cups rice
Optionally substitute for 1 cup of rice: 
1 cup quinoa
1 cup orzo

LEGUMES GROUP
1 1/2 cups dry lentils
Optionally substitute for the equivalent amount of lentils:
Dried split peas
Optionally add:
1/2 lb (dry) chickpeas, or probably 2 14-oz cans

VEGETABLES GROUP
1 large or 2 medium onions (more if you like onions)
1 lb spinach (frozen is OK)
4-5 cloves garlic
Optionally add:
3 tomatoes
3 medium potatoes

SPICES
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp black pepper
Optional:
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp ground cloves

If chickpeas are not canned, you must soak them for at least 16 hours
before boiling them until they become soft.  If you're not opting for
the optional ingredients here, ignore them.

Dice the potatoes.  Slice the onion in half and then across the halves
into long strips.  Mince the garlic.  In the bottom of the stew pot,
start to sautee the onions and the garlic with the spices (except for
the salt) in 1/4 cup olive oil.  When the onions start to become
translucent, add the rice and the quinoa to the frying pan for about a
minute (until they turn a little brown).  Then add 4 cups of water and
all the legumes and potatoes.

The dish is not ready to serve until all the ingredients are cooked
enough to be soft.  This takes a long time.  As you cook, if things
are not soft but there is no water visible, add more water 1/4 cup at
a time.  Stir liberally during the cooking process -- you want the
ingredients to be evenly distributed.  When everything is almost all
the way soft, add all the spinach and tomatoes to the pot.  Now add
the salt.  Feel free to add more spices if it's not strong enough for
you.

Serve hot with glasses of milk or with yogurt or paneer/cottage cheese
on the side.  A side of bananas or sausage is also delicious.

ENERGY TANK remains delicious for days if refrigerated and reheated.  

This recipe is placed in the public domain.  Eat well and enjoy.