Dan's Indian pilaf

Sometimes it's so great to have a few days off from cooking -- especially when you're lucky enough to have a husband who knows his way around a kitchen!

As I said in my last post, I had to take a few days off from cooking and doing dishes because of a finger injury. It's just a small cut, but in a place that makes it really painful and impossible to keep away from water while working in the kitchen. So for the past few days, I've been enjoying some down time -- as much as I can get with a 1-year-old -- and Dan has taken over kitchen duties.

Last night, he threw together a delicious rice pilaf for our quick Indian meal (I sang the praises of that fast Indian food in this post about my favorite things). Sorry the photo is so dark!

Dan's Indian pilaf (makes 4 servings)

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice (we had short grain; basmati would be ideal)

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice blend

enough water to cook rice in pot or rice cooker

5 cardamom pods

pinch of saffron

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons sliced almonds, toasted and crushed

1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in rice cooker or large pot, stir to mix, and add water. Cook until done, and remove cardamom pods before serving.