Red Lentil Dal Recipe

I’ve been craving warm, spiced, fiber-filled foods in the evenings this week and this Red Lentil Dal hits the spot every time!

My favorite features of this dish are the balanced nutrition (between the rice, lentils, and coconut milk we hit all the major macros), healing aromatic spices, and how easy it is to make! As a bonus, this dish is totally plant based so it makes a great dish to share with vegan and vegetarian friends as well as your omnivore friends (all in a pandemic safe setting of course). I like to serve this with rice but it is delicious on its own and would also be great with naan if that's more your style.

This is a slight modification on a recipe from Kate at Veggie Desserts

1/3 C cooked brown rice

My favorite features of this dish are the balanced nutrition (between the rice, lentils, and coconut milk we hit all the major macros), healing aromatic spices, and how easy it is to make! As a bonus, this dish is totally plant based so it makes a great dish to share with vegan and vegetarian friends as well as your omnivore friends (all in a pandemic safe setting of course). I like to serve this with rice but it is delicious on its own and would also be great with naan if that's more your style.

Ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1.5 TBSP spice blend (details below)

1 cup red lentils, dried and uncooked

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can coconut milk

2 cups veggie broth

1/2 tsp brown mustard

2 handfuls spinach or kale (I didn’t have any when I made it this week but its such a good addition)

Salt, chili flakes, and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add spice blend and cook for another minute (my spice blend includes cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala in a ratio of 1 : 1 : 4 : 2). I make extra the first time I make the spice blend to store in a jar to use for the season to save myself some time during busy weeks. Add in all of the lentils, tomatoes, coconut milk, veggie broth, and brown mustard. Simmer (medium/low) for about 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally, and enjoying the delicious smells. Add spinach or kale and stir it in until it has wilted a bit. Serve over rice. Enjoy!