Recipe: Dahl Soup

This week's recipe is the recipe that made me love beans. It is (slightly adapted) from the book What's Cooking Vegetarian by Jenny Stacey. I found it first at Get In My Belly.

I know some people will be shocked to see coconut cream in a supposedly healthy recipe, but I think there is nothing wrong with a little coconut cream every once in a while, in a diet that is full of fruits and vegetables. Of course, if you want to lose weight, you may want to use a lot less, or use light coconut milk instead.

Ingredients

• a bit of oil or water
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (14.5 ounces each)
• 1 cup red or other lentils
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 2.5 cups veggie stock
• 75 grams creamed coconut (about 1/3 package, or 2.5 oz)

Preparation

• Saute the garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes in the oil or water.
• Add the spices and cook for another 30 seconds.
• Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
• If using a pressure cooker: Lock the lid, bring to high pressure and cook for seven minutes under high pressure.
• If using a regular pan: let simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
• If using (more nutritious) brown lentils, make sure to cook the soup long enough. I often use my pressure cooker, which makes the lentils very mushy.

Nutrition Facts

Makes four large bowls, Nutrition Facts per serving

• Calories: 360
• Fat: 14 g (12 g saturated)
• Protein: 15 g
• Carbohydrate: 48 g (8 g fiber)
• Iron: 5.2 mg (29%)

July 30, 2006