Green Lentil and Vegetable Dahl

Perfect Meal Prep

With a daughter completing her final exams at the moment I had decided to put some meals aside in the freezer for days when she needed extra support or for when we needed to have dinner pronto so she could work the night away studying hard. I stocked the freezer with a range. of meals to suit all tastes and this worked out to be a huge help at a busy, busy time. Green Lentil and Vegetable Dahl was one of the meals I have had on hand. It didn’t take a lot to prepare and froze really well.

Plant Based Goodness

We eat a lot of plant based meals but we aren’t strictly vegetarian or vegan. This is a vegan dish but I choose to serve it with natural Greek yoghurt. You could, of course, serve it with coconut yoghurt. I chose to use green lentils because I like the way they hold their shape when cooked. I teamed them with cauliflower and pumpkin as well as tomatoes. I also cook everything using my vegetable stock concentrate (see recipe in this blog post) so this dish is full of plant based goodness. Combined with coconut cream and a range of spices the end result is simply amazing. Luckily there are enough left overs for the next day so you can continue your enjoyment then!

But what makes this dahl really warming and satisfying is the mix of delicious earthy spices.  I have included the curry favourites of cumin, turmeric, fresh chilli as well as curry powder.  I also add cinnamon and brown mustard seeds which really round off the flavours beautifully. You will need to toast the mustard seeds first to release their flavour before adding the other spices.

Green lentils take longer than red lentils to cook but you should have this dahl ready to serve in under an hour.  And as I said it is perfect for batch cooking.  Make double and freeze half to have in store when you need a simple week night meal in a hurry.

We really enjoyed this Green Lentil and Vegetable Dahl.  It is full of flavour, protein, fibre and vitamins so you have a complete meal in one pot.

Earthy spices and an overall flavour make this a satisfying meal.

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Green Lentil and Vegetable Dahl

Plant based deliciousness at its best. Rich with spices and full of taste.

Course Main Course

Keyword Green Lentil and Vegetable Dahl

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author Jane Georgiades

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp brown mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp curry powder mild or to taste
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1-2 long red chillis sliced
• 1 375ml tin coconut cream
• 1 head cauliflower broken into florets
• 1/2 small butternut pumpkin chopped into 2cm cubes
• 1 carrot diced
• 250 g frozen spinach
• 5 tbsp vegetable stock concentrate or 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 cups dried green lentils rinsed and drained
• 4 cups water (if using veg. stock concentrate)

Instructions

1. Gently fry the brown mustard seeds in the oil in a large heavy stock pot. When they start to pop add the other spices and fry until fragrant. Pour in the coconut cream and stir. Then add the vegetables and vegetable stock concentrate and water or just vegetable stock. Then add the lentils and the brown sugar. Give everything a big stir and bring to the boil. Put the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer everything (stirring from time to time) until the vegetables are soft and the lentils are tender. Serve with your choice of yoghurt.