Ever since our family started on this plant based eating plan, I’ve been fooling around with recipes, trying to find some staples that work in our regular meal rotation. It hasn’t been easy.

 

You notice I’m not saying we are eating a vegan diet? That’s on purpose. A vegan diet can be very healthy, but it doesn’t have to be. You can absolutely be a junk food vegan! And for me, even if I eat non-animal foods, if I move into processed food land, I can put on weight at a speed that is truly remarkable!

So I’m trying as best as I can to stick to a whole foods, plant based, low fat (for me) eating style. The kids don’t need the low fat part, but that’s easy to adjust for them. But a plant based recipe that has great flavor, is low fat, and doesn’t have a page long list of ingredients  – now that’s been a challenge. The Black Lentil chili recipe is a good one. And I’ve found another lentil recipe that is basically a dump-and-stir, after you chop an onion and a tomato. 

 

 

I like lentils. They’re high in protein (one answer for non-vegans who want to know where you get protein on a plant based diet), low in fat, have lots of complex carbohydrates and fiber, and provide folate (especially good in pregnancy) and magnesium. They’re also delicious! I happen to love Indian food, but if you’ve ever tried to make a traditional Indian food recipe, there are a thousand spices in each recipe. That’s probably why it’s so good! But I don’t know how to do that kind of cooking quickly and easily, so I need a quicker option. Also, Indian food uses a lot of oil (usually ghee – not vegan), and since I’m following more of a Forks Over Knives plant-based plan, I wanted a low fat option. I also really like this recipe because all the heat is in the onion topping. I like fiery food, but my youngest does not, so this is a meal I can make for the family and enjoy without having to add hot sauce (which is what I usually do). This one comes from Fat Free Vegan, and I loved it!

 

Here are some short cuts for this recipe. First, use a pressure cooker (you know I love my Instant Pot!). You can do this on the stove top, but you’ll need at least 30-45 minutes for the peas to soften, so use the pressure cooker if you’re trying to make this fast. Second, get pre-prepped garlic and ginger. Yes, the fresh is delicious, but this is almost as good and is so much faster. Also, you need a garam masala spice blend, so make sure you have this before you start. Let’s get cooking!

 

 

This recipe doubles easily if you want to freeze some for another day.

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal)

1/2 cup yellow moong dal (splint mung beans) or yellow split peas (I used this), or another 1/2 of the red lentils

3 cups water

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 onion chopped, 1/2 onion sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 teaspoons of garlic paste

1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, minced (or one teaspoon ginger paste)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste!)

 

 

Put the lentils and peas, water, tomato, chopped onion, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, turmeric, and salt in the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. If you’re cooking on the stovetop, bring to a boil, then cook on low covered for at least 30 minutes until then lentils are soft, stirring frequently and adding more water if needed. In the pressure cooker, let the pressure release naturally for ten minutes, then quick release. 

 

While the lentils are cooking, put the sliced onions in a dry skillet and cook, stirring often until they begin to brown. Fat Free Vegan recommended a nonstick pan, but I don’t use coated pans, so I used my dry cast iron skillet and they browned nicely. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until the onions are soft and a little browned at the edges.

 

 

Check the lentils to be sure they’re soft and cooked through. Then add the garam masala and stir vigorously to make the lentils creamy. Add water if it’s too thick. Adjust your seasonings (add salt or more garam masala). Serve over rice and top with the onions. A side salad would be good here, especially if you made the onions spicy. Enjoy!