Lentil Dhal with Roasted Vegetables – Super Simple Recipe 23

I’m guilty on occasions of forgetting that there are a good many non-meat great providers of protein but the simple fact is that there are! That’s especially true when you look at foods like lentils, grains and beans. Many WLS patients welcome this because meat-toleration can be tricky, especially in the early days post-op (and sometimes much later). 

So this recipe may well be a welcome addition to your recipe rota. It’s a lentil dhal (made with red split lentils) and vegetables that are roasted with spices to produce a thick nourishing meal. Lentils are a tasty, low-fat source of protein and fibre and I have roasted the vegetables with just a spritz of low-fat oil or mist to keep the fat content low – many ready-made dhal mixtures toss or cook the mixture in quite a bit of oil or clarified butter (ghee) which can make the fat content soar. The spices used also mean you can reduce the salt content appreciably – they add sufficient flavour on their own.  Better still, this recipe will go some way into providing your so-called 5-a-day.

As an aside, this recipe can be halved, doubled or trebled as liked, reheats well and my left-over portion did freeze well (although I wouldn’t freeze for longer than 2 months).

I think it’s a great super simple recipe and so it is going into our recipe archive under that strand. 

I like to serve with a sprinkling of torn coriander/cilantro leaves and a dollop of fat-free thick yogurt – you might too.

 

LENTIL DHAL WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

METRIC/US

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, about 350 g/12 oz, peeled, seeded and cut into small bite-sized pieces

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into small bite-sized pieces

2 onions, cut into wedges

2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

low-fat cooking spray or mist

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 aubergine/eggplant, cubed

2 courgettes/zucchini, cubed

200 g/1 cup red split lentils

2 x 390 g cartons or 2 x 400 g cans chopped tomatoes

 

Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/gas 4. 
2.  Place the squash, carrot and onions in a bowl and toss with the turmeric, cumin and coriander to coat. Turn onto a non-stick baking tray and spritz liberally with low-fat cooking spray or mist. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
3.  Add the garlic, aubergine and courgettes, mixing well, re-spritz and roast for a further 20-25 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender and turning brown.
4.  Meanwhile, put the lentils in a pan and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft, adding and topping up with water if necessary.
5.  Drain the lentils then return to the pan with the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then heat through for 5 minutes.
6.  Add the roasted vegetables to the lentils and mix well to serve. Serve topped with torn coriander and a dollop of yogurt if liked.

 

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½

V suitable for Vegetarians

 

CALORIES PER PORTION: 360

PROTEIN: 20.2 g

CARBOHYDRATE: 63.2 g

FAT: 3.4 g

 

Image courtesy of http://www.asda.com